To Whispering Willows

Gia rode the horses through the night, which they managed with their usual rests, she knew they had travelled several more miles that usual. If she was remembering things correctly this would mean that they only had about three hundred and fifty more miles to go, they would be in Whispering Willows within two weeks if things continued this way. Nothing eventful happened that night and that made Gia feel even better. Things continued to go smoothly for them, they travelled from just before dusk to a little after morning had begun. The baby was no bother and was content as long as she had her milk regularly.

Gia went along in this manner for several days after they left Ruthie and Agustus, the food they had given her was doing wonders, the baby seemed to be thriving, all was going well. She stopped occasionally in the villages to shop at the stores and get a few things, she managed this by selling a few of the queen's clothes. It felt wrong to sell them and she was wracked with guilt over it, but she knew that they needed the money, it wasn't just for her, it was for the baby, really. If Gia did not take care of herself then the baby would suffer. Gia swore to herself that one day when things were back to normal, she would pay the queen back for selling her things.

Gia finally came to the last village she knew of before she would get to Whispering Willows. The village was called Willows Edge, it was the smallest village she had come to so far, it had only one shop and a handful of houses. Most of the residents seemed to live in some sort of semi-permanent tent systems that had been set up along the north-eastern edge of town. Gia felt uncomfortable from the moment she entered the village, she felt like someone was watching her at every moment. She decided it best not to stop and to continue right on through it. As soon as she left the village behind her she saw the bridge that she would need to cross in order to enter into the Willows Forest. Willows Forrest was dense and hard to navigate unless you were used to the terrain. What was more, the area immediately around Whispering Willows was enchanted to keep out those that meant to do the inhabitants harm. This enchantment worked to keep out looters and bandits, thieves, and ruffians. In a sense it kept them safe. What worried Gia about the barrier was if it was able to sense future dangers that someone might have following them? Could the person who took over the capitol have been a magic user? Could they know Gia and Braelyn escaped? Could they be following them at this time? And could they be strong enough to tear down the spell that protected the village? Not knowing otherwise Gia had to assume that all were possible. So, did that mean if someone was chasing them the barrier would know and stop them from entering? She just did not know.

As Gia was preparing to cross the bridge that would take her into the woods, she sensed that someone was following her again. This time she didn't just feel like they were there she actually glimpsed movement from the corner of her eye. Turning in her seat to take a look she saw that four men on horseback were just leaving the village, speeding their horses on to go faster and faster. Gia knew this could not be a good sign, and when she saw the glint of a knife in the hand of the man in the lead, she knew she had to do something to protect the baby. The baby must be protected at all costs.

Snapping the reins, she urged the horses to go faster, they were good horses bred for the castle, high quality, and excellent runners. But they had also been travelling for the last three weeks and the horses were bound to be tired and easily out run by the men behind her. Still, she had to try her damnedest. The horses were nearly at breakneck speeds, going as fast as they possibly could, Gia dared to glance behind her to check how close the men were, and it seemed that they were falling behind. Her and the baby might make it in time. Turning to face forward again Gia saw that she had assumed victory too soon. While she was not paying attention, she had led the horses towards the lake's edge. She jerked the reins hard to the right to stop the horses going over the edge into the water. The turn was too sharp, and the wagon rolled dragging the horses down with it. Gia had just enough time to scoop Braelyn into her arms and jump hard to the left of the wagon. She narrowly avoided them rolling with it. Gia flipped herself so she landed on her back, the force of which pushed all the air out of her lungs, but she kept her arms tight around the baby she held. Gia received several scrapes and bruises, but Braelyn seemed completely unharmed. Recovering as quickly as she could Gia got to her feet and took off running for the edge of the trees, she could still hear the sound of hooves beating against the ground, they were hot on her heels and she was running as fast as she could. Please let us make it! She screamed inside her head, then again aloud.

"Please let us make it!" She yelled with all her might sending her words echoing off the trees. As soon as the echo died, she heard a whistling behind her, soft and low. Right as she reached the trees, she felt a sharp pain sear through her leg and saw the tip of an arrow burst from the front of her right thigh. She screamed loudly and rolled forward into the cover of the trees.