Chapter 2

EIRWYN LAID ON THEtop of the carriage with her hands behind her head. "That one looks like a butter churn. Do you see it?"

"No, I don"t. I told you I"m not playing this time, and if you don"t get back in this carriage this instant, I"m going to–"

Eirwyn snorted. "Do what? Tell Gastone? I thought we were beyond this, Helga. You promised."

Helga banged on the roof. "And so did you, but you forgot, didn"t you? Again. So I"ll bloody tell him if I think I should."

Eirwyn laughed. "We"ve been in the forest for hours, and nothing has happened. We paid the toll for safe passage, so we"ll be fine. Did you really expect me to stay cooped up in that bloody carriage the entire drive?"

"Don"t say bloody. You"re a princess."

Eirwyn laughed again, weaving shadows and light around her hands and playing with them. With one hand, she formed a tiny point of light on her palm. It bounced off her palm and formed a projection of a tiny knight on her lap. He held out a hand, and she created a dancing princess, spinning circles around the knight with soft pastel colors swirling.

"Helga, dear, you"re the one who says bloody way more than I, or haven"t you noticed? Should I tell Gastone where I learned to curse?"

Her nanny turned traveling companion and maid banged on the roof of the carriage before leaning her head back out the window. "I"ll just point out all your tavern visits and tell him you picked it up there. Now get back in here. It"s not safe out. Haven"t you heard the stories?"

Eirwyn nodded absently, her mind flitting to the stories of the Feral Forest. She slowly stood, widening her stance on the roof and spreading her hands wide. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, listening to the birds chattering and feeling her magic flare.

The wind swirled around her, and she smiled. It was almost like she was flying. This was something she did all the time at the top of the castle, imagining herself flying with the goddess Eirasil whom they had named her after. Enjoying the wind through her hair, the rush of excitement from having nothing beneath her, the fear of falling.

The way the carriage moved... it added a whole new, more exciting layer to her daydream.

She opened her eyes, her head still back so she could see the faint light filtering through the trees. There was something about the forest that called to her on a primal level.

The carriage hit a rock, and she stumbled, sitting hard on one of their trunks strapped to the back half of the roof. She sighed and leaned back on her hands, her bodice stretching tight over her breasts.

Still her mind wandered as she stared through the trees to the sky above. Stories of old told of humans flying dragons and even turning into dragons. Helga had tried to dissuade her from fantastical children"s books, but it was one of her favorite obsessions.

Stories were so much better than reality. Realistic facts were dry and boring. And sometimes sad. One fact stood out among the others, and she asked, "Do you think my parents died around here?"

Helga"s banging quieted, then she popped her head out once more. Her eyes were serious and a frown marred her forehead. "If you come inside, I promise to tell you when we get to the site of the accident."

Eirwyn sighed and looked through the treetops once more, and then she stood and waved a hand imperiously. "Well, open the door then."

Helga harped on her even as she obeyed. "Don"t you dare swing in here like a heathen. You"re a princess, and it"s high time you started acting like one. You"re twenty, for gods" sake."

Eirwyn swung a leg over the railing and used the window as a ladder to get to the door. Helga was still ranting when Eirwyn landed inside, closing the door behind her.

The driver had insisted on no stops along the way. They went straight through, steady and sure. It was the only way she"d gotten him and the guards to agree to take this route. That and triple the normal pay.

The guards were on high alert. The Glathen royal escort had left them in a small village on the edge of the forest next to the Lone Road. They"d stopped for a few days to stock provisions, pouring over maps and planning for the dash through the forest, meeting with experts and hiring more guards.

Not that they were racing per se. That would"ve been fun though, to sit on top of the carriage and let the wind rush over her face.

"Eirwyn?" Helga asked, pulling her back into the moment.

Eirwyn blinked and sat back on the well-cushioned bench, immediately picking up her sketchbook. She smoothed her features and looked up at Helga serenely. "Alright, I"m ready. You can continue berating me."

Helga rolled her eyes and picked up her long-forgotten embroidery. "You"re riding the carriage like it was a jaunt through the countryside. You have to be more careful, Eirwyn. It"s time to grow up now that you"re of marriageable age."

Eirwyn"s parents had died in this god-forsaken forest. It"s full of untold monsters and strange magic, yet Helga was right. She had just been daydreaming and playing around. Guilt stabbed her, twisting her stomach.

Eirwyn sighed and sketched the treetops and leaves, the light filtering through. Light and shadows had always fascinated her since we tied her magic to it.

