The Wild Hunt (Part One)

Hope

"Thank you," I mumbled.

The servant girl bowed her head and brought another spoonful of rice to my mouth. I ate it slowly. Wanting to absorb as much of its flavor and nutrients. The king permitted only one meal a day and it was a small bowl of rice and a cup of broth. My body yearned for something more substantial, but I ate slow, savoring every precious bite.

"What's your name?" I breathed. My lungs felt so tight, so stretched from hanging by the ceiling for so long now. I could hardly feel my arms and my legs felt swollen. The injured leg was a dark purple and I could barely feel my toes.

The young girl glanced towards the two guards positioned beside the door. She pressed the cup of broth against my lips and I sipped slowly on it.

"Rhae," she whispered.

She fed me my last spoonful of rice before bringing the broth to my mouth again. I drank the rest of it, curling my tongue around the edge of the cup to lap up every drop. I felt like I was always on the verge of starving. The King was a sick and twisted man.

She inched closer to wipe at my chin and I leaned down beside her ear. "Any news on the Princess?" I whispered. She paused her wiping before returning back to it again, making a good show of cleaning off my face.

In a hushed voice she said, "Two guards fell, one's missing, including the general and Princess. They were last seen in Murdock."

Murdock? That was way down south of Miran. Where was she going? And two palace guards were dead. Did she kill them? My gut twisted on the inside. She was fighting for her freedom and it seemed she would kill anyone until she had it. That's why General Yakmen died. The Princess Serri I knew was soft, innocent, never spoke of slaughter. Who had she become now that her freedom was on the line?

One of the guards hit his spear against the ground and the servant girl flinched, stepping away to gather up the tray she brought my meal on. She looked nervously between the two guards before exiting the room.

I looked up at the ceiling. Keep fighting, Serri. Keep running. Don't stop until your free.