Hunted

Hunted is a Shadow Sprawl Historical story written by Terri Pray, and continues the current story line begun with Adriana. 

Artwork by Samuel Pray, created using Daz3D, Photoshop and Filter Forge.

Run.

Marcius glanced back over his shoulder, eyes wide, nostrils flared as he ran, ears pressed back against his skull, tail even with his body, paws near silent as he moved. They would be looking for him by now, searching through their home and then the surrounding streets. Before long the alert would sound and the guards, when that happened the hunt would begin and they would find him unless the gods were on his side.

The gods. He snorted at the thought. As if they would ever come to his aid. No, he was on his own in this and his family would call out the pack, setting them on his trail until he was dragged back and thrown at his parents feet. Then what? His scant chance at freedom would be stripped away from him, public disgrace would be heaped upon him and he would be the laughing stock of the city.

Am I not one already?

No, he didn’t want to think about that.

They smirk when I walk past them, laugh behind my back and they know - know that I have no choice.

He couldn’t turn back, wouldn’t turn back, not when it meant he’d have to pair off with the woman his family had picked out for him. It didn’t matter that the woman was willing - at least he assumed she was, she hadn’t spoken of it. No, when the announcement had been made, she had lowered  her gaze and kept silent. Meek, submissive and in no way appealing to him, despite the fact that she was a physically attractive young woman.

What good is a mate who is too afraid to stand up and show her teeth?

He shuddered at the thought. No, she wasn’t the one for him. She would find a better mate, one more suited to her temperament perhaps an omega within the pack? As for him, his life wouldn’t be one that was ruled by his family, no, he’d make his own path, find his own way in life even if that meant he could never return to his home, to Rome and to the pack.

I might be able to return one day, when I have a mate of mine own, and children who will strengthen the pack as a whole.

What if that didn’t help, if he still couldn’t return to his home even when he found the female he was meant to be with. His family, could he truly leave them behind for the rest of his life? He turned, looking back at the walls. Even from here he could see the movement of the guards along the wall. No sign of alert yet, no calls, shouts of alarm, but it would come. Soon enough it would come and a patrol would be sent out to find him. At least, it would if his parents had anything to do with it.

Damn them. Why couldn’t they let him choose his own mate? He’d done everything else they’d ever asked him to do. Been a good son, a loyal member of the pack, but picking out his mate was one step too far. Something he couldn’t accept even if they claimed it was for the best.

His top lip lifted in a snarl.

For the best? Did they think him a fool that he didn’t know what was going on? That he had no idea that this was about wealth and position? A means of bonding two families together. A bartering piece, that’s all he’d become to them, all he would ever be. If they dragged him back to Rome, it would be into an unwanted mating with a woman, a female shifter, who wasn’t his true mate.

Marcius snarled and turned as he ran, seeking out one of the smaller trails, one less used than the main trails. They’d assume he’d take the easy path and unless the pack was turned out, these would be humans sent after him, not fellow shifters with their all too sharp noses.

He could shift, use the wolf form to increase his speed but changing so close to the city wasn’t wise. Instead he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, running in human form, his hands clenched into fists, pumping with each new step as he ran, his gaze scanning the path, watching for trip hazards, loose stones, a damaged pathway, anything that might bring him to his knees and eat into the limited time he had.

How long he ran he didn’t know, he had no way of tracking the time save through the passage of the moon across the sky. He ran, following the path he had picked out several days before, ducking under the low hanging branches as he entered the woods. Streams, bodies of water, anything of that nature would help to cover his tracks, something he had to do because sooner or later the pack would be set on his trail.

Branches tugged at his clothing, stones moved under foot and he flinched every time his passage into the trees triggered a loud noise that carried through the crisp night air. If one man, just one, heard it, he’d be caught before he even had a chance to breathe.

Not going to happen. I’m not going to be a part of their games. Not anymore.

His heart raced, lungs ached and burned as he reached a sharp rise and leaned against one of the trees, trying to catch his breath. Was he far enough away to make a difference when they came for him? He frowned, peering through the trees.

Nothing.

No sounds, no movement, nothing but the play of the wind through the trees.

He inhaled deeply, tasting the air, nostrils flaring. Something tugged on his senses and he turned, walking at first, running a moment later, following the scent. Sweet and spicy,  honey and fire rolled into one, mingled with the unmistakable scent of a female.

Follow it. Hunt it down.

The thought flashed through his mind and he’d taken a dozen steps before he had a chance to acknowledge the movement. He paused, frowning, listening to the sounds around him. The soft noise of forest, rodents, deer and small predators. None of them a threat to Marcius nor the cause of his impulse to move toward the scent.

