Blood of Fate or Echoes

The moonlight refracted into colorful streams that painted the prayer room’s floor. Eve sat on the floor, tracing her fingers over the different shapes, creating the geometric picture on the ground. She softly hummed to herself as she listened to the soft whispers all around her. They sang her pretty songs in words she didn’t understand. She had learned quickly that no one else heard the voices. The bishops and priests always said that the gods spoke to them, yet found it alarming when she claimed to hear voices too. Was there a difference between the gods’ voices and the ones she heard? Was she not supposed to hear voices because she hadn’t dedicated her life to the church? Eve didn’t understand.

At first, Eve had trouble listening to what people had to say whenever she was on temple grounds. She was constantly distracted by the dozens of whispers calling her attention this way and that. The priests thought she was a difficult child and maybe a little soft in the head. They blamed it on her mixed blood. Now she could tune out the voices, but when she was alone, she would pick one to listen to and try to understand what it was trying to say to her, sometimes responding to it, attempting a conversation. It gave her the reputation of talking to herself, but she didn’t mind.

“Princess?” Eve looked up, hand hovering over the corner of a green triangle. An old bishop stood in the doorway. Bishop Calloway. He was a frail man with paper-thin skin and so many wrinkles on his face it was impossible to imagine what he may have looked like as a young man. He sported a long white beard and bushy white eyebrows, while the top of his head was covered only in discolored, blotchy skin. He had been at the temple longer than almost anyone else and was very strict. He was one more wary of Eve, and though he respected her title, he did not seem to trust her much.

Bishop Calloway looked at Eve suspiciously. The room was on the oldest part of the grounds and reserved for the highest of the devotees. There were lines of prayer mats pointed toward a statue of the mother of gods, Aethra. The statue was so old that the face had long faded away, for her features were obscured. Very few had seen the statue, and despite her being the daughter of the king, Eve was not one who should be on that short list.

“This space is only for select bishops and archbishops,” he scolded, “It is not for you to invade.”

“It is so pretty here, though,” Eve objected as she motioned toward the stained glass window. Normally, the bishop appreciated the window’s beauty, but he didn’t this night. The light that bled through not only stained the floor but also stained the princess’s pale hair and ethereal eyes. It made her look ghoulish. He didn’t like that they were forced to keep such a creature on sacred grounds, even if she was housed in the Hallowed Forest. He liked it even less on nights like these when she was required to come to the temple for holy days.

“It is the middle of the night,” the bishop continued, knowing he could not truly discipline her like he would one of the young priests or students, “Why are you awake at such an hour?” Eve hesitated. She couldn’t tell him that the voices wanted to talk to her. She didn’t want to foster even more distrust between her and the leaders of the temple just because the voices wanted to talk to her more than they wanted to talk to them.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she lied, “I’m too excited to see my father and the queen, and Lux.” The next day was Foundings Day. A day to thank the gods for all that was given for the past year and to pray for the next. There would be a large parade through the city center featuring the royal family. The king and queen rode in a lavish carriage and threw out gold coins to their citizens. It was, of course, expected that the king’s children join him on such a festive occasion. Due to her mixed blood, Eve normally wasn’t included in those types of events, but Foundings Day was a holy day, and the gods demanded that all of the bloodline be included or else that bloodline would be cursed.

“You’d best try to sleep then, or else you’ll be too tired to enjoy yourself,” the bishop said. He stepped into the room and offered his hand to her. Eve smiled at him. He didn’t return the smile. She took his hand anyway, though she pushed herself to her feet on her own, fearing that if she allowed the old man to really help, he might hurt himself. She may have been small, but the man was very old and looked as if he might break a hip should the wind blow too hard.

Eve allowed the bishop to escort her out of the prayer room. She silently bid the voices a goodnight as they walked outside. There was a warm breeze. The temperature was getting hotter and hotter these days, but the nights were comfortable. The temple grounds were large and held many buildings. There was, of course, the main church where services were held, but there were also several different prayer rooms dedicated to each major god. There were dorms for the students and the priests, and a few houses for the bishops who lived on the grounds. Finally, there was a simple garden tended by the students that backed up into the Hallowed Forest, the forest that Eve normally called home.

