Breaking Through Time

Chapter 21 Taking a risk

Isabel walks directly to me and sits down beside me without making any sound. I look at her shocked, waiting for shouting and threats to follow, but no... She looks at me and smiles before saying

"Hi"

"Hi" I whisper back. 

She understands that I am hiding here because we are in the middle of a hunt and she doesn't want to disturb that. She leans in closer, so she can whisper directly into my ear.

"Are you stranded here?"

I look at her in shock. I nod my head in agreement.

"I can take you back. I am looking for my husband... he is a traveller like us..."

I nod and whisper "Michael" I can see her eyes widen as a smile appears on her face. We both turn to the dear as we hear a commotion. Boleslaw has attacked the animal. I quickly reacted in joining him leaving Isabel behind.

Once the dear lays on the ground I look back, to where I saw Isabel, but she was no longer here.

It was getting dark. We quickly picked up the dear and the other animals we have caught throughout the day and started to walk back to the waterfall. We decided to make a camp for the night here. 

I roast one of the rabbits while Bolselaw starts to sort out the dear. 

I can't stop thinking about Isabel... when I saw her in the forest. She looked so different from the one I have already met, she wasn't wearing the black suit and instead was wearing a dress? Was I dreaming? Did I imagine the whole thing? Maybe I am going crazy out of grief for my family... I think I read something about that on the internet once...

Boleslaw's voice pulls me out of my thoughts

"How is the food doing?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving..." he sighs

"A little longer... sorry"

"Bo... I think I need to tell you something..."

"What's that?"

"I don't know... I might be going crazy..."

"It's possible..." He laughs in response

"I am glad you are finding me amusing"

"What is it? What is on your mind?" He asks in a more serious tone, but still with a smile on his face

"When we were in the woods hunting for a dear, you went and attacked it from the other side..."

"Yes, so?"

"While you left me I saw a woman, she came to me and spoke just a few words with me, not to scare off the dear... but after I helped you to put the dear down, she was no longer there"

"What did she want?"

"Well, she was a person from my past..." He suddenly looks up and walks closer to me and asks

"Someone from your family?"

"No, an enemy actually..."

"An enemy?"

"The man I call my father, Michael... the one that took me from my home and left me behind... I think she had captured him that day in the forest. He name is Isabel. I have come across her in the past, she had imprisoned me and Michael once... We managed to get away... Back then it seemed that it wasn't the first time Michael had gotten away from her..."

"Do you think she is here to capture you now?"

"I am not sure... She did say once that I am valuable to her people and she would never be able to kill me, even though she wanted to... Maybe she is here to take me back home? Or maybe I just imagined her all together..."

"That's why you think you are crazy? You think you have imagined her?"

"Maybe my tired of grief mind is playing pranks on me?"

"Maybe, or maybe Michael gave his life to protect you and hid you here from her and now she has found you?"

"Not sure which one would be better" I laugh with bitterness in my throat

"Don't worry, I will not let anything happen to you," He says as he gives me a hug

After a nice dinner, I fall asleep, resting my back against a tree trunk and having Boleslaw head resting on my lap. The sound of the waterfall is so calming that my sleep is deep. I dream of Robert, the day we have meet... suddenly it's our wedding day and when I turn around I am holding little baby Jack in my arms, as Emilly is holding tightly to my leg, trying to stabilise herself as she is taking her first steps...

Violently I am being bulled out of this dream as I am waking up to a hand over my mouth and a whisper in my ear "don't scream, I won't hurt you"

I look at the person talking to me and I recognise the pale skin of Isabel, that is melting into one with the darkness of the forest. She removes her hand and continues to whisper.

"Where is my husband?" I look at her in disbelief, as I am about to answer Boleslaw's eyes shoot open and immediately Isabel disappears into the night.

"Who was that?" Boleslaw asks

"Did you see her?"

"Yes, the woman, was whispering something in your ear, who was she?"

"It was her, Isabel, the one I told you about... She was asking me where is Michael..."

"But you said she had him?"

"That's what I thought... If he wasn't captured by her, where is he?"

I can't sleep the rest of the night, expecting Isabel to turn up again. Thinking everything over and over again... What did I miss? Would Michael leave me here on purpose? But he left his jacket behind, he wouldn't abandon all his jackets and the eggs, they seemed to be important to him...

As the night started to fade with the first signs of the rising sun we got up and gathered our things and head straight back to the village.

As we left our booty at the meat hut we heard a commotion at the great hall and a crowd of people gathering there. 

As we walked towards my hut, not interested in whatever visitor that might have arrived there we heard Arne's voice calling us. He is running towards us, clearly concerned about something.

"Beth, there is a woman here, she says she is from your clan and she is here to claim you back and take you to your family... so I guess they are not dead after all...?" I look at Boleslaw terrified

"It must be her..." I look at Arne and say "Keep her busy as long as you can." I give him a hug and whisper "thank you for everything my dear friend, please give my love to Frida"

Arne looks confused at me and Boleslaw explains

"The woman is very dangerous, do not underestimate her, she is here to take Beth against her will, Beth needs time to run"

"Ok," Arne says and I run towards my hut.

As I enter the place I have called home for the last several months I rush to a hidden compartment in the hut. I open it and pull Michael's jacket with a separate bag of other items I prepared, just for an occasion such as this one. When I put the white powder in my hand I saw Boleslaw come through the door, looking at me.

I get the bucket full of water, which I keep in the hut and I am ready to drop the powder in it. 

I turn to Boleslaw and give him a big hug. I whisper

"Thank you for everything... this is my only way out now... I hope you will be happy"

I throw the white powder into the bucket...