The Red Throne | TUQ Book Two

02 | the witch

    “Stop!” I yelled while tugging on the horse’s reins, but it blatantly ignored me and continued on galloping into the thick forest. At first, we passed through the mining villages of the Cantergarre Mountains and I was eager to stop there and look around, but the horse refused to stop.

It went pass the villages and straight into the forest, and I was bombarded by thick, heavy branches that lay right in front of me. I had no way to avoid it, and I was hit in the face multiple times by those sharp branches.

     “I said stop!” I screamed while pulling on the reins harder, and this proved to be a mistake on my part. The horse jerked spasmodically and threw me off its back before jubilantly galloping away. The stallion’s back was about six feet high, and being hurled off from that height surely hurt. I fell onto the hard, rocky forest floor with a thud, and for a moment I simply stared at the sky disorientedly, not realising what had just happened.

Not long after, I felt a shooting pain in my back and I was instantly dragged back into reality, but it was too late. The horse had disappeared from my sight, and I was alone in the forest, no warmth, no food and no water. The stallion was galloping so fast earlier that I could not recognise the path that we took, and all the directions around me looked exactly the same. On my right was a large dead tree overgrown by mushrooms, and on my left was an equally dead tree covered in moss. Never in my life had I been in such a situation before, and my hands began to tremble with fear and panic.

What if I would never find my way out, and I would rot and die in here? What would become of my husband? What about my father?

I gritted my teeth to quell my urge to scream, and I decided to slap myself across the face, hard. The slap was hot and drew tears in my eyes, but it chased my fears away, and for once I could think clearly. 

From afar, I could hear the sound of a river’s trickling water, and I decided to go there and walk upstream. However, as soon as I stood up, pain jolted in my right calf, and I immediately gathered up my skirt only to see my white stocking now soaked red in blood. When I fell down earlier, I fell on my right side, and my right leg had been smashed against a sharp, jagged rock, causing a large gash to form. I pulled the bloodstained stocking away, and underneath, I saw my awfully bruised skin, and I could see the whites of my bones inside the gash. 

There was no time to cry though, and I tore off a section of my cloak using my teeth and bound it around the gash tightly and forced myself to stand up. Here, nighttime came swifter than it did in the south, and the sky above me had become grey. I made haste for the river, hoping that I could find a village nearby before nightfall.

       The gushing of the water grew even louder, and I was eager to ease my parched throat. Bursting through the trees, I finally could see the vast blue river, flowing lazily underneath the foliage. 

I stuck my hands in the water, which was freezing cold. Cupping my hands together, I brought the water close to my lips and I gulped it down thirstily. The water was crystal clear, and the taste was cold and crisp. I then washed my face and arms, which had been soiled earlier, and as I bent down, I heard the sound of someone humming softly.

         “My love has gone, not to return. The death knell has been tolled. My dear, I pray, may peace be given to your soul. 

           Your blood has been spilled, but not gone to waste. Your glory and grace remain on and on. I pray for peace and mercy on your soul. May there be peace for your soul.”

I looked up warily, and right in front of my eyes were delicate little candles placed on lotus leaves, floating blissfully above the water. Confused, I glanced to my right, which was the direction where the river flowed from.