Bishop Calloway led Eve toward a storage building behind the priest dorms. She was forbidden from setting foot in the student or priest dorms since she was a woman, so they set up a room in the storage building for her to use. She didn’t like it much. The blanket was thin, and there was a draft, but she assumed that all men slept in such conditions at the temple, so she wouldn’t complain. And it was all worth it to see her family. As they got closer to the storage building, the voices seemed to get louder, not quieter. That was strange. The voices were normally their loudest near the prayer rooms. Not only were they loud, but they also seemed agitated. Eve paused as the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise.

“Princess?” the bishop prompted. The voices were almost screaming at her now. She was starting to catch words in her language.

“Danger…”

“Trouble…”

“Escape…”

“Run…”

“Run.”

“Run!” A translucent man suddenly appeared in front of Eve, where no one stood before. She cried out in fright, but the man was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Princess!” the bishop scolded. He didn’t see the man, and he couldn’t hear the voices all screaming at her now. They were telling her to run. She needed to heed their warning. She pulled away from the bishop, turned on her heels, and took off.

“Prin-” the bishop’s call was cut off. Eve stopped and looked behind her. The bishop had fallen to his knees. The moonlight shone in his wide eyes, and his mouth hung open in a silent plea. Blood gushed from his throat, staining his white beard red. A dark man stood behind him with a bloody dagger. The bishop fell to the ground. Eve screamed.

“Run now,” a voice yelled at her. Eve obeyed and began to run again. She didn’t hear the man pursue, but she knew that he did. What was she to do? Someone just killed Bishop Calloway. The forest! The forest was her only hope. It was called the Hallowed Forest, and it may have been on the temple grounds, but the forest was filled with demonic beasts. They say that once all the lands were overrun with beasts. Brave knights did their best to exterminate those beasts and drove the rest into that forest where they were trapped by the power of the Holy One, a priest blessed by Aethra herself, who bled his divinity into the ground to create the holy grounds on which the temple was built. But as a result, anyone who stepped foot into the forest without a protection talisman would be ripped apart by the beasts. Eve ran toward the garden, gathering up her skirt as she did to avoid tripping.

“I know what you’re thinking, but you won’t make it to the forest,” a voice said. Eve didn’t stop running.

“What do I do?” she wheezed as she continued to run through the garden.

“The tree,” the voice said, “Climb up the tree and hide in the branches.” Eve ducked behind a hedge to catch her breath. She knew what tree the voice suggested, but she couldn’t believe it was suggesting it.

“The Tree of Ammora,” she whispered, “It is forbidden.”

“You must not die this way,” the voice said urgently. She didn’t quite understand the meaning behind those words, but it pushed her to move again. She didn’t know where the murderer was, but the tree wasn’t far away. If she were lucky, even if he were close, he wouldn’t be brave enough to touch the Tree of Ammora.

The Tree of Ammora was a giant beech tree with drooping vine-like leaves like a weeping willow. The trunk was massive, and the roots were so large they weren’t even fully covered by the ground. No birds, animals, or bugs went near it. No matter the season or the weather, the branches were always full of leaves, but they were a sickly gray, as if diseased. It was as if the tree were trapped in time. That was because the tree was actually the resting place of the great and fearsome dragon, Ammora. Ammora was the king of the beasts and nearly drove humankind to extinction until the great hero, Sir Artur Catello Harald Boone Fair, defeated the dragon and, with the help of the Holy One, sealed it in the tree. It was forbidden to touch the tree for fear of releasing the dragon again, at worst, or one’s soul being corrupted by its evil, at best.

Eve reached the tree but hesitated before touching it. Was she about to do the unthinkable? Everyone in and outside the kingdom of Wrinyth knew not to touch the Tree of Ammora.

“There is no time to hesitate,” the voice said, “He is coming.” The urgency in the voice pushed her forward. Eve reached out her hand and slid it between the hanging vines. She pushed them aside and walked through into the haven of the tree’s branches. She looked up in amazement. The tree looked so much taller from beneath the branches.

