Guarding Grace

Chapter Twenty-Six

  Grace walked ahead of the rest following the lights on the edge of the path, listening at random intervals to pick up the hushed conversations behind her. Her arms dangling by her side, occasionally brushing against Andora's soft fur on her right and Angus' sleek fur on her left. The cats seemed to be keeping their distance from the hellhound- who had obtained the name Nyx from Hunter. The dark shadows seemed to begin to lighten as they continued on the path, Grace found herself wishing that she was back in the cave with Sarael. While he didn't seem to want to have her near him, he was infinitely warmer towards her than Hunter was. She felt the pangs of sadness and loneliness as she thought of the way Hunter had reacted when she came back.

She thought of the green rolling hills and the small village she saw as she had run towards Sarael. It seemed so much like a fairytale village, maybe one from the stories her grandmother told her about princesses who found their prince in unlikely places. A small crossed her face as she thought of the fairytales she was told as a little girl. The smile soon turned to a frown as she realized that often the bad guy in those fairytales were demons; demons like her father and grandmother. A tear slipped down her cheek as she tried to reconcile the demons in her stories to her grandmother. It was so hard to see her grandmother as the evil demon who disguised itself as a kind old woman to steal the soul of the princess.

As she thought more and more of her grandmother, she barely realized that the shadows had almost completely disappeared, she blinked her eyes to bring herself back to the present. Soft rainbow colored light flowed all around her, she sighed and continued walking. Not caring if the others followed. She was sure another wrong door would appear before them and she had every intention of taking it. Not caring where it would take her. But no door appeared.

Grace stopped and looked around, looking for anything that would take her away from the guys; especially from Hunter. Snippets of their conversation came back to her, "It doesn't matter what she thinks that girl can do. She's not who any of us thought she was."

Grace felt anger bubble up in her, if he thought so little of her. She didn't care who thought she was something, she knew she was nothing but a scared little girl. She wanted away from them, though they had no hostility towards her but she knew it was bubbling under the surface. Every look she received from Hunter proved it to her. Even Ryder did not check to make sure she was ok. Regan gave no words of comfort.

Snorting she began to walk faster, if she ran would they care? No, they would only curse her name more. She looked ahead, searching for a door or a portal; anything that would take her away. Maybe she would find the green door again. She'd run straight through and never come back, make a life in that small village she saw. Be the princess of her own story, but she had no intention to wait for her prince.She would be her own prince, make her life better.

She saw a small glowing light from her left- the Will'O Wisp, she veered from the path and took off running towards the light. Even her father's castle would be better than this everlasting path on the bridge. She threw her head back and laughed as she ran- anywhere but here was the prayer she sent up as she ran. She didn't look to see the color of the door she ran to, nor did she slow down for the screams of the guys behind her. She simply ran. She closed her eyes as she ran straight for the small light in front of her.