Keld's sword swings in my hand with every step I take. Tripping on the wet grass could lead to a nasty injury, so I pause for just a moment to wrap the sword in the linen garment and tuck it in my backpack.

My legs burn as I run over the dark grassy hills. The warm glow of the castle becomes smaller and smaller behind me. I'm making no effort to cover my tracks – that will come later, when I reach the forest. Right now, I need to put as much distance between Rahlan and myself as possible.

After running to the point of exhaustion, I reach the forest, where cut stumps give way to tall trees. Behind me, the outline of Litton castle is dotted with small orange lights, making it stand out from the black hills around it. Being sure to hide my figure behind a tree trunk, I climb up onto a stump on top of a tall hill for a better viewpoint.

Even at night, the moonlight reveals any protuberances on the small hills. My eyes home in on anomalies in their slopes, but after staring and squinting for a while, I'm confident that they are nothing more than rocks. If Rahlan is already following me, then he's only just left the castle, meaning I'm at least an hour ahead of him. I've seen him track, and I know I can move faster. He may wait until dawn before setting out, or maybe he won't bother at all, not considering me worth the trouble.

I take the large gray socks out of the travel bag and pull them over my boots. He won't be expecting my shoes to change shape, and the soft wool will obscure the edges of my shoeprints.

Facing the forest again, the black trees tower over me. The leaves rustle from a gust of freezing wind. The forest seems endless, stretching further than I can see, as if entering would mean I'd never leave. With the risk of getting lost, traversing a dense forest at night was unthinkable to me just a few weeks ago. I can imagine a year from now, one of the villagers stumbling across what's left of me – a dry skeleton with a decaying backpack, half submerged under leaves and dirt.

Instead of diving into the forest, I skirt along its edge. The wind picks up, tugging at my hair and chilling every bit of exposed skin. Faria is to the south, directly through the woods, but maybe I can find an opening where the trees aren't so dense, where I can at least see my surroundings.

I walk and walk, but the tree line remains thick. I try alternating between taking long and short steps to throw off Rahlan's measurements, but I abandon that idea when a rustle in the bushes encourages me to pick up speed.

Silly. It's just the wind.

I stop and face the dark forest again. There is no opening, no clear path for me to follow. The only way to Faria is through. I scan the vegetation, trying to make out any hostile figures, any menacing stares. The canopy above blocks what little moonlight there is, blackening the vegetation below.

There are ravagers around. Rahlan was so sure of it that he ordered a curfew on the villagers and assigned a guard at night. He knows that the ravagers are aggressive enough to venture into a well-lit crowded village, and here I am stepping into the woodland, alone. On my way out of the castle, Keld gave me a sword, and not as an empty gesture for my own piece of mind, but because he knew I'd need it.

I glance back at the castle, picturing the warm bed surrounded by thick stone walls. Those walls weren't built to keep me in, but to keep others out, out here where I am. As soon as I step into these woods, the castle will be out of sight. Maybe I should go back. Rahlan will be mad, but at least I'll be out of danger.

But if I go back, if I'm a coward, I'll be used as bait to draw Ivan out. I'll have to watch him die.

With that thought pushing me forward, I take my first steps into the forest.

Wet leaves crunch beneath my boots. The canopy smothers the light, blinding me. I stretch my arms out ahead to feel for obstacles, and my ears remain on alert. The only sounds are rustling trees and leaves cracking under my feet.

The cold air creeps in around me, climbing up the gap between my tunic and pants. There's a thick coat in the bag, but I fear that digging in it will lead to me dropping something in the pitch-black underbrush.

My foot slips over something smooth, and I hit the ground. Wet leaves and dirt cover my leggings, making them unrecognizable. The socks over my boots are soaked with mud, providing no grip. Frustrated, I pull them off and chuck them into the darkness.

There's a scurrying noise as the socks hit the ground. A shiver runs down my spine. This isn't an oak forest, so it should be free of scarlet wolves. It must be a rabbit or something.

Standing up, I realize that I've lost which way I was facing. There is no castle, no hills, no moon and no light.

Leaves crunch behind me. I jump and take off, running into the darkness. Footsteps chase after me, cracking twigs and leaves. Were ravagers watching me when I skirted along the edge of the forest, waiting for me to be stupid enough to try go through?

The steps get louder, closer. Its gaining on me. I sprint as fast as my sore legs can move.

Something slams against my face, sending me tumbling to the ground. My limbs jerk and writhe to push myself upright. My mind races with imagined images of a smudgy figure emerging from the bushes behind me, a ravager. I wouldn't even see it, and I'd only know that it was upon me when it gripped my arms and bit into my flesh, digging towards my bones, feeding on me as I struggled and screamed on the forest floor. There'd be no skeleton left for a wanderer to find. There'd be nothing but scraps of my clothes, a pathetic shield shredded as the ravager consumed its meal.