“Go!” the voice encouraged. Eve no longer hesitated. She stepped onto the roots and reached for the branches. She was shocked to feel the warmth of the bark beneath her palms, almost as if she were touching another human being rather than a tree. She didn’t have time to marvel at the strangeness. She had to jump to reach the first branch. She kicked out her feet to push her momentum forward as she pulled herself up. She managed to lie across it with the branch cutting painfully into her gut. She pulled up one leg, then the other, and slowly stood up, hugging the trunk to keep her balance. She didn’t pause to catch her breath, instead opting to immediately jump for the next branch and repeat the process again and again. She had climbed up five branches when she heard something.

“Princess!” someone called. It wasn’t any of the voices that had been warning her of danger, nor was it the one that told her to climb the tree. It had to belong to Bishop Calloway’s murderer.

“I must have given you quite a fright, Princess,” the murderer said, sounding too close for Eve’s liking. “I sincerely apologize, but I promise I will not hurt you.”

“Don’t believe him,” someone said. Eve nearly screamed as a man appeared next to her in the tree. She slammed a hand over her mouth and clutched onto the branch she was on to keep from toppling over. The same man who had briefly appeared before her was now hovering in mid-air next to her. He was a very handsome man with a muscular build. His face was stern with sharp eyes, a crooked nose, and thick lips covered by a short, thick beard. Eve would have admired his looks if she weren’t so alarmed by the fact that she could see right through him as if he were there but wasn’t at the same time. Was he a ghost or spirit of some sort? He looked young and healthy. He couldn’t have died from age or disease, and Eve didn’t spy any injuries on him. Maybe ghosts didn’t keep their mortal wounds in their spectral forms? The ghost glanced at her. His eyes softened as he did.

“You need not fear,” he said, “You will be safe as long as you stay here and keep quiet until the sun rises. Can you do that?” Eve nodded slowly. She removed her hand from her mouth and fully braced herself on the branch. They waited. The murderer called out several times. Sometimes he was closer to her hiding spot, but sometimes he was further away. She could hear the agitation creep into his voice as time ticked by.

“What if I went and brought out another holy man?” the murderer threatened, “I’ll kill them one by one until you come out.” Eve bit her lip and looked at the ghost in a panic.

“It is a bluff,” the ghost responded, “He’d be caught if he did that. Stay put. It will be dawn soon.” As the minutes passed by, Eve’s breathing slowed, but her anxiety did not ease. She wished there was at least a break in the leaves so she could see dawn approaching. The ghost was right. The murderer didn’t drag another priest out. She heard him move closer to the tree. She wondered if he had surmised her hiding spot.

“Creepy fucking tree,” she heard him mutter. Eve held her breath, gripping the branch so tightly that the rough bark dug into the palm of her hand. Her lungs were burning before she finally heard faint footsteps walking away from the tree. Still, she covered her mouth as she released the air built up in her chest in one long stream through her lips. She jumped when the ghost spoke at full volume.

“The king approaches,” the ghost said. Eve had momentarily forgotten about the ghost. She looked toward him, but he was gone. Eve heard the herald horns announcing the arrival of her father. Then she heard a shocked cry from a young priest or student. No doubt they discovered Bishop Calloway’s body. She allowed herself to climb down the tree, falling partway down due to her haste. She poked her head out through the curtain of leaves. The murderer was nowhere in sight. She dashed out and ran through the gardens toward the front gates of the temple. She saw a crowd forming near the storage building out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t stop. As she approached the gates, royal guards had already entered, surrounding the royal carriage. Eve’s heart eased as she saw her family backlit by the rising sun as they stepped out of the carriage.