He scowled, forcing himself to stop. The scent, yes it belonged to a female, but not one of his kind, nor a human, but something else.

Vampire?

He shuddered at the thought. They were rare this close to the city, but that didn’t prevent the bolder ones from attempting to seduce some of his people in an attempt to gain a food source. Why would anyone from his pack give themselves willingly to a vampire, a blood sucker who would use them as nothing more than food? His skin crawled at the thought and he shuddered, cold sweat forming and dissipating in the cool air of the late spring evening.

A soft breeze caressed his face, bringing with it the strong aroma of the female, tempting, a mix of spice and sweetness that drew him closer, and he took a dozen steps before he realized what he was doing.

Come to me.

A low growl formed in the back of his throat, hands clenching at his sides, nostrils flaring as he took in the scent again.

You need me. I need you. We can both be free, but only if you come to me.

Siren’s song, strong and beautiful as tempting as the scent that carried on the breeze. Whatever she was, she offered only danger.

Not true, I offer so much more if you have but the strength to answer me, to come to me and listen.

Marcius cursed under his breath. Did he have a choice? Of course he did. He’d had a plan when he left the city, it hadn’t been a mad dash into the hills, but a planned escape. Just as the route he’d taken was one he’d traced out in the days before, paying a handful of people to leave items in arranged locations. The first package, wrapped and buried, wasn’t far. All he had to do was make it to the rocks he’d picked out and dig beneath the north most rock, one with a lightning strike pattern of minerals on the east side of it, and he would have money and a belt belt knife. The money would be enough to purchase a horse from the farm that would be his next stop. It was all so very simple.

So why did his steps now falter?

Why did the voice tug on his senses?

You know why.

He shook his head, trying to throw off the power that the voice held over him.

Come to me. Do not let fear rule you.

He bristled, jaw clenched, teeth bared as he bit back the growl that threatened to slip from his lips. He wasn’t afraid, could not be afraid of a strange female voice. What harm could a woman do to him? Even a vampire female would lack the strength to harm him.

Tempting me, tormenting in a hope I’ll come to her. That I will hunt her down only to give myself to her.

It wasn’t going to happen.

Then I’ll come to you.

The breeze rose again, colder than before, striking a chill into his marrow. He hissed, taking a step back, his hands curled into claws. All it would take was a moment of concentration and the shift would be upon him. “Come then, if you seek prey come and take me if you can, woman.” Did the creature really believe she could defeat a full blood shifter? One trained to fight from the day he could hold a sword? “Do you dare hunt me down?”

Is that what you think? That your handful of years in battle could defeat me if I wanted to kill you? I have no desire to treat you as prey, sweet one.

No, it wasn't that simple. He slammed mental walls into place as realization struck. She could hear his thoughts.

He tensed, if this was a vampire female then perhaps the stories about them were true and they preferred to play with their prey. His top lip curled in disgust. He wasn't prey, would never be prey, and the female would have a fight on her hands if she thought he would bend to her warped desires.

A soft, sensual laugh teased his senses.

“Would you run from me or run to me?” A warm, playful tone touched her words, her voice an erotic melody that tightened his loins. “Perhaps you believe the stories, that my kind forces yours into service. That I would force you to bare your throat to me and drink you unto death?”

“Vampire,” the word a curse.

“A daughter of Lilith,” she corrected.

“A blood beast, one who drains the life from those foolish enough to give themselves to you.”

She sighed and stepped into the shards of moonlight that pierced the canopy of leaf heavy branches. “Only a fool would kill that which they need.” Waist length pale hair brushed over her shoulders and down the length of her back. That, combined with a knee length man’s tunic, barely served to conceal the lush curves of her body from his gaze. “No, that is not why I have come, why I have tracked you down.”

“This is a hunt,” instincts told him to move, but they were torn, between the need to run from this woman and the need to run to her. His cock hardened, balls ached, and the desire to taste her threatened to control him. “And I am no weak thing to be turned into prey for you or anyone else.” Hadn’t he left his home to escape being used as such? “I will choose my own path in life and not you, nor anyone else will prevent me.” Yet his body had other ideas, he took a step and then another before he realized what he was doing, the pull between them far stronger than he would have ever expected.

“I need you.”

“As food,” he snapped.

“No… yes… more than just that though. I need you here.” She pressed the tips of long, elegant fingers over her breast. “I feel it, the pull, it’s more than just you, it’s me.” She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip. “My family will disown me for this, if I let this feeling claim me, yet… I can’t…” she ducked her head, eyes half lidded as she turned a half step away. “I must go.”

