Chapter 1

Morwen stealthily crept through the dark woods, drawing her cloak closely around her. Ahead, no more than 100 yards was a brightly burning fire, with some men working around it. She knew he was there. She moved one foot in front of the other, slowly trying to make as little sound as possible. She was trespassing on the land and knew if she was caught, the whole world she had carefully built for herself could come crashing down if they tortured her enough. She was still human, she reminded herself, susceptible to pain as much as anyone else. The training she had worked on for years upon years had taught her to climb inside herself when the going got tough, but she’s only human. Everyone has his or her breaking point.

She shook her head, her long ebony hair staying firmly in the braid she had placed it in earlier. She would be able to see and hear better this way. No need to think about the negatives now. Not while you’re so close to him you can almost smell it. Her heart began to beat faster as she clutched the dagger belted at her waist with her long, pale fingers. Her mind was racing, so she crouched for a few minutes near a gnarled oak tree to calm her senses. The forest was unnaturally quiet tonight, and the stars were brilliantly bright. She stood up again and resumed her course, flitting through the darkness like a bad dream, slowly stalking its’ unsuspecting victim. She could hear the men now, laughing and talking, knowing nothing about the danger enshrouded in a black cloak less than 100 feet away. She watched for a little, her grey eyes peering into the blackness with surprising intensity. Her breath baited, she wanted to wait for the most opportune moment to spring forward and unleash a deadly attack that would last no more than a few seconds and leave everyone besides her dead. She could see him now, laughing with his companions, his features suggesting a gaiety that could only be from a victory, a victory against her. She had no time to wonder what could have been done, when an owl hooted beside her, startling her and making her jump. She panicked, throwing her body against the tree beside her, stopping her breathing, her heart pounding in her chest. The men were looking out into the woods, but seeing nothing, they soon sat near the fire and began roasting some sort of meat. Morwen crept closer still, when she noticed something was wrong. Very wrong...