It was the queen’s icy blue eyes that first spotted Eve running towards them. Queen Salina wasn’t Eve’s mother, but Eve always admired her. She was the most elegant person she had ever seen. Her skin glowed with flawless perfection, and her hair was sleek obsidian with no stray hair out of place. Her features were very angular and sharp, but she was surprisingly kind. The queen picked out all of Eve’s clothing, stating that anything her father picked out was unfit for a fashionable young lady. She never treated Eve with the disdain that one would think the bastard child of a king would earn from the queen. She even helped to foster the relationship between her and Lux.

Lux was much like his mother. He was tall and elegant like her, but he was strong like their father. He had his mother’s beautiful skin and icy eyes, with golden chestnut hair, and a fierce attitude like his father. Eve loved her brother dearly. He was her best friend. He always played with her when she was a child, despite him being eight years older than her. He told her stories and jokes to make her laugh. As she got older, he listened to her woes and requests. He visited her more often than their father did.

But Eve’s father was her hero. King Murnik was tall, strong, and intimidating. The burly man was more fearsome a mercenary than a gallant king. He spent his youth leading his armies into battle and conquering surrounding countries, expanding Wrinyth into a great kingdom. He doted on Eve whenever he visited her, treating her like a precious gem. He always told her that her safety was the most important thing to him. It was his hugs, though, that made her feel safe and warm. Her father was her favorite person.

“Evienrose,” Queen Salina cried out in surprise as Eve launched herself into King Murnik’s arms. Her father easily caught her and held her fast to his chest.

“Did you miss us that much, Evie?” the king chuckled.

“Evienrose,” Queen Salina scolded, “I know it is an exciting day, but that’s no reason to lose all reason-”

“Someone killed Bishop Calloway,” Eve blubbered. She felt her father’s warm embrace turn steely. He gripped her arms and held her back. He hunched over so he could look her in the eye.

“Explain clearly,” he demanded.

“Bishop Calloway was escorting me back from the prayer room and an awful man c-cut his throat,” Eve choked out.

“Oh gods,” Queen Salina gasped, “Is he still on the grounds?”

“I don’t know,” Eve admitted, “I ran and hid.” She left out that she hid in the tree of Ammora.

“Lux,” King Murnik snapped, “Take care of your sister.” He passed Eve into Lux’s arms.

“Men with me,” he said to the guards as he unsheathed the sword at his hip.

“But Father, it’s dangerous,” Eve objected, reaching out for him, but Lux held her tight as the king and guards marched away.

“Calm down, sister,” Lux said, “Father will find the assassin.”

“But-”

“Lux is right, Evienrose,” Queen Salina agreed as she wrapped an additional arm around Eve. She pushed hair out of Eve’s face and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Leave things to your father,” she said. Her eyes turned cold as they sliced to an approaching person. Eve looked over her shoulder. Cardinal Rowe.

Cardinal Rowe, a tall, lanky man with black eyes, made sharp by the glasses perched on the bridge of his narrow nose. He was bald by choice, shaving his head monthly. He said that hair was a statement of vanity. He was a devout man who often clashed with the royal family, for only the gods could rule him. He did not subscribe to the monarch’s rules and laws. He was the next in line to be head of the temple, and everyone knew that when that time came, the relationship between the temple and the monarch was sure to be strained.

“Cardinal Rowe,” Queen Salina said sharply as she dropped her arm from around Eve and instead stepped in front of her, blocking her from the cardinal’s view, “Care to provide any insight as to why the princess had to witness such violence on holy grounds?” Cardinal Rowe offered a tight-lipped smile.

“I was just about to ask her highness why she was roaming around the temple grounds in the middle of the night and not in her room?” he countered. Eve flinched. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting that the bishop’s death was her fault, could he?

“She is the princess,” the queen said, “She does not need to explain her movements to you.”

“I quite understand that, Your Majesty,” Cardinal Rowe replied, “I merely suggest that had she been in her room, she and our dear Bishop Calloway might have avoided encountering the villain.”

“Watch yourself,” Lux growled, “You are coming awfully close to insulting the royal family with such a suggestion.”