I touch my cheek, still burning from the impact. There's no sound besides the wind and my own ragged breaths. A wetness coats my fingers as I touch my lip. I'm bleeding, and my face is covered in grimy dirt and grit.

I carefully stand, listening for any noises.

Branches groan in the wind, and leaves shake.

There's a cackle, and my stomach flips. I run. With my arms stretched out ahead of me, I run for my life. It's the same cackle the ravagers made when Rahlan and I encountered them. Now they're hunting me, and there's no one to protect me.

The trees grow closer together, their twisted branches overlapping one another, slowing me down. I'm stepping over thick bush and ducking beneath branches. Turning back is not an option. I'd be running right into its claws.

Any sense I had for which direction I was headed has long since disappeared. Twigs and leaves smother my face as I move deeper into the trees, the noise blocking out any other sounds.

My loud fumbling is acting like a beacon, alerting the creature to my location. Another cackle cracks through the air as I push through more leaves. My limbs get caught in vines, stopping me from moving any further, like a moth in a spiderweb. It's going to take me. My legs will fall out from under me, and I'll spend my last moments screaming in the underbrush.

A wet tongue licks my neck, and I whip around. There's nothing but smudgy leaves and darkness.

I grab onto a branch. Using all my strength, I pull myself up. My bandaged arm burns, and my legs kick wildly through leaves until finally digging into something solid. With a groan, I ignore my bodies protests and pull myself further up the tree. My hands sting from the bark's bite. I climb and climb until a branch snaps in my hand, almost causing me to fall.

The tree is too thin to go any further, and vegetation obscures the ground, hiding how high I am. There's an inky black substance on my hand – blood. I can see! I've climbed high enough that the few leaves above me allow the moonlight through.

My eyes scan the thick vegetation below. It sways, like something is disturbing its roots. I tuck my legs up to my chest and wrap both arms around the trunk, like hugging it tight will prevent whatever is down there from taking me.

My vision stays locked on the thick vegetation below. It covers the base of the tree, hiding anything that may be looking back.

The wind pushes me, as if it wishes for me to return to the forest floor. I won't. Paying no mind to the fact that I'm bleeding, my arms pull tight around the trunk.

I stay frozen.

Hours pass. The wind backs off, and the forest grows silent.

Running over fields and clawing through forests the whole night has caught up with my body. I'm shivering from the cold, and my limbs are exhausted, but my mind refuses to let me drift away from the present. I need to get some rest, but every time I loosen my grip on the trunk, a rustle in the underbrush below keeps my arms glued in place.

I wish that I wasn't alone. As silly as it sounds, a part of me wishes that Rahlan was here with me. If he was here, I'd be safe. Though the cold often kept me awake during the first few nights with him, I never had to fear being attacked in my sleep. I couldn't imagine anything scarier lurking about than the vampire I was sleeping beside, and if he wanted to harm me, then there was no reason to wait until I was unconscious. I learned pretty early on that the frightening vampire wouldn't attack his captive if I did as he said.

While I was forced to walk behind him, I dreamed of being free, of traveling on my own. I imagined that I wouldn't be worrying over my fate. No one could tell me what to do or where to go, and I'd head where my heart desired. At the time, traveling alone through the wilderness seemed wonderful compared to following him into the vampire country.

This is nothing like what I imagined.

* * * * * * * *

The first morning light begins to creep over the horizon. My body is exhausted. I didn't sleep. I couldn't.

Sunlight dots the green vegetation at the base of the tree. There is no sign of anything nefarious lurking below. Since the wind died down, I haven't heard noises bar the occasional buzzing bug. I suppose that whatever I thought was chasing me last night is gone. Though I'm not setting foot on the ground until the sun is shining bright.

Gingerly, my arms unfurl from the trunk, and I move my body to a more comfortable spot between two branches. Small bits of bark fall out the creases in my leather sleeves.

Pressing my fingers along my palm, I inspect the thin coat of crusted blood. There's no pain or visible injury. It must've come from my face.

My fingers trail over my cheek. The soreness is concentrated at the bridge of my nose, but there aren't any cuts. I wipe some of the dried blood off my upper lip. It's tempting to use the waterskin to wash my face, but I can't waste water when I don't know where I am.

It appears that the only injury I sustained last night was nothing more than a superficial nosebleed, though I can't say the same for the arm lacerations from when Rahlan took me over the human city's wall.

