Queen of the Forest

Teaser

Palms sweating, heart racing, Jen sprinted through the trees. Daggers thudding into the rough wooden trunks she wove between.

'Stupid exercise. Stupid overseers. I could die!'

She muttered furiously as she tripped over a low root and a dagger whirled dangerously close to her face before clattering harmlessly to the dirt before her.

She gritted her teeth and hurtled back into the trees after a moment of stunned silence, silently berating herself for stopping in the middle of this murderous exercise.

The wicked blades flew past her, planting themselves into the gnarled oak tree she was dodging.

A stray dagger nicked her cheek and she flinched, nearly losing her footing as blood-droplets gathered and fell from the wound.

The gleaming edges were getting closer as she hurdled over a small stream and heard the splashes behind her as more footsteps thumped through the forest, trying to catch her.
They succeeded.

Lurching as a dagger bit into her shoulder, shattering the blade, she screamed then whimpered before darkness took over her and the world turned black.

___---___

Bright lights flickered overhead as Jen opened her eyes. Blinking rapidly as stars clouded her vision.

"oh finally, you're awake." cut into her conscious before the stars faded as Head Overseer Mallary pulled her roughly from the bed and the torn muscles in her shoulder screamed making Jen hiss in protest.

The bone had been fixed thanks to the on-hand bone-build machine that literally built bone wherever you broke it.

"cut that out. The Tribunal wants to see you." Mallary declared as she brushed specks of dirt off Jen's face.

"Why would they want to see me? The Tribunal never sees anyone." she responded curiously, perking up at the mention of the head committee of the 'school'. All curiosity smashed under the Head Meds uninterested reply.

"Who knows."