“Calm yourself, Dear Heart,” Queen Salina said to her son without removing her stare from the cardinal, “He would not dare suggest such a thing. Afterall, it would be foolish to blame a young woman of 19 rather than the extra security he surely made sure was in place, knowing that a member of the royal family would be housed on the grounds. Unless there was no extra security. Then blame would be placed on him since he is in charge of safeguarding all the relics, residents, and guests of the temple.” Cardinal Rowe pursed his lips.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said, “Of course I meant no offense. We are all just deeply saddened by Bishop Calloway’s loss, and I am terribly sorry that the princess had to witness such a terrible sight. I cannot imagine how frightened she must have been, and I will get to the bottom of how this could have happened.”

“See that you do,” Queen Salina said smoothly.

“If you’ll excuse me,” the cardinal said with a bow before rushing away. He passed a royal guard as he fled.

“His Majesty has said that Your Majesty and the prince and princess should depart without him, and he will join you at the parade,” the guard said. Queen Salina sighed.

“He’s doing this to avoid dressing properly,” she muttered before replying, “Very well. Tell His Majesty not to get too dirty.” The guard bowed in response. Queen Salina turned back toward the carriage.

“Is it okay to just leave like this?” Eve questioned quietly. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at the murderer, but she thought that maybe someone would have more questions for her.

“Push it from your mind, sister,” Lux said as he ushered her toward the carriage, “You love Founding’s Day. Do not let this unpleasantness ruin your day.” Eve thought that the bishop’s death was more than just unpleasant. Yes, the man wasn’t fond of her, and she didn’t have any particular attachment toward him, but to go off and enjoy a parade after someone’s murder felt unseemly. When Eve didn’t immediately step into the carriage, Lux placed his hands on her waist and lifted her in.

“Come sit by me, dear,” Queen Salina summoned. Eve nodded and sat next to her. Normally, Eve would excitedly listen to every word Queen Salina told her about the upcoming day as she stared out the window of the carriage, making note of every change the capital had made over the course of the year. But she couldn’t get the image of Bishop Calloway’s frightened eyes and mouth opened for a scream that would never come out of her head. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the queen’s favorite boutique.

“Quickly now, Evienrose,” Queen Salina ordered, “We are running behind because of all the ugliness at the temple.” Lux got out of the carriage first, assisted his mother, and then gave his hand to Eve. The owner of the boutique stood out front, smiling broadly. Lord Beaufont was an older man, but he didn’t show it. Although he was a man, he could only be described as pretty, with long dark eyelashes, rosy cheeks, and luscious lips. It was understandable why he was the champion of women’s fashion.

“Welcome, Your Majesty, Your Highnesses,” he beamed, “We have been so excited for this day! Come, come!” He and his assistants fluttered about the three of them, ushering them into the boutique. Eve was immediately plucked away by a group of women who stripped her of her clothes, which Eve only just realized were dirtied and torn, evidence of that morning’s tragedy. They tossed her in a bath of milk and honey and scrubbed her clean. They lathered her skin with lotions and perfumes, then dressed her in a beautiful lavender gown.

“We were supposed to use pearls in her hair to match, Her Majesty,” one woman whispered as she ran a brush through Eve’s hair, “But her hair is practically as white as the pearls. They won’t show.”

“Should we use black pearls?” another questioned.

“Not with a lavender dress,” a third scolded.

“Ladies, what is taking so long?” Lord Beaufont flounced into the room. “The queen is already dressed and waiting. We should never keep the queen waiting.”

“Pearls will not show up in the princess’s hair, Lord Beaufont.” Lord Beaufont frowned and stared at Eve as if she had personally ruined his vision. Then his eyes lit up as an idea sparked.

“Weave the pearls onto a ribbon,” he said as he plucked a purple ribbon from a large ribbon pile.

“You are a master, Lord Beaufont. A genius!”

“Enough praise, ladies! Quickly now!”

Before Eve knew it, she was sitting in a roofless carriage in a lavish gown with her hair piled atop her head with a pearl-laden ribbon woven throughout. She was dressed similarly to the queen, who wore more pearls and diamonds on her dress and in her hair. Moreover, Lux was dressed like a simplified version of the king, wearing his deep purple suit. The king and queen sat in front, waving and smiling to the citizens of Wrinyth, who screamed and cheered. Eve and Lux sat behind them. Lux opened a bag of coins and placed a handful into Eve’s gloved hand.