She was almost finished with the picture when a shout rang outside the carriage. Screams followed, and the carriage bounced.

Eirwyn threw her notebook into the corner of her seat and pulled back the curtain. She was about to stick her head out of the window when Helga grabbed her arm and jerked back.

"No, you don"t, your highness. You"ll stay right here, safe where you belong."

Eirwyn rang her hands, light and shadows swirling around her in the dimmer light of the carriage. She reached out with her senses to see what the birds thought. Perhaps they could tell her what was going on outside.

She gasped, feeling their alarm as the vines jerked riders off their horses. The carriage jerked as the driver yelled.

They began to barrel along the road, screams and cries flitting from the left and behind them. The carriage swerved, and Eirwyn"s heart raced with adrenaline. She gripped the window"s edge as she slid over the seat and slammed into the other side.

The road became much bumpier. Eirwyn"s other hand went to the roof, trying to protect her head as she bounced. If she could see where they were going and what they were doing, perhaps she could use her magic to help. But she was at the mercy of the forest now.

She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, praying to the gods for safe passage through the forest as Helga cried and bounced on her seat.

****

Knox neared the sectionof the forest where the road almost met the river. They had left the game trail some time ago. The Lone Road was wider so he and Scarlet rode side by side toward Glathen, following the winding path.

Different areas of the road were more dangerous than others. They passed the loudest part near the rushing river, and he sat up straighter as they neared one of the more perilous sections of drive.

Screams drowned out the peaceful sounds of nature. He kicked his heels and his horse shot forward.

He rounded a bend and saw body parts of men and horses lining the ditches in a trail of bloody gore and guts. Vines wrapped around the bigger pieces as they pulled the dripping twisted torsos and severed heads into the dark underbrush.

He let the forest take them. There was no helping the guards now, and he felt no remorse about it. The princess should"ve requested safe passage from the Robins in the village at the end of the Lone Road and paid the toll first. The guards" blood was on her head.

He inspected the road and listened for sounds of struggle. He pointed. "Carriage tracks."

Scarlet followed him as he waved his hand, the forest parting before them. He followed the tracks and trail of body parts to an overturned carriage. The front wheel had crashed into a tree, shattering into pieces.

The forest was already dragging the carcasses of two horses away. The other two screamed, their cries piercing the air as the vines wrapped around their stomachs and squeezed them to death, kicking the entire time. Their neighing grew fainter as vines wrapped around their heads.

A stab of guilt did hit him at their loss. He couldn"t free them in time and let the forest take them too, a pang of guilt over their loss. Knox waved a hand and the vines and underbrush that pulled the carriage into the ground receded to create a grassy clearing.

He sighed and approached the carriage. "Hello?"

He leaned over to see into the window, coldly detached and not worried about what he"d see. He"d seen enough of these accidents over the years that he"d become somewhat desensitized to it.

He blinked and frowned, surprised for the first time in years. A plump woman leaned against one seat but appeared unharmed.

It was the smaller, petite woman that drew his attention, though. Her black hair was long, several braids at her temples pulled back and the rest hanging down past her shoulders.

Her red, black, and white dress hugged her curves, and the fabric screamed high quality noble. But that wasn"t what had him captivated. He had a direct line of sight down her ample cleavage. He blinked, forgetting to breathe as he stared at this vision of womanhood.

He"d been around women in town and in Vidrland, but it was safer to stay arm"s length from them. There was something about this woman that made him want to break his rule and touch her, kiss her, hold her and comfort her.

She was panting, her eyes wild with fright as she knelt on the side of the carriage and checked on the other woman. "Helga? Helga, wake up."

Her voice was a melody that he could spend hours listening to.

Scarlet asked behind him. "Well? What are the injuries? No sign of Growlers."

He shook his head, but at the words, the black-haired woman looked up. Her gray blue eyes widened, captivating him like she held all the answers in the universe inside her head. Light wrapped around her like a halo.

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Her rosy red lips sighed, pouty and lush. She looked at him with complete trust and hope, and it slammed into him. A pressing need that had been building for years crashed through him, threatening his carefully curated control.

She reached up a hand. "Will you help me?"

Scarlet shouted behind him, and he looked back. Trees had shot up around him and the carriage, blocking Scarlet out like a wall. His tail was now lifted almost as high as his head, ready to strike, the barbs now visible with venom dripping from the end.

He whipped the cloak around and breathed deeply to control his emotions and body. He wanted to do more than help the princess. A clawing ache at his chest made him want to protect her, throw her over his shoulder and hide her from everyone else.