He moved, letting the wolf claim him, shifting shape within the first step. Cloth fell away, paws hitting the ground as he launched himself at the woman. He struck, claws kept away from her skin as he let his weight carry her to the ground. She grunted, twisting beneath him, eyes wide as she looked up into his eyes, her long pale hair splayed out against the damp earth, lips parted as her breath came in rapid gulps as a single word claimed his thoughts.

Mine. 

To Be Continued. 

Adriana

Adriana the first episode in a new Historical Shadow Sprawl Story by Terri Pray.

Artwork by Samuel Pray, created using Daz3D, Photoshop and Filter Forge.

Water dripped from her form, clinging to the curves of her breasts as Adriana rose from the center of the pool. A light breeze played across the surface of the water, lifting small ripples into points as she moved toward the shore. Goose flesh rose across her skin as the breeze touched her wet and naked form, yet she did nothing to ease the chill that seeped into her form.

“I don’t understand how you can do that to yourself.” The words filtered out from behind the thick trunk of a tree as the woman who laid claim to it stepped into line of sight. “The cold must be enough to steal your breath away, yet you spend every chance you get neck deep in a pool or river.”

Adriana smiled as she moved through the water, lingering in the reeds for a moment. The sand moved beneath her feet, burying itself between her toes as she shifted her weight, trailing one hand over the surface of the pool. “Bathing is relaxing, you should try it sometime, for something other than getting clean.” Was she the only one among her sisters who found that soaking cleared her mind?

No, she couldn’t be. Her mother enjoyed it as well, though she seldom wandered far from their home and preferred the bathing chamber if for no other reason than to silence wagging tongues.

“In hot water, maybe.” The other female snorted, her top lip curled in disgust. “Where we have attendants who will provide clean linen, in a room warmed by fire or brazier, but out here?” She shook her head, her long dark curls brushing over her shoulders with the movement. “This is foolish. You will become chilled to the bone and then what? Will you become sick as well?”

“No.” She rarely felt the cold.

“I don’t understand why you do this, why the cold doesn’t bother you the same as it does everyone else.”

“Perhaps it’s the nymph blood?” Adriana teased as she stepped out of the water. Did they all think her strange? Of course they did, she wasn’t the same as they were, though many carried magic from other sources, their family lines mingled with human and magic touched races alike. Yet her differences were closer to the surface, despite the fact that she had been born into the line of Lilith.

And that is why they watch me.

“Please don’t say that, there are enough in the family who already think you tainted by your mother’s blood.”

A flicker of a frown creased Adriana’s brow but she forced her features back into the calm smile she habitually wore. “She has never denied the stories, that her family line held a touch of the nymph before she was changed.” Odd how others in her family had a problem with her blood line when that magic infused blood was the very reason her mother had survived the turn and then had been able to give birth to a vampire daughter. “We all have something within our family line that isn’t quite vampire. Yet that is forgiven or forgotten when we are turned, or that is how it is supposed to be.” Even as she spoke she knew life wasn’t like that, her people, the daughters of Lilith, were proud of their background, their ties to Lilith.

“No, but it would have made your life a lot easier if she had denied it, or at least not engaged others when they spoke of her birth. Yes, she is one of us now, just as you are, born and reborn into the line of Lilith, but she will not forget where she comes from, what she was before she was turned. She revels in her ability to use water, to spin it to her whims, use it as a weapon against others. She even uses it against those who are members of her family. She is foolish and because of that she will never rise within the family. Never become more than a daughter of low rank.” The woman at the edge of the pool sighed and held out a large piece of linen. “Please, it’s time you stepped out of the pool. You’re making me feel cold.”

Adriana arched an eyebrow. How could she feel cold when she was doing nothing but standing there, holding a piece of cloth out? No, that wasn’t a conversation she was about to get into, not when it would be a waste of time. The words were, no doubt, another way of trying to convince Adriana that she was being foolish by openly admitting the nymph blood that tainted her being. Silently she stepped out of the last of the water and into the waiting drying linen, closing her eyes as the cloth was draped around her damp form.

“We need to hunt.” Liliana announced, her words clipped.

“You need to hunt but I know where my prey waits for me.” Adriana opened her eyes, smiled and reached for the cloth, holding it against her body. “It is you that has no source easily to hand.” She glanced over at the other woman. Was it wrong to want to lord it over Liliana? Perhaps, yet Liliana had done it to her time and again. “His pack will not come to you, but this one will come for me soon. I can feel it, the pull between us, Liliana.”