“Make sure to smile, sister,” he told her as he pointed to his own smile as if to show her how it was done. She smiled at him, making sure to show her teeth as he did. He nodded approvingly.

“Make sure to toss it out wide,” King Murnik called back to them.

“Yes, Father,” Lux and Eve said in unison. Eve tossed out the coins. The coins sparkled in the sunlight as they rained down on the citizens like confetti. Their hands reached toward the sky, grasping at the coins. Eve quickly reached for more coins and continued to toss. She mostly tried to aim for the children whose chubby hands couldn’t reach as high as the adults’.

“Thank you, Pwincess!” one called out as he held up a shiny gold coin. Eve smiled and waved at him.

“Don’t be fooled by their innocent faces, Evie,” Lux warned, “The kids are used to pull at our heartstrings so that their guardians get more money.” Eve looked at Lux, but he was still smiling out at the crowd. Eve didn’t see why that mattered. She saw another group of children jumping up and down and waving their arms overhead. Eve disregarded her brother’s advice and took two handfuls of coins and tossed them at the children. They squealed as the coins fell over them.

“Thank you, Princess!” they called in unison. Giggles rang out as they fell to their knees to grab any that fell to the ground. The kids were the only ones who sent out their thanks. Eve thought it was sweet.

The parade route went all across the capital and took almost the entire afternoon. By the time they returned to the temple, Eve’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Lux helped her out of the carriage at the gates of the temple. She was exhausted. As soon as her feet touched the ground, all the memories from the night before and that morning came rushing back. Her father and the queen were talking to Cardinal Rowe and a few of the Archbishops. Her father looked displeased. She looked worriedly at Lux.

“I’ve made arrangements for you to go straight back to the cottage,” Lux said before she could say anything. That eased her fear a bit, but she wished she could go back to the palace with him and their father. They were the only two people who made her feel truly safe.

“Did they find the murderer?” Eve asked as the king and queen joined them. King Murnik gave her a soft smile.

“That’s not something you need to worry your pretty head over, Evie,” he said, “You are perfectly safe. Lux is going to take you to the forest edge, where a driver is waiting to take you to your cottage. We would never let anyone touch you.” That wasn’t an answer Eve noticed, but she did not push.

“I love you, Father,” she said instead, “Thank you for today.” King Murnik placed a kiss on her brow.

“And one more thing before we bid you goodnight,” he said. He snapped his fingers. A servant suddenly appeared and handed him a package. The king took it and handed the package to Eve.

“Happy Founding’s Day, Evie,” he said. Eve had almost forgotten. She always received a gift on Founding’s Day. She tore through the paper to reveal three items. The first was a novel by one of the kingdom’s most famous authors.

“I know how much you love reading,” the king said.

“Thank you, Father,” Eve gushed.

“I got you the book of poems,” Lux said, pointing out the second smaller book. “You must expand your mind past silly stories.”

“Of course, Brother,” Eve agreed, “I love it, thank you.”

“And I picked out the gloves,” Queen Salina said, “Because you can’t spend all your time reading, and I’ve been told you like to dig around in a garden. So those are to protect your hands. You are still a lady after all, and your skin must reflect that.”

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty,” Eve said, fingering the supple leather gardening gloves, “You all treat me so well. I will miss you.”

“We will miss you too, Dear,” Queen Salina said as she pecked Eve on the cheek.

“I will come visit you soon, Dear Daughter,” King Murnik said, wrapping her in a quick hug. It was an empty promise, Eve knew, but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

“Come,” Lux said, holding out his hand, “Before it gets dark.” Eve nodded and took his hand. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. They walked arm in arm toward the temple gardens. No one was walking about but the guards patrolling the grounds. If only they had been there the night before. Eve tried to avoid looking at the spot where Bishop Calloway had been killed, but she couldn’t help but notice a red stain on the stones where his body had fallen.

