Woods
Two women moved through the dense forests of ancient Greece, where light barely managed to filter through, and the air smelled of damp earth and broken leaves.
Katizi, no older than twenty-two, wore her short black hair pressed against her temples. Her pale skin contrasted with the deep green cloak wrapped around her, and her dark eyes seemed to absorb every shadow in the forest. They walked with a tense calm, as if they were always listening for something others could not hear.
At her side, Molava was tall and broad-shouldered, her curly reddish hair falling down her back like untamed fire. There was something imposing about her presence—something rough in the way she moved, something that spoke of old scars.
Their voices were low, but heavy.
“She has no freedom. That’s the real problem with her,” Molava said, a restrained edge in her throat.
Katizi didn’t look at her.
“Miera reacts to everything around her. You can’t demand manners from her when she lives the way she does. And you’re the last one who should judge her.”
Molava let out a dry laugh.
“Oh, really? And now you’re the princess of Fondeur?”
Katizi stopped for a moment—barely a heartbeat.
“I’m just saying she’s probably hunting. Far away. Where no one can find her.”
“Next time, I’ll go with her.”
“That won’t be necessary. She knows what she’s doing. It’s not the first time she’s disappeared.”
Molava clenched her teeth.
“We’re not talking about hours, Katizi. It’s been days.”
Silence fell, heavy.
“We have to trust her,” Katizi murmured at last. “One day she’ll find her own path. And she’ll follow it—even if it kills her.”
Molava lowered her voice.
“It’s not Miera I’m worried about. It’s the people she hasn’t met yet.”
Katizi turned her head.
“You’re underestimating her. What scares you is that she might not come back.”
Molava held her gaze, and for a moment, the hardness cracked.
“You’re right. But what terrifies me most... is that you refuse to see the truth. That old woman... she’s one of them. A witch. She twists people from the inside.”
“Don’t talk about Ekatulia like that,” Katizi snapped, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. “You hate her for what she is.”
“No. I hate her because I understand what she is. And one day, they’ll burn us together.”
The threat lingered between them.
“Then worry about Miera,” Katizi said coldly. “And stay out of what doesn’t concern you.”
They kept walking until the forest opened into a bend in the road. A royal carriage advanced, escorted by armed guards. The two women slipped into the shadows.
Suddenly, a man stumbled down the hill, a dagger raised, his eyes wild. He threw himself at the carriage with a ragged scream.
A guard intercepted him. Steel flashed. Another struck him violently in the chest. The man fell, the air leaving his lungs in a strangled groan. Dark blood stained the earth.
The guards raised their swords to finish him, but an order called them from the carriage. Within seconds, the entire escort rushed back, protecting whoever was inside.
The forest fell silent.
Katizi stepped out first.
Molava followed cautiously.
The man was still breathing—barely.
Katizi tilted her head. Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Help me lift him.”
“I don’t trust him,” Molava replied.
“Neither do I.”
Even so, together they dragged him deeper into the forest.
Long minutes later, they reached the outskirts of a moss-covered cabin that seemed to grow from the earth itself. Inside, Ekatulia, old lady with long gray hair, pale and fragile, cleaned the stranger’s wound with steady, patient hands. Her fingers were bony, but precise.
Molava watched from the shadows.
“You’re unbelievably stupid,” she said at last.
“Watch your tongue,” Katizi replied without looking at her. “I can cut it out.”
“I’m the stupid one for helping you. They’ll come looking for him. They’ll find us. And this time, we won’t survive.”
“We couldn’t leave him there.”
“We don’t help people,” Molava whispered. “We survive.”
Katizi looked up.
“Then leave. You’re always calling us impure, yet you speak like a beast lurking in the dark. You’re no better than me. No better than Ekatulia.”
Molava blinked, wounded.
“...Maybe you’re right.”
She stepped out into the forest, though she didn’t go far.
Ekatulia continued tending to the young man—long black hair, sun-browned skin, a narrow, slightly rough nose, with the bearing of a Turk.
Days later, the young man woke. He sat outside, pale, but conscious.
“Welcome back,” Katizi said.
“Were you trying to die, or are you just an idiot?” Molava added.
The young man blinked.
“Nivek. Nivek Dillow.”
“Katizi. This is Molava,” Katizi replied. “You’re not from here.”
“No.”
Molava looked him over.
“That cloak isn’t yours. That wine-red color belongs to someone with a lot of gold.”
“I’m not a thief.”
“Then you’re just a killer,” Katizi said.
Nivek tensed his jaw.
“I come from a good family.”
Molava let out a bitter laugh.
“Of course. Good families love spilling royal blood.”
“Enough,” Katizi cut in.
Molava glared at Nivek with open hatred.
“It’s time you go on your way. You’ll come with me—but don’t interfere with my search,” Katizi ordered.
“I can’t walk much,” he admitted.
Molava stepped forward and pulled back her sleeve, revealing old scars.
“When pain has shaped you, then you can speak.”
Katizi stepped between them.
“I want him alive, Molava.”
Molava looked away, furious. Meanwhile, Nivek followed Katizi deep into the forest. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until he finally spoke.
“Your friend can’t stand me.”
“She doesn’t need to.”
“What are we looking for?”
“A girl.”
“I’ll help you. And then I’ll disappear.”
Katizi glanced at him sideways.
“You speak as if there’s a ‘then’ waiting for you.”
He frowned, confused.
Katizi smiled faintly.
“You Christians always believe there’s a tomorrow written all over your destiny..”
Nivek stopped, startled.
The word struck deeper than his wound.
Katizi didn’t turn back. And with his heart full of questions, he followed her.
“You trust too much. I’m a stranger—you don’t know what I’m capable of,” Nivek warned.
Katizi smiled without looking at him.
“If that’s how you use your dagger, then you’re the most useless bait I’ve ever seen.”
She stepped closer, fixing him with a cold stare, as if waiting for him to act—but her gaze alone intimidated him.
“You want to find me? ...I’d be happy to leave you dead right here.”
Nivek said nothing. Katizi turned and continued on her path.