Liliana scowled and stepped back away from the water, her shoulders stiff, arms folded beneath her breasts. “You’re mistaken, they will come to me, all I have to do is send out the call and one or more of his pack will willingly give me their veins. They are, after all, but males and sex is something that will tempt them.” The woman looked back at her. “Not that they will be allowed to touch me. I would not waste the chance of a daughter on sex with a beast.”

“A beast?” Adriana arched an eyebrow.

“Shifters are one step away from animals and if their blood did not carry the magic that feeds us, I would have nothing to do with the filthy creatures.” Liliana scowled, her voice cold. “Nor would you if you had any sense.”

“They shift their shape, so they’re animals to you?”

“Yes, what else could they be? Male beasts fit only for food or work.”

Is that what Liliana truly thought about the males they fed from? Not that they fed only from males, but Liliana preferred that as her choice of meal. Females, after all, deserved better after the way they were treated by their own kind or the sons of Caine. At least, that was the excuse Liliana, and those like her, used.  It wasn’t something Adriana could understand. Just as she found fault with the idea that males were foolish. Yes, there were issues, and those of their own species who were sworn to the service of Caine were a true problem, but not all males were like that.

Just as not all daughters of Lilith felt that males were nothing more than a food source, or brute labor.

“Your male will need some taming if you would use him more than once.” Liliana shrugged as she stepped back, casting her gaze over the trees. “Shifters are a dangerous, brutal lot who seldom listen. It would be better for all of us if they were under the control of our kind instead of allowed to run free, ruling lands of their own. Perhaps, in time, the elders will see sense and allow us to tame these creatures.”

“Even the women?” Adriana tugged her tunic from a nearby branch and pulled it over her head.

“They’re little more than animals.”

Adriana caught her bottom lip between her teeth, taking a moment to put her thoughts into order. Was it worth the energy to fight with Liliana? She glanced over at the other woman and shook her head. No, it wouldn’t matter what she told Liliana, the woman’s beliefs wouldn’t change. She, like so many others, saw the other magic users as nothing more than a source of food and brute labor. That was a mistake, but women like Liliana would never believe that, no matter how often they were told otherwise. Instead they clung, willingly, to the ideas passed down by those who would happily reduce all magical creatures except vampires, to nothing more than slaves.

The inclusion of the female shifters in all of this was new. What had happened to Liliana?

Even as she tried to find the right words, ones that would allow her to find out what had changed her companion, Liliana lashed out with another verbal attack.

“You’re weak, Adriana. Weak and foolish if you think they could ever be our equals. We drink from them, we use them, how could they be equal to us?”

Fury rose, tightening her skin as she smoothed down the tunic and took a step toward the other woman. “I am not weak.”

“Yes, you are, and one day you’ll realize that, hopefully before you make a mistake that will cost you your life.”

Adriana closed her eyes and counted under her breath. Anger wouldn’t help her, rage would lead to mistakes and there was a man who would be waiting for her before the moon set and the sun crept its way into the sky. “And you continue to try and change my behavior. One would almost think that you’ve been told to do this, that someone else has set you at my side as my teacher.” She paused long enough to put her thoughts and words into order, taking care to keep her tone calm. Liliana was powerful, most of the daughters of Lilith were, but her magic, the energy she tapped and used, was stronger than almost anyone else Adriana had ever known. Yet she lacked discipline, at least discipline she could claim as her own instead of the structures set in place through her own discoveries.

Blind. Obedient.

No, it was more than that, she knew what she was doing, wanted to please the other women in their home, and she used those connections she built in order to secure her place within the family.

I could do the same thing. Follow the unwritten rules and work my way through the ranks of my sisters until I stand side by side with women like Liliana.

It would be more than that, she’d become the next lady if she followed their rules, all of those rules. Yet that wasn’t who she was, not in her heart.

“Would it be so wrong to help you see the error of your ways? You wouldn’t be the first daughter of Lilith to be mistaken in their beliefs, nor the first to find out how the world truly works and seek redemption.” Liliana smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “If you can’t adapt, if you can’t accept everything that is a part of how we live, then you will one day find that you are no longer welcome among your sisters and even your mother will be unable to help you.”

Horror chilled Adriana to the bone. Was this what was going on then? Her family wanted rid of her or was it more likely a small number within their family who had banded together to make this threat? Either way, it left Adriana sickened and fighting to keep her reaction from showing. “Perhaps that will happen, or perhaps others within our family will see the error of their ways and realize that those with magic in their blood are far more than mere food.”

Laughter filled the small glade as Liliana took a step toward Adriana, power radiating from Liliana as she spread out her fingers, arms lifted from her sides, energy crackling between her fingers. “If you truly believe that, then you are a fool, sister mine. You will learn, the hard way. Oh, I had hoped you would learn the error of your ways, but you still hold onto your beliefs.”

