The Land of Shadows

Prologue

I leaned closer to the lean neck of the black horse I was riding, the rain whipping at my face as the hoofbeats behind me drew ever closer. Glancing behind me, I saw the there were at least six men coming for me. I'd been running the horse as hard as she could go for a good thirty minutes, Matt's men chasing me the entire time. 

I'm not sure why Matt Costellia wanted me so badly, or what he wanted to do to me when he got me, but the horse was tiring and I was gearing up to fight. I've fought six men at once before, but it was in the middle of a battle, where I was surrounded by people who could, and did, help me. 

Bracing myself, I leap off the horse's back and let her continue to run, fear spurring her onwords. I turn and face the men, who draw their horses up short, nearly falling off. I hold my swords in an X formation and bare my teeth at them. Synchronized, they leap off their horses and stalk towards me slowly, each hold a sword out in front of him. I held my ground and didn't move, my heart rising into my throat as I noticed that Matt was the one leading the men. 

"Well, well, well. Alice Castoina, it looks like we've finally got you," he drawls, his voice deep and smug. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," I tell him. He smirks, and suddenly I'm surrounded by the men, pressing in on me. They're too close for me to be able to swing my swords, so I drop them, facing the fact that I was going to die. "I think I am," he says, glancing at the men surrounding me as he walks closer to me, until he's standing directly in front of me, so close I can feel the air stirring from his breath.

It's raining harder now and I start to draw back to spit on him, when he jabs a needle into my arm. I let out a yelp as I notice he pushes some liquid in. Acting fast, I punch him in the face and start lashing out at everyone I can, but in a few minutes the drug takes effect and I fall to the ground, the entire world spinning as the mud squelches under me. My vision's blurry and fading to black, but I force myself to roll over onto my back. The last thing I see is Matt standing over me, a smug look on his face despite the bloody nose I gave him. Then I sink into unconciousness, the drug too powerful to overcome.