30. Chapter 30

Chapter thirty

H aven woke on the cold ground, a throbbing pain echoing through her head where she'd been hit. Putting a hand to her head and feeling a small bump, Haven stood on wobbly legs. A quick glance made it obvious her captor had dumped her deep in a forest. If she had to guess, Haven would say she was in the woods near the castle. She couldn't see anyone else around nor could she see light in any direction.

Why would someone do this, she asked herself. Was someone trying to keep her from taking her bloodline and power tests? Was this a part of the test?

Thoughts tumbled through Havens head as she tried to get her bearings. Her dress was dirty, the small crown atop her head was sitting at an angle and her left glove was ripped. She did her best to dust herself off but unfortunately some of what was on her dress appeared to have already left a stain. Haven hoped Rea and the seamstresses wouldn't be too mad when they saw the dress. Afterall, it wasn't her fault she'd been kidnapped and dumped in a forest.

She reached for the dagger Binah had given her, thankfully finding it still strapped to her thigh.

As Haven tried to remove a small stick from her hair, a rustling sounded to her left. Keeping her hand on her dagger in case this turned out to be some kind of trap, Haven made her way towards where the sound appeared to be coming from. Her legs were still slightly shaky but were getting better by the minute.

Five minutes of walking turned up nothing. Just when Haven was ready to give up her search for the source of the sound a voice called out,

"Help! Can anybody hear me?"

Haven took two more steps in the direction she'd been heading before she saw the source of the voice standing in a small clearing twenty feet away. It was a young fae woman holding a toddler close to her. They were clearly lost and looked terrified.

"What happened to you?" Haven called as she made her way towards them as quickly as she could without tripping and falling.

"Hi! Oh thank the gods!" The woman exclaimed, "I was on my way back home from the festival when a strange man grabbed me and dumped me here! I've been wandering for what feels like hours. Do you know the way back to the castle?"

Haven shook her head, "I don't but I'm sure we can figure it out"

The woman didn't seem so convinced, a few tears fell from her eyes as she pulled the little boy she was holding in her arms closer to her.

"I was supposed to be watching Thomas so his parents could have fun at the festival. What are they going to do if we can't find our way back? We could die out here!"

The young woman was clearly headed towards a full blown panic attack. Haven had been through enough of them to recognize what they looked like. Attempting to reassure the woman, Haven reached out and rested a hand on her arm.

"It'll be alright" Haven told her, using her best calming tone. Before she could tell if she'd calmed the woman at all, an arrow flew past Havens head and lodged itself in the tree next to them earning a piercing scream from the woman Haven did not yet know the name of.

"RUN!" Haven yelled.

Attempting to usher the woman and child the opposite direction the arrow had come from, Haven ran directly behind the two of them in hopes that if any arrows found their marks, they'd hit her and not either of them.

She called to the woman, telling her to run in a zig zag so they weren't such easy targets. Thankfully, the woman listened and immediately began weaving through the forest. Another arrow lodged in the tree directly to their right, causing the group to run left. If Haven had a moment to think she'd probably wonder if the arrows weren't meant to hit them but rather, to corral them.

The woman slammed to a halt, causing the little boy to tumble out of her arms and Haven to run directly into her back. Before she could mumble out an apology and check to see if the boy was okay, Haven saw what made the woman stop so suddenly. Blocking the path ahead of them was a very large man. He was dressed in all black, almost completely blending into his surroundings.

If it weren't for the full moon illuminating him, she'd never have known he was there.

Quickly whipping around to the front of the woman, Haven cast her arms out in an effort to protect her and the child. She felt the woman crowding as close behind Haven as she could get. The woman must have picked up Thomas from where he had fallen because she felt him pressed up against Havens back, likely cradled in the womans arms.

"What do you want?" She yelled at the man in front of her.

A low chuckle came from him but he didn't answer.

"One will die tonight!" Someone called from the woods to her right. A second later, a man Haven did not recognize stepped out of the shadows with a bow gripped in his hand.

The woman behind her whimpered, Haven knew she had to stall. What appeared to be only a little further ahead, Haven could see what she prayed was the edge of the festival. Hopefully if Haven stalled long enough someone might come across them and help or hear the cries coming from the woman. Haven didn't know exactly how strong the fae's gifted hearing was but she had to hope for the best. If that didn't work then maybe she could find a way for the woman and child to escape and run for help.

"Leave them alone!" She yelled, causing the dark man blocking the path to chuckle again. Somewhere out in the woods, Haven could hear a crows call.

"No can do princess, we have orders. Someone has to die." The man with the bow responded. Since he was the only one talking, Haven guessed he was the one in charge. Turning to look him in the eye, Haven kept the woman close to her back.

"Why can't you be the one to die?" She snapped

The man chuckled, "Because it doesn't work like that!" He said in an obvious tone. He drew his bow, aiming it directly at Haven.

"Let them go!" She said lowly, "They don't deserve this"

Haven didn't add that she didn't deserve this either, that would probably do nothing more than make the man standing in front of her chuckle again.

Just then, an unnatural gust of wind blew the woman and Thomas away from safety behind her. The man quickly refocused his aim towards them.

"Choose!" He shouted

Haven had only a split second to think, the woman and child didn't deserve this and if Haven could stop them from being killed, she would.

Right as the man loosed his arrow, Haven moved faster than she knew possible, jumping directly in the path of the flying projectile. She heard the woman cry out behind her just as the arrow found its mark, deep in Havens stomach.