Adriana closed her eyes for a heartbeat, tapping the power that rolled through her body. The water, it was close enough that she could use it as a weapon, one that she knew Liliana lacked the ability to deflect. Calm and focused she opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on the woman who was a sister in all but blood. “Would you strike me down, Liliana? Is that why you come with me, to see if it was time to attack me?”

Liliana arched an eyebrow, her full lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Why else would I be here?”

To Be Continued. 

Grove

Grove is an Erien Setting story by Terri Pray

Artwork by Sam and Terri Pray, created using Daz 3d, Photoshop, Axvis HDR Factory.

She was cold, wet and hungry. The torn remains of her clothing clung to her body and water dripped down her back from her rain soaked hair. “Priorities,” she whispered, glancing back over her shoulder at the dark shadows cast by the trees. “Have to focus on my priorities here. Only way I’m going to make it through this.” She took a deep breath and shook herself. “Shelter, heat, food and safety.” The order wasn’t important beyond the fact that safety needed to come first, but all four would be needed to see her through the night. The wind picked up, carrying a new wave of rain in her direction and she wrapped her arms about her upper body and rubbed even as she looked up at the cloud covered sky. At least the rain would solve one issue and she tipped her face up, parting her lips. Rain - at least would sate her thirst, or take the edge of it.

She swallowed the water, drinking down what she could before she turned her attention to her surroundings and frowned. The sun had been close to the noon point when she’d run now it had begun its slow dip toward the horizon. Her legs ached, breath rattled in her lungs and her skin was coated with beads of sweat. She leaned down, pressing her hands against her knees, head bent forward as she did her best to catch her breath. Her body complained but the need to escape continued to grow with each passing moment. She had to keep her mind clear, chase away the doubts before she made another decision.

No supplies. No plan. No where to run to. Left with nothing but her instincts and the hope that she would find a way to escape the hunters who had dogged her since leaving her home. Hunters who, even now would be following her, watching for her tracks and using them to find her and bring her to heel. Running without a plan hadn’t been the best of ideas. A smart move would have included supplies, a decent cloak and maybe even a horse if she’d been able to find the money to buy one. Of course she could have stolen one as well. Her brothers owned horses and after everything that had happened it would have served them right to lose one of their precious mounts.

Ellen rolled out her shoulders and looked down at her feet. Her bare feet. Somewhere along the line she’d lost her leather and wooden clogs. Shoes she’d worn for working outside of the house, cleaning the weeds out of the herb garden. They’d been heavy, clumsy things, suited for the work that had kept her busy - right up until the moment when she’d run. At that point they’d done nothing but slow her down. When had she kicked them off? She nibbled on her bottom lip and lifted one foot, then the other, checking the souls for signs of damage. She’d pulled off her socks at the first chance, the way they’d snagged on anything under foot had only served to slow her down but that had come at a price. Small cuts and bruises had left her feet sore, but she’d been lucky so far - no real damage.

Not yet at least.

“And this is what happens when you run without a plan.” Ellen muttered and rubbed at her feet, taking a moment to ease the pain, dirt and debris from her flesh. “Should have thought this one through a little more.” Keeping her socks, for instance, instead of tossing them aside would have then helped her with warmth now. Dry socks, oh what she’d now give for a pair of dry socks. Such a simple thing in life, like the warmth of a fire or a bowl of broth to chase off the chill. All forgotten for the lack of a plan.

But it had been the only thing I could do. No, not entirely true. She could have waited it out, watched for the hunters to leave, but the fact that her own family had turned her back on her and had been willing to sell her out to the hunters had only made matters worse. Female hunters - what did I do to them? What have I done to anyone? The fact that they’d been an all female hunting group had only made matters worse. Attractive women, with long legs bared to the view through their split skirts and mens leather pants beneath. Alright, so technically the leather had covered their legs but not the shape of them. Her brothers had stared, open mouthed and had been all too willing to hand her over in exchange for money and favors. She shuddered at the thought and looked back the way she had come. Traitors - the lot of them. No, not fair, Harold didn’t turn on me. Her youngest brother, barely two years her senior, but he’d been willing to stand up to the rest of the family. If it hadn’t been for his warning she’d have never made it out in time.

With her breathing back under control she stood up and looked around. No, not here. Anywhere but here. Fear gripped her, wrapping itself around her heart in a way that hadn’t happened before, even when she had made her mad dash for freedom. The forest. She knew this place. Knew the stories about the beasts that called this place home and the bodies that had been carried out of here, marked or without marks, it hadn’t mattered - the forest had claimed their lives.

