Light Bearer

Chapter Two

Maxine

Max felt a drip of something on her cheek before she even opened her eyes. She groggily shook her head away to find a large, black dog's nose dangling in front of her face.

"What the-"

The dog barked loud. Max realized she wasn't in her apartment, lying in her soft bed, rather the forest floor. The trees spanned toward the moon. Tall pines scattered as the dog barked again.

"Hush!" she commanded.

The moonlight reflected in the dog's black eyes, and she looked towards the full and bright moon. She was wearing her riding leathers and her short blonde hair was messy. The dog barked again. Max just glared this time, searching for an indicator of her location. Then a pine needle snapped with a large footstep.

Max swiftly turned around to see a man with long dark hair and green eyes that glowed almost as bright as the shining moon. He walked around her, then she realized the dog, was gone. If that thing had lured her here, what else could be waiting. The stranger acted like he couldn't see her. Then his mouth moved, however his words were muffled.

"What?" Max asked.

The stranger whipped in her direction, but somehow looked past her. He shook his head and began to walk forward. Max lurched to grab his arm when he pulled back from her grip and stared in her direction in aghast. She opened her mouth to yell or shout at the man, but her eyes flung open.

She shot up, her crimson sheets fell onto the floor. Max was in fact in her apartment. Panting, she looked around. Then the window, it was almost dusk. She had to be at the solstice party, and she only had moments to arrive before her father set her head on a spike.

Max frantically threw on her riding leathers, the long sleeve red shirt tucked into her belt. Her blonde hair hung loose, not brushed or even finger-combed. She slid on her black polished boots, she put her cloak on and headed downstairs toward the smith shop. Sentry had kept a stable in the back for both his son's horse and Max's mare.

Given to Max in her teen years, Vagabond or fondly, Vaga, was a bay mare who had aged into adulthood and would most likely be retired in the coming seasons. Max threw a bridle in the horse's mouth and climbed on without her saddle.

She pushed the mare forward and headed to the castle. Max imagined the look on her father's face when she arrived, in men's riding attire. She was going to burn on a stake. Maybe the King's son would watch as she turned into a smoking pile of embers.

Max thought about her dream. The blue-eyed man was a mystery, she tried to remember his features, black sooty hair, his skin was tanned, and he wasn't wrinkled. His dark clothes were contrasted by the silver bow that hung across his back, along with a dark quiver. The dog too was odd, Max usually dreamed about old memories, not fabricated stories.

The steep climb to the palace made Vaga pant loudly, Max soothed her, and they pushed onward, hooves smacking on the cobbled road. Merchants and common goers turned when she whipped past them. The dark iron gate was opening as Max arrived at Stonehill, leaving the capital of Cahir behind her. The sky glowed pink and orange as the burning sun lowered behind the shimmering sea. Max turned and threw Vaga's reins into a guard's hands as she brushed herself and walked into the castle'courtyard, where the visitors and nobles were entering the great hall.

✦⋆𓆩✧𓆪⋆✦

Florent followed the guards into the long corridor. It had been years when she last step foot in Stonehill. Their king's guard uniforms were orange, with the royal ram's head crest on their chest plates. They held spears with plumes on the base and marched the Commander and herself to have an audience with the General. Florent adjusted her shoulder as they reached a large red door. The Commander nodded to the guards, and they left, the stomp of their polished boots rattled against the stone floor.