I screamed as hard as I could and kicked, I wasn't going down without a fight. The guard shoved me against a wall, knocking the breath out of my lungs. "No one to hear you scream, little bird." He laughed. His breath smelled like rotten fish. I desperately looked around. If I could just reach an arrow.
The guard pulled out a knife and held it to my neck. "Don't squirm now, you might cut yourself." He smiled.
Think, Saylen. I lashed out one last time, bringing my foot around and knocking him off balance. the knife fell and cut into my shoulder. I yelled again for help but that was the last thing I remembered. My head hit the wall and my world went black.
I woke up in the woods with bandages around my shoulder and an aching head. I sat up and dizziness overcame me. "Slowly now." A deep voice said from across the fire. I could barely make out a dark cloaked figure. "There's enough food here to last you a few days. Your horse is tied to a tree not far from here, and I've placed money in your saddle bags." He said.
"Who are you?" I asked as he walked toward a black mount. He didn't reply, just situated himself in the saddle and rode off. The last thing I saw was the sun glinting off of his silver mask.
Dear reader, most would say this man was a fairy tale, a legend, a story, a mere myth. Sadly, I know he's real all too well. He haunts my dreams and nightmares like a phantom, always lurking in the shadows, never showing his face...
After shopping around for food and enjoying the sights and sounds of this small town I headed back to the room I'd rented for the night. No way could I stay in one place too long but the thought of sleeping in a tree didn't appeal to me at all. I quietly made my way, unnoticed, through the inn's noisy common room and into my small accommodations. The moon light provided sufficient light so I didn't bother with a candle. I know now I should have.
"So you return to the scene of the crime?" A voice asked from a dark corner that the moonlight didn't quite reach.
I frowned as a figure stirred. "Who's there?"
"I thought you would remember me, Little Bird." The deep laugh echoed through the room, bouncing back to my ears.
I shook my head. This is all a dream, a nightmare. The masked man will show up and prove it all. I tried to force myself to wake up but reality gave me a brutal slap to the face.
The guard stepped into the light, still laughing like a mad-man. "No one to save you here, Birdie. Your masked hero isn't around this time."
"I don't need a fairy tale in a mask." I hissed, pulling out a couple knives.
I looked silently at the body on the floor. He'd drawn his sword and tried to kill me. My reaction was only self defense. I kept reminding myself of that as I grabbed my few belongings and ran out the door toward the stables. I quickly tacked up my big bay and mounted. As I rode out into the streets shouts of "murderer" and "half-breed" greeted me at every direction. Word spreads fast in a small town. I frowned and urged my mount forward. The gates slowly closed and I squeezed between them. I risked a glance behind me. Hoof beats and torches followed, along with angry voices.
Reader, you probably think I should go back and explain but I can't. No, no one would believe someone like me. To them I am nothing but an imperfection to their world. My father was a human, my mother was what we call a "Hawk-Dweller" and that makes me a half-breed. "Come, Sheydan, keep moving." I urged. I glanced back again. the mob was slowly gaining. I desperately looked around and found my only chance of escape. I steered Sheydan quickly to the right, into a small gap in the trees. I was greeted by darkness. Not just any darkness, the kind that clenched down on your heart and tore your resolve to pieces. I'd traded one death for another. Instead of being hung by angry villagers I'd die of starvation or be eaten by hungry animals.