“She’s out here, I know she is!” A woman’s voice, loud and shrill, mixed with laughter that held no warmth to it. “Find her! We only have until moon rise.”

“Tracks this way.” Another voice.

“And here!” A third.

“Tricky, tricky wench, covering her tracks and leaving false trails.” The first woman laughed once more. “Oh, bringing her down will be so much fun, but remember - we need her alive. It won’t work if she’s dead. The power, it’s in her blood, in her body, we can use it but only if her heart still beats.”

Alive, but for how long? Not something she wanted to find out. Won’t let them catch me. I can climb a tree or two if I have to. Doubt they’ll look up! Maybe they would but it was a long shot, they were too focused on her tracks and they didn’t look like the type of women who might climb trees or even think about climbing a tree.

“Here!”

“No, wait… damnit, she’s doubled back again.” Anger rippled through the words. “I’ll beat her ass before we begin our work with her. She’ll pay for making us work like this.” Pay - that didn’t sound good. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Her throat tightened, hands clenched into fists as she struggled to keep her fears under control. Ellen stepped back into the shadows and pressed herself against the nearest tree. Too close. The group was far too close and where could she go? There was only the forest and no one in their right mind ran into the forest on their own. Or even in small groups. Wild animals, Elves, beasts with multiple shapes, they all called the forest their home according to the stories she’d heard. Nothing good happened to those who entered the forest, not unless they went in carrying protection charms and did so in large groups in order to hunt. Even then they entered the forest and left just as soon as the hunt was over.

“Which way?”

“Not the forest, she wouldn’t go in there.” The first voice again, an air of confidence carried through her words. “She’s not that stupid. She knows the stories. They’re well known here - and her brothers will have shared them with her, even if she never stepped foot in the village herself - which I find hard to believe.”

Oh yes, she knew the stories. Everyone did. The forest was forbidden if you wanted to stay alive and yet here she was, on the very edge of the nightmarish place.

“Back toward that hovel they called a home then!” A new voice, one she hadn’t heard before. Older. Stronger. “She’d run there thinking her brothers would save her.”

Hooves, voices, low laughs and the sound began to fade, drawn away back in the direction they’d all come from. To the place she’d called home until the moment her brother’s had betrayed her. They’d realize soon enough that she hadn’t attempted to return home and then they’d be back this way, looking for her. She tugged her fingers through the tangled mess that her hair had become and tried to calm down. It didn’t help. Her heart pounded so loudly she was surprised the hunters hadn’t heard it. Sooner or later they’d spot a foot step, a mark in the dirt and then they’d have her. She’d been trapped, hauled into chains and dragged off to where ever they planned on taking her for whatever rite they needed her for.

Blood magic? She was untouched and stories said that the blood of an untouched was what was needed for dark magic.

Another laugh, and a third, the sounds mingling into one. Closer this time.

Not going to hang around and find out.

Ellen turned, took a deep breath and fled into the forest. Better the beasts and creatures that claimed the trees as their home than be turned and used for whatever evil deed the hunters had in mind for her. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was no sign of the hunters, not yet at least. The forest - perhaps she wouldn’t have to venture too deep into the cover of the trees. A little way in, that was all she’d have to do, just a hundred steps or so, maybe two hundred and then…

Hoof beats.

She froze at the sound, her heart sinking down from her chest in an attempt to take up residence in her stomach. Coming back. They were coming back. And far too soon. She’d barely made it fifty steps into the forest. They’d still be able to see her. To track her. One glimpse of her tracks and it would be over.

Please, someone, anyone, distract them.

A howl split the air. Long, loud and mournful.

“Wolves!”

“Another reason why she wouldn’t have come back this way. That one will alert the others in the pack and they won’t want us on their land.” The woman snorted. “You’re being foolish, Belinda! We go back to the farm house.”

Belinda - now at least she had a name. One name in a group of six female hunters. Her jaw clenched as she filed the name away with the memory of their appearance. The women, beautiful, sensual and dangerous. Details blurred for a moment but she had the information locked away until such time that she might be able to use it.

