(Book 1) Phoenix Blood:

CHAPTER - 4

        As I hopped up in my horse's saddle, I find myself feeling as if I am being watched by more than one person and the hair on the back of my neck once again rising. It's a feeling that I just can't seem to shake off. Despite that, I know that if I want to be on time to my mother's house tomorrow morning then I must be on my way now. There can be no delay in my traveling schedule. Besides, I know that once I arrive at my my mother's house I will be completely safe because it is always safe around her.
        The stable boy I instantly recognize as the boy that I stood up for against the apple vendor a few years back when he was hungry and stealing apples from the apple vendor in the village square. He's wearing a light brown tunic and green riding pants. His hair is a darker black then when I first saw him. He's not as skinny and has put on some muscle. He comes up to me with a lantern in his hands. When he holds it out to me I take it from his hands gently, my fingers briefly brushing against his smaller ones. He has grown up to be a fine man.
        I send a small smile in the boy's direction as I gently grip the reins in my left hand and hold the lamp with my right, the orange glow from the lamp lighting the path in front of me. Rose seems ready to go already as she takes a happy step forward. It's as if she knows that I have somewhere to be early tomorrow morning. She is a very smart horse. Spurring Rose into a slow canter, I guide her in the direction of the woods with the feeling of being watched following me.

       The moonlight shines through the clear window of a study. Within this study sits a large oak desk. A line of bookshelves sits against the left wall of the room. They are overflowing with books, many with cracked spines suggesting they had been read quite often. On the wall across from the desk sits a portrait of the man who owns this house. The portrait depicts the image of the village leader. His black eyes are as cold as they always are, in the portrait. Standing at his side in the portrait is his wife who has never been known for having kindness of any sort except for her father and her father's tenants who rent homes from her father. Her hair is as black as coal and her golden brown eyes only depicts pure hatred. She always wears a black dress, including in the portrait. Under the portrait sits a dresser with three small draws. An expensive rug sits on the floor, it's color white.
        A ring of fire appears on the floor on the edge of the white rug,the flames not scorching the edge of the rug beneath them, and at the center of the ring of fire is the village leader cradling his bandaged hand to his chest like a child. When it vanishes the village leader is left cowering in a tight ball. He's letting out multiple groans of pain. At this point the bandage on his left hand is completely soaked in his blood witch begins to pour into the material of the rug. It soaks into the material so deeply that there is no doubt that a stain will be left on the rug. The ring of fire disappears in a puff of black smoke.
        He looks around his study to see his wife standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest wearing a light blue nightgown underneath a white robe, her golden brown eyes cold and unfeeling as she stares at him.
        Tonight he will no longer be able to hide the fact that he has been trying to get another wife, besides the wife that he already has for true to his threats Joseph sent his most trusted friend ,Morphious, to tell the village leader's wife of his misdeeds.
        He has unknowingly thrown himself onto the path of losing everything that he has for unbeknownst to him his wife has sworn that she will not stay with a cheater. Neither would her father want for her to stay with a cheater. In fact, he would be sure to punish the man who cheated on her in a way they would never forget.

