Story 386: Red Shade

Zara leaned against the cold bark of a towering pine, her crimson sweater blending into the dim red glow of the forest. The encounter with the robed figure had left her shaken but undeterred. Her breath formed misty clouds in the frigid air, but her thoughts burned with the intensity of a roaring flame. The metallic tang of her pistol lingered on her hand as she gripped it tightly.

Her short black hair, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead. She wiped it away with her gloved hand, surveying her surroundings. The symbols on the trees had stopped glowing, but their faint outlines were still visible, marking the forest as the King’s domain. Her reflection flickered in the surface of a nearby puddle, the sharp lines of her jaw and determined gaze reminding her of the mission she couldn’t abandon.