Ellen swallowed hard and hurried into the darkness, not looking back, not daring to take the time to check to see if they were following her. Dead leaves and fallen branches tangled at her feet, slowing her down and adding to the noise of her passage through the trees. Sharp twigs caught at her hair, striking her face and tugging on her clothing, roots lifted in an attempt to trip her and a soft, mocking laugh carried through the leaves. She stumbled, a root lifting at the wrong moment but it was enough to send her sprawling to the thick, damp loam. She sobbed, curling into a ball, hands wrapped about her body as she shook and let loose the tears that had threatened since she’d begun her run.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Marked as prey. This wasn’t how her life should have been. She’d had plans. Dreams. Hopes. Now they were gone and unless she found a way to hide, the courage to continue, she wouldn’t even be Ellen anymore. She’d be dead or worse. There’s a worse, isn’t there - something far harder than death to face. Yes, of course there was. All the stories said so. Even the ones she hadn’t wanted to listen to but had stumbled in on, when her brothers had been talking, sharing tales from one of the taverns or something they’d heard at the market. Curses, magic, turned into blood servants kept only for the use of dark magic but then there were the ones who used the good magic, or even the gray magic. Those freed blood servants, fought against the casters of blood magic and even if she was taken there was a chance she might find a way to be free. As long as she drew breath there would be hope.

Get up. Not her voice, not her thoughts but something from elsewhere. A voice that tugged on her thoughts, demanding attention.

Up, little one. Up now.

She swallowed hard and pushed her hands against the earth, forcing herself up onto her hands and knees.

Good, now move.

“Where?” Ellen whispered, her throat tight. “I don’t understand.”

Deeper, you need to come into the forest. We’ll protect you here.

Protect? She turned, slowly, trying to get a sense of where the voice was coming from. The voice of a woman. One she didn’t recognize but a woman nevertheless. Power, beautiful, warm power, soft and gentle as it tugged at her, trying to draw her into the depths of the forest. Fear fled as she took the first step along the tiny path made by rabbits. Branches creaked above her, the sound carried by the wind, mingling with the background sounds of the life that called this place their home. Small creatures, squirrels and rabbits, birds and something else. Rats maybe? Foxes? Something bigger like wolves? She nibbled on her bottom lip even as her legs continued to move. The pull growing stronger with each step. Hands, invisible hands grasped her by the waist, by the arms, and tugged on her, drawing her along a path she could barely make out. An animal trail, little more than a dip in the ground, led the way into the dark confines of the forest.

All will be explained when you find me. When you find us.

Them. Good or bad? She paused, digging her heels in, refusing to give into the tug that pulled on her. “Who are you?” She kept her voice soft, not a whisper this time - the memory of her father once telling her that a whisper carried too far - but a low pitched normal tone would be harder to overhear. “What are you? Where are you?”

Family.

“Oh gods above and below - no. My family - they’re back at the farm. They betrayed me.” Family. She wouldn’t, couldn’t, trust anyone who claimed to be her family at this point. “If you think that’s going to encourage me to to come to you, you’re mistaken.” She wiped her hands down her thighs, clearing them of sweat and dirt alike. “Not going to happen. Not now. Not ever.”

We are your real family, little one. Blood of my blood. Our blood. Down through your mother’s line. Come to us, child. Join us. You know where we are, listen to your heart, feel the pull of our home. Your mother’s blood is strong, far stronger than the weak blood of your brothers.

“My mother?” An image, a vague one, a woman with long red-blond hair and slender features, flickered through her mind. “She’s dead. She’s been dead for a long time.” An accident, the same one that had claimed her father - at least that’s what her brothers had told her. “I don’t understand - she was human, like me. It doesn’t make sense.” What had been hidden from her and why? Too many questions and no one, except a bodiless voice, left to answer them.

The hunters came for her, just as they’ve come for you. Your father tried to protect her, to protect both of them, but he wasn’t strong enough. She was like you, but not human, not like your father.

Had they been betrayed, the same way her brothers had tried to betray her? She took a step, and then a second. Before she had the chance to realize what she was doing, she was running, hurrying toward the pull of the voice. The source of the power that reached out to her. Family? Family she had never known about? But if that was true, why were they here in the forest? Why didn’t they live in the village, or even another village, away from this place. Away from the darkness and danger among the trees.

We wouldn’t be happy away from the trees, dear one.

Her brow furrowed. What was so important about the trees? “Will you answer my questions? All of them?”

When you’re here with us, yes. No secrets among our family. All will be well.

She wanted to believe. Needed to. “Why didn’t you come for me? If you’re family and my parents are dead, why didn’t you come for me?” She stopped, turning around to take in her surroundings. The threes were older here, much older. Thick trees, so old she couldn’t wrap her arms around and still touch her fingers one hand to the other. Moss and lichen covered parts of the trees, others hung with vines, ivy and moss. The undergrowth had thinned out here and - despite the lack of light, caused by the wide spread of the branches still heavy with leaves - Ellen could see that the narrow trail she’d been following had grown into a wider, well trod path. A path she could have sworn hadn’t been there a few moments before.