         Rose and I begin our journey down the dirt road towards the forest in between this village and the village that my mother lives in, her hooves kicking up dirt into the air. The trees are so tall that they cast shadows onto the trial that goes through the forest. I can somewhat see the moonlight passing through the branches of the tree. The leafs rustle in the wind, some falling to the ground as the wind blows through the trees. I keep a tight grip on the lamp as I slowly make my way through the forest. I try to enjoy the nature around me as I would normally do when traveling down this trail, but I can't shake the feeling that I am being watched and possibly followed by someone. This feeling of being watched is causing me to feel as if there is some impending danger meant for me is on it's way and that I won't be able to stop whatever it is.
         As my left hand grips the reins, I try to keep an eye on all of my surroundings. I know that I am not far from where I will be stopping for just a short while so that I can eat a small snack. It's a beautiful little meadow filled with all kinds of wild flowers that I always enjoy to stop at and eat a snack, sometimes picking flowers for my mother.
        Suddenly, Rose stops, almost as if she has heard something that I am unable to hear. She starts to buck upwards, lifting her front legs high into the air, and I find myself falling backwards from the saddle and to the ground. My back hits the dirt trail. The lamp falls from my left hand and is sent flying in the direction of a tree. There is a loud thud as the metal part of it comes into contact with a tree.
         As I sit up, I find myself feeling quite dizzy. Through my slightly blurry vision, I see Rose's silhouette running off in the direction of the meadow that I was already heading to anyhow. I slowly and carefully get back onto my feet. I make my way over to the lamp as I shake my head to try to clear it of dizziness. As I reach it I realize that it has been dented slightly from were the metal part hit the tree. The glass part is slightly cracked but not to were I can't use it. The flame has only just gone out so the only light that I am left with is the moonlight witch is barely enough to see with.
         "Shit.", I hiss under my breath as I'm left fumbling around blindly under the shade of the trees for the lamp until my fingers touch the cool metal of the base and feel the small dent, "This is just fucking great. At least the metal part is only dented and the glass part is only cracked, not broken. What spooked Rose? I didn't see or hear anything that could of spooked Rose and make her act that way."
       I feel the cold metal of the base underneath my left hand and pick it up carefully. I don't want to hurt myself. I'm already slightly dizzy from falling from the saddle and onto the ground. I don't need to make matters worse. I sit down and press my back against the tree.
        Reaching underneath my cloak, I dig into the right pocket of my riding jacket to pull out my flint and steel that I carry for emergencies like this. I carefully remove the glass part of the lamp considering myself quite lucky that it didn't shatter into a million tiny pieces and gently place it on the ground. Striking the flint and steel over the the material that soaks up the oils within the metal part, I make sure that the first spark comes into contact with it. A beautiful orange flame is what I am gifted with. I quickly put away my flint and steel.
         I carefully place the glass part of the lamp back onto it. Getting back onto my feet, I use the light from the lamp to follow Rose's hooves' prints and slowly make my way to the meadow, the foreboding feeling once again weighing heavily on my slim shoulders.
         The air suddenly grows quite cold, like ice, and I find myself shivering. I decide to pick up the pace. My boots start crushing leaves with each step that I take. It's not long before I find myself running, if only to provide my body with more adrenaline to get my blood rushing through my veins faster providing me with warmth and to find Rose faster. I know that I need to get to her faster because she is alone and no doubt scared.
         When I no longer hear the sound of leaves crunching under my boots, I know that I am at the edge of the meadow. When I come out from the trees, I am met by the sight of a woman wearing a blood red dress standing in the middle of a meadow. She has red hair that clashes with what appears to be pale skin from the distance between us. The dress seems to be the sort a noble woman would wear but I have this gut feeling that she's not the sort of noble women that I have come to know. She seems colder, almost like ice, when compared to the noble women that I have come to know.
         Across the way, I see Rose's silhouette cowering in the trees on the other side of the meadow almost like she's trying to hide from the woman. I tentatively take a step forward into the meadow as this woman, who is unknown to me, is giving off a dangerous vibe. Everything about her is telling me that she is not to be trusted what so ever. That she will cause me some sort of harm if I even dare to give her any of my trust. The soft grass of the meadow is slightly crushed underneath my riding boots with my every step.
         Even from this distance I can see that there is something not quite right about her. She doesn't appear to be human. I feel fear building up inside me, but I push it back down. I won't allow fear to control my actions. I won't run away from this woman but I will walk past her.
         I place the lamp in my right hand and slip my left hand to my waist so that it's resting on the handle of my dagger, the handle warm underneath my fingertips. I get the feeling that I am going to be needing it very soon. Something tells me that this woman is dangerous and can't be trusted.
        I keep my eyes on the woman who appears to be waiting for something. Maybe someone. I take one step at a time keeping some distance between me and the woman. Each step I take is full of great caution for this woman gives off a bad aura.
         The closer that I get to walking past the woman the more her eyes come into view. They're forest green and are staring at me the way a predator stares at their prey. She looks like she's ready to lung at me.
        Something bad seems to be lurking on the horizon. I can feel it deep in my bones and honestly the unknown sort of frightens me.