“Do not fret too much over the incident, Evie,” Lux said quietly. He patted her hand on his arm. He read her moods so well.

“I’ll try not to,” Eve promised. It only took a minute or two for them to reach the dirt path that led into the Hallowed Forest, where a cart stood with a single horse and driver. The cart had the protection symbol etched into it to ward off the beasts that inhabited the forest. Eve knew that the ward worked because she had never seen any beast over all the years of living in the forest, though she had heard plenty of their calls at night. Lux helped her into the cart.

“I’ll miss you, Brother,” Eve said.

“I will see you soon,” Lux promised. She offered him a small smile, but he didn’t return it. Instead, he turned to the driver.

“Go,” he ordered. The driver flicked the reins, and the horse immediately began to trot. Eve lurched in the cart. She turned in her seat and watched Lux as he stood there watching her disappear into the forest. It wasn’t long before the trees blocked her sight of him. Her chest squeezed as loneliness enveloped her. The day was far too short. Why couldn’t there be more holy days that required her presence to be alongside her family? Why did she have to spend so many of her days alone?

The cart bumped and rattled along the uneven road. The trees were tall and foreboding. The trunks were black, and the leaves were grey. The priests said it is because they soak in the unholiness of the beasts that live within their shelter. They blotted out almost all the sunlight, making it feel like the darkest part of the night, even though it was still early evening. The horse was nervous as it anxiously fought against its bit.

“Calm,” the driver called out to it, “We’ll be out of here soon enough.” A few minutes late,r they reached a grassy clearing bathed in orange sunshine. A small cottage sat in the middle, accompanied by a small garden and a well. Colorful flowers bloomed throughout the clearing, adding a pretty fragrance to the air, a stark contrast to the smell of rot throughout the rest of the forest. The cart stopped in front of the cottage. The driver stayed seated as Eve got herself down.

“Thank you,” she said. The driver didn’t reply. He only flicked the reins again and disappeared back into the forest.

Eve went inside. The cottage was small on the inside. There was a little table and chairs, glossy with varnish and carved with intricate designs. A chipped vase filled with wildflowers sat upon it. There was a hearth nearby and a wood stove. Next to the hearth was a big armchair, and a side table with an oil lamp sat on top of it. Toward the back, there was a small bookcase, its shelves overladen with books, and a writing desk. Opposite the bookcase and desk, there was an armoire and a four-poster bed with a nightstand that held an ornate jewelry box, though it contained no jewels. Eve set her presents on the table. She didn’t have the heart to tell her father that the book he had brought for her was the same one he had given her for her birthday a few months ago. She had already read it twice. It ended on a cliffhanger, and she was really hoping for its sequel. She appreciated the gloves from the queen, though she was hesitant about using such fine gloves in the dirty ground. In truth, she didn’t even like gardening. She only did it to break up the monotony of the day, and the temple wasn’t always reliable in delivering food to her, so the garden provided additional nutrients with the veggies she grew.

Eve picked up the book of poems that Lux had gifted her and sat in the armchair. She kicked off her shoes and pulled up her feet onto the cushion. She opened the small book and read the rhythmic words that flowed from page to page. She didn’t understand most of the poems. But she continued to read until there was no more light to read by. She thought about lighting the lamp and continuing to read when she heard the beasts’ howls. The sounds sent shivers down Eve’s spine. There was something different about these howls. They sounded more… excited than normal.

Eve abandoned the book on the chair, went to the armoire, changed into her nightgown, and climbed into bed. The howls grew louder and were joined by growling and yips. Luckily, they were a distance away, but Eve was still uneasy. The beasts normally weren’t this active. It was like they were communicating with each other as if they were hunting something. Eve pulled the blankets over her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the night. Eve yelped in fright. The scream sounded human. Did a person enter the Hallowed Forest? No. Everyone knew that entering the Hallowed Forest without a protection talisman was as good as suicide. But even so, Eve could hear the beast growling and yipping like dogs fighting over a bone. Whatever it was they were hunting, they caught it.