Curling his tail up around his shoulders, he safely hid it under his calf length cloak, looked around at the tree circle, and waved a hand. The trees reversed back into the ground, turning back into acorns.

He"d lost control for the first time in years. Scarlet"s brows rose as she pressed her horse closer to him, brows raised in surprise.

She asked softly, "What does that mean?"

He glared at her. "Nothing. It means nothing."

A scratching sound made him look back down, and the dark-haired beauty"s head popped out of the window. She looked around and then waved at Scarlet.

"Oh, there"s two of you, thank the gods. My maid is injured. Will you help us?"

Her voice was lilting, like the water running through the creek, tumbling over the rocks. The worry in her voice drove him to action.

He grunted and said, "Watch out. I"m going to right the carriage."

She frowned and her head disappeared as she replied. "How are you going to do that? It"s heavy, and– oh!"

He straightened the carriage and it settled upright on two wheels, leaning heavily on the broken axles, but no longer on its side. Then he opened the door.

She was thrown against the side of the carriage now, then quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbing two bags. She collected scattered pencils, notebooks, knitting, and books into the bags. Her complete unconcern as she tidied up their things showed a level of trust that he wanted to honor.

The glimpse of red stockings in her black boots blindsided him, and it made his blood boil for her.

He wanted to swoop her into his arms and carry her deep into the forest where no one else could find them. Instead, he stepped back, offering her a hand out the door.

Her soft hand slid into his, and it was like lightning danced up his arm. He stiffened and had to consciously think to keep his tail down. Then he backed away as she jumped onto the ground. She shook out her dress and beamed up at him.

"Thank you, sir. Much obliged. My maid, Helga–can you help her too? I"m afraid she"ll be a little harder to get out of the carriage. But then again, it"s probably a good thing she"s out. The poor woman wouldn"t be able to handle being in the middle of the Feral Forest with who knows what beasts. Are we safe now? Or is the danger still present?"

I"m the danger, wench.

He blinked, gripping his hands behind him to avoid reaching for her and to hold down his tail. What was wrong with him? He"d never reacted like this before, even when the hormones had threatened to drown him during puberty and he"d been getting a handle on his abilities without accidentally killing anyone.

Scarlet saved him from answering as she swung off her horse and approached the woman. She bowed low, hand on hip as she said, "Princess, you"re safe with us. We"ll protect you from the forest"s magic and the beasts that haunt it."

But who will save the beast from her?

He turned his back on the two as he looked back into the door of the carriage. Her maid was still unconscious, but he looked around and thought. It would be difficult to get her out at that angle.

He walked around the carriage, assessing the situation. He didn"t think he"d be able to make two wheels and all the little pieces to fit them together. When he came back to the door, he glanced at Scarlet and the princess.

The princess" arms waved animatedly as she talked. Scarlet was smiling too, which gave him some relief. At least it wasn"t just him felt this excitement and joy around the princess.

Except it was more intense than any emotion he"d ever had before, even when he"d first met her as a baby. It was like he"d been punched in the gut and dragged through a swamp pit.

He reached for the door, ripping it off its hinges. Then he grabbed the frame and pulled. His muscles strained, but after a few seconds, it ripped too. He tossed it aside, the vines already reaching for the door.

They grabbed for the small wall and dropped the door like a pack of dogs with a new toy. He reached out, making some safer vines grow closer. They wrapped around the door, lengthening it and creating a loop to form connected reins.

He reached inside and pulled the maid out, cradling her in his arms and turning to the other two women.

"Red, get on your horse and take the maid on the litter. I"ll take the princess. We"ll stop at Olive"s for the night, then continue through in the morning."

The princess turned to eye him, her jaw dropping. "Red? She said her name is Scarlet."

"My brother has jokes. Ignore him, princess."

Eirwyn glanced between them, then pointed to Scarlet. "Why can"t I ride with her? She"s fun."

Scarlet walked steadily to her mount, her grin frustrating him into another scowl. He laid the maid gently on the litter, then pulled the reins to Scarlet, who looped the vine end around the pommel.

"Because her horse can handle the added weight of the maid. My horse is strong, but this is easier and more balanced."

She stopped, straightening. "Oh, that makes sense. You"re not exactly a small man. Your poor horse must be exhausted after carrying you around."

She walked over to his horse, reaching up a dainty hand and petting Ryder"s nozzle. He shook his head, then mounted with ease.

He reached out a hand. "He"s used to it. Are you ready to go?"