Last Hope

~Them~

After some time trudging along the path, I had no other choice but to set foot in the woods. The woods were forbidden to the people, but that was the only way to get to The Seeker's House. To be honest, I had no idea where the Seeker lived. No one did, as a matter of fact. He was an old legend. He might not even exist, and then I would have no more options left.

"Great." I muttered under my breath. "What if he never was even a real person? What if he was just some old widow's tale in the first place?" I questioned myself.

The more I thought about it, the less I even believed it was real. So I shook myself mentally.

"No. Stop it." I said to myself. "You have to find a way to save Adrian."

With that, I perservered up the steep hill into the dark forest.

~

The forest was dark and gloomy. My head whipped around as I heard an eerie cry come from somewhere to my left. To my right through the trees was a river that snaked through the valley I had hiked up. Behind me, I could see my village. It appeared only the size of a coin from up here. I felt a sudden lightheadedness from realizing how far I had traveled; I had never been this far away from home. Running my long fingers through my coarse brown hair, I continued on.

~

The forest trees were enormous. Their branches were crooked and cracked. Many were broken. The roots wound around each other, creating a massive tangled knot. I now understood why nobody dared come here. Birds could not be heard here, and neither could people. A cry for help would be lost in the thick trunks of these colossal trees. Thinking about it, I was glad I had brought my knife. I was never a very skilled hunter, but my father had given this knife to me to protect myself before he went off to become a soldier. He died a year later. I was so numb with shock and fear and despair that I didn't even cry. My heart had froze over, looking for something to wake it up. When I had seen my only friend being flogged and sentenced to death, something inside me broke. Now I have something to live for. I have to save Adrian. I have to prove him innocent.

~

A chilling breeze whooshed against my back, freezing me to the bone. I had been traveling for many hours and the sun was starting to set. A beautiful pink and gold shine could be seen along the horizon. It's so peaceful.... Stopping, I set down my pack in a clearing. I sighed as I tugged my canteen of water out from the large bundle. After taking a few deep sips, I tied the lid back on and ventured into the trees around the clearing to search for decent firewood.

That's when I heard them.