I pull up my sleeve and run my finger along the tightly wrapped bandage. Rahlan used to replace it every morning in the castle.

I reach into the backpack and pull out the white linen shirt. Replicating Rahlan's tight wrappings with just one hand seems impossible, and that's not even including his special potion mix for soaking the bandage.

My arm doesn't hurt, and there's no blood, but the bandage has picked up some mud from one of my falls last night. I just took Rahlan's medical care for granted at the time, and now I wish I'd paid more attention. If I take this bandage off and fail to put on the new one correctly, I could end up aggravating that wound, which is not something I can afford in the middle of the forest. I'll have to figure out how to deal with it later. The old bandage will have to do for an extra day.

I take the sextant out of the bag. Remembering what Rahlan taught me weeks ago, I take the opportunity to measure my latitude before the stars are hidden behind the blue sky. While this doesn't help me figure out where I am, it will allow me to track my progress every day.

I take a sip from the waterskin and pack everything away, positioning Keld's sword in the bag such that I can easily reach over my head and grab it in case of an emergency.

My stomach yearns for food. There was nothing in the kitchen when I left, and Rahlan's night guard made stocking up in the village impossible.

With the sun higher in the sky, the green forest floor doesn't look nearly as terrifying. If I want to remain free, I have to get moving. My scheme to hide my tracks fell apart when I started panicking last night, but now that I can see, I can pace myself and be careful not to disturb the plants around me.

Satisfied that there's nothing hiding in the underbrush, I swing Rahlan's bag on my back and climb down the tree. The thick leaves that felt like they were suffocating me last night now glow green in the sunlight. They provide a canopy over my head, like a natural cave made of plants.

I touch a leaf – wet with dew – what I mistook for a tongue last night.

The thought of something licking my skin sends a shiver through my bones. To put my mind at ease, I reach back and make sure that I can grab the sword's hilt.

Using the sun as my guide, I step out the leaf canopy and head south. My eyes search the branches over my head for fruit and the bushes for berries. I'm bound to come across something.

I alternate between long and short steps, varying both the span of my stride and the width between each foot. Large rocks and fallen trees provide the perfect opportunity to vary my direction without leaving a mark. From watching Rahlan track Colin, I know it wasn't easy. Even if Rahlan manages to reach the tree that I spent the night on, following me any further would be impossible.

I wish I could see his face when he discovers that my sharp footprints over the hills disappeared at the edge of the forest. He'd refuse to admit that using socks was a brilliant idea, even if it had thwarted him.

* * * * * * * *

I trudge through the forest the entire day. The underbrush has thinned out, allowing me to move much quicker. Traveling in silence feels isolating, and I find myself having imaginary conversations in my head. I play out reuniting with Ivan – telling him about how I've spent the last few weeks living under a vampire. I also catch myself talking to Rahlan, explaining myself, explaining why he left me no choice but to leave. Which is silly. I don't owe him anything.

It's almost dusk, and despite the distance I've covered, I've yet to come across fruit, berries or any source of food.

The forest is littered with tack tack flowers. I pick a pink one and spin it in my fingers. Did Rahlan remembered to take them off his cape? A smile crosses my face at the thought of him charging after me with a flowery cape while his soldiers have to hold themselves back from laughing.

I glance up at the sun through the forest canopy. It'll be dark soon, and I'll have eaten nothing the whole day. How did Rahlan always manage to find food so easily?

A distant rumbling grows louder as I walk. I'm drawn towards the sound, hoping for a change of scenery and maybe some food.

The rumble changes tune as I approach. It's the sound of water. A river. I step through a thick layer of vegetation, and a beautiful waterfall awaits me. Giant boulders sprinkle the river, breaking up its flow and fanning the water out like a fountain.

I move to where the falling water hits the river. The spray forms a rainbow as it mixes with the sunset.

There's a small cavity in the rock, curtained by the waterfall. I step inside the opening, entering a surreal world. The curtain of water morphs the land to a mixture of green and orange, and the once loud splashing is now a low rumble.

I open my palms and touch the stream, cleaning my hands and then my face. It feels good to be rid of the crusty blood and dirt from my panicked run last night.

I dump the remaining water out of the waterskin and fill it in the falling veil. It's much slower than simply shoving it in the river, but I don't mind spending a few extra minutes here.

A woman's laugh shatters the peaceful atmosphere. I jump back from the water curtain and press my body against the stone in a bid to hide.

The black scars that stained Jaclyn's skin pop to the front of my mind, the mark of the lethal venom often delivered by a vampire woman's bite.

Whoever's out there may want my blood or even my life. I feel sick.