Ellen crouched down and traced the tips of her fingers over path. No grass. Smooth stones. The occasional bared root. A path that had been formed by hundreds if not thousands of feet moving back and forth through the trees. Yet everyone knew that this place was dangerous. No one in their right mind would have entered the forest, not this deep except I did. “Not as if I really had a choice.”

There’s always a choice.

“Stop that!” She yelled at the bodiless voice. “This talking to me inside my head is too weird for me. Come out here and look at me! I want to see who it is I’m talking to.” Better to know where the attack is coming from or if I have to run. She stood and turned, searching through the trees for a sign, something, anything that would help her. A flicker of movement, little more than a shadow, darted between two large oaks, followed by a soft, feminine laugh.

“Hunters?”

No sweet one, we’re not hunters, we’re your family.

Ellen blinked and then stared at the gap between the trees. The movement came again, soft, a rustling of fabric and a sweet voice raised in wordless song. Music that built, one voice and then two, more joining the melody as the figures moved, winding through the trees until she lost count of how many women sang and moved between the trees. Only then did Ellen realize she’d moved closer, her steps carrying her near enough to make out the figures. Some slender, others voluptuous, some barely taller than children, others willowy with hands that lifted up to the sky as they danced, and all with long hair of varying shades of red, gold and some with touches of green.

“Come to us,” the same voice she’d heard before, the one that had echoed within her mind, only this time it came from behind a tree.

“Who are you?” Ellen whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, a shiver claiming her flesh.

“Your sister, we’re all your sisters.” A woman, taller than Ellen, perhaps close to six foot, stepped out from behind a tree. Long hair hung loose about her shoulders, curling down her back and held back from her face only by a wreath of oak leaves.

“Dryads…” Ellen breathed and took a step back. “This is - it’s a grove. Your grove.”

“And yours dear sister,” the dryad held out a hand to her. “Join us, be with us. You’re safe here. No huntress can enter the grove, the magic protects us here. It will always protect us in this place.”

Dryad. It wasn’t possible. She had brothers. Her father was…

“All dryad’s have a non dryad father - we have to go elsewhere for a mate, there are no male dryads little sister.” The dryad tipped her head softly to one side, a warm smile claiming her full lips. “You’re still young but your tree is ready for you. That’s why the hunters came for you, your magic has awoken and it called to them.”

Magic? She shook her head, that didn’t make sense. She hadn’t changed - had she? She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Peace, a welcoming peace wrapped around her. She wanted to deny this place, that it existed at all, but it was here, it was real - she was real. Am I a dryad after all? Doubt warred with hope, confusion ruling for a moment until a merry laugh pulled her out of her thoughts. “This isn’t happening.”

“Yes it is, but you wouldn’t feel the depth of the magic - at least not until you connected with your tree,” a hand touched Ellen’s, soft, warm and gentle. “Come with me, you’ll understand soon. Just come - you’re safe, I promise you’ll always be safe with us.”

She didn’t resist, not this time when the grip tightened. She followed where she was led, through the trees and the dancing women. Dryads not women. They smiled, waved, called out greetings but made no move to impede their path through the trees. Trees that leaned away, parting to make their passage easier. This isn’t happening. She wanted to deny it, to shut out the possibility of this but the dryads, the trees, the sense of peace that seeped into her, those were undeniable.

“Here,” the dryad let go of her hand and stepped to one side.

The oak called to her. Wordless and undeniable it reached out for her with a warmth that seeped into her body. Ellen reached out, the need to touch the tree consuming her. Nothing else mattered in that moment beyond the desire to touch the oak, to feel its bark beneath her fingers, pressed against her chest, her legs, and her face. Home. This oak was safe, it was home, it was everything she needed in this moment. An emptiness she hadn’t even known existed now ached within her and the tree, this oak, was the answer. Tears filled her eyes only to then spill down her cheeks before she finally touched the rough bark. Ellen closed her eyes and leaned in against the tree, wrapping her arms around the trunk as far as she could reach. Life pulsed beneath her touch, energy shared between herself and the tree, moving through her, changing her, waking something deep within. A knowledge, power, understanding and true peace.

“Welcome home sister,” a light touch, one she barely felt, brushed her shoulder.

“Home!” A dozen voices merged into one, a musical welcome that echoed through the trees.

Ellen turned back, looking over her shoulder at the women, her throat tight with tears still waiting to be shed. Her brothers, the farm, the life that she’d lived - none of that mattered now - the hunters and the betrayal of most of her brothers, that had changed things. But this - the trees and her sisters - this was where she belonged. This was her home.