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Defiance

Wynter braced her feet against a lower branch, stretching out her legs to set her back against the trunk. She had to twist, angling her body around one of the thick branches as she warmed the stave of her bow between her hands. Her heart was still racing, pounding furiously but she was confident that the wolves couldn’t reach her so high in the tree.

Forget Fin. She was on her own once more. She had a plan. She just needed to calm down. Breathe, she reminded herself and it was easier to think than to do. Her hands were shaking as she ran them over the curved wood.

She would string her bow, draw an arrow from the quiver and shoot at the Wolves as they circled, growling below. Their snapping wasn’t playful anymore. Not now they were frustrated with her being out of reach. The gray one jumped again, forcing her to bring her feet further up.

From higher in the tree, it was harder to see through the foliage, to find a vantage that she would be able to shoot from.

‘First things first,’ she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the animals. But every primal instinct was screaming that she was in danger, that she needed to be further away from the hungry pack.

It had only been a handful of heartbeats since she’d been in the tree, it wasn’t long enough to calm down, when there was a sound of crashing through the undergrowth. She twisted, trying to peer through the dark leaves that obscured her of the ground below.

The wolves stopped their growling and she ducked, bending around a branch. Her heart soaring as Fin thundered past on his horse. Charging through the center of the Wolf Pack. They yowled, baying as they split apart, darting away from the heavy hooves. He circled, dashing back through and the wolves snarled, turning to follow him.

The horse wheeled and she was impressed with his skill, riding with only one hand on the reins, the other gripping his sword as he twisted in the saddle and cantered off. The wolves, pleased to find a new target, howled, giving chase.

It was over so suddenly, that it took Wynter a moment to realise what had happened. The space beneath her tree was clear. The animals had gone, vanishing after the man on his horse as they sped through the forest. She wanted to shout out after the man, but to say what? To encourage him? To warn him of the danger?

Wynter closed her eyes, biting her tongue. Shouting out wasn’t going to help. It might distract him. It was clear that the handsome stranger knew what he was doing.

‘Wolves are gone,’ she repeated to herself in a voice that shook. ‘Pull yourself together, girl.’ She was firm, trying to instruct herself. Yet ehr body wouldn’t obey and her muscles still felt weak. You can do this, she thought. You can put aside your fear. You can do it.

Sometimes fear was useful though, it was a warning. One she had ignored in Malachi. Fear of a wild pack of wolves was also a good thing. Fear had given her adrenaline and the speed to save herself

‘Fear isn’t helpful right now,’ she coached herself and began the difficult task of clambering down from the tree, her bow still gripped in her hand. Her fingers locked around the stave. It was slow going with skirts and tremulous muscles. Frustrating, when in her life before Malachi, she’d always been proud of her skill to climb.

Finally she made it back onto solid ground. She could hear the sound of wolves in the distance, their hunt after horse and rider continuing. But even with the noise echoing through the moonlight forest, it was growing distant. Wynter studied the ground where she stood, skeptical of the Roses that seemed to spread out of nowhere. Bright in the shafts of silver light that broke through the foliage.

She strung her bow, and set an arrow to the string. This time if the wolves came back, she would have a chance to shoot them before they got too close. Hopefully, it would deter them from attacking once and for all.

Wynter lingered beneath boughs of the mighty oak, dragging air into aching lungs. Should she follow Fin? She wasn’t mounted, would she get in the way? She balanced her weight on her toes, undecided. More than anything, she didn’t want to add to the danger he faced. Yet it felt wrong just to turn and make her way through the tree’s once more.

She waited, counting to a hundred, feeling the tension in her muscles start to ease. Wrestling with her decision. Night wouldn’t last forever, if she stayed where she was, there was every chance that Malachi might be able to track her down. More than anything, she needed to reach the village she’d seen beyond the forest.

At least among other people, there might be safety. There might be a local lord of Baron that she could ask for protection. But even the thought of that made her feel uneasy. It meant relying on someone else, probably a man. A man who might betray her to Lord Malachi Ashton, a man well known for his wealth and ruthless command of his forces.

A problem for tomorrow, Wynter pushed the thought away. A habit that she was becoming familiar with. I can do anything, she told herself, but I can’t do it all at once. Right now, she needed to work out what to do about Finn. Did she owe the man loyalty? Or would he expect her to run to safety. Had she delayed too long already? She was uncertain and it frustrated her.

Malachi’s influence had stripped her of confidence over years. She hated it. Hated realizing that part of her own self were missing, as though he had cut them from her. Was confidence something she could retake? Did it regrow? Or once lost, was it gone forever like a severed limb?

The oak leaves rustled overhead as she gripped bow and sword. The image of Fin clear in her mind, pushing away the memory of her dark-haired lover. What if Fin had fallen from his horse? What if he was hurt by the wolves? What if he needed her, and here she was, standing like a hopeless girl where he’d left her.

She wasn’t a hopeless girl. Fin had helped her, and the right thing to do, was to make sure that he survived the night unscathed. With her bow gripped tightly, and an arrow held in place, she set off. Walking back through the trail through the roses where the horse had galloped.

Barely ten paces away, from the oak an enormous shadow appeared through the trees and she halted. Fear won’t win, she told herself and drew back her bow. The string touched her cheek and she stood, ready to loose as she waited. Holding her breath as the darkness took shape.

‘You’re going to shoot me?’ It was a challenge and relief flooded her body.

‘Fin?’ She called and let the tension ease from the string. As he came closer, she could pick out the shape of him upon his horse. ‘You’re alright?’

He trotted closer, ‘the wolves are gone,’ he confirmed and she stared at him. But was he alright?

He looked down at her, brows drawn in a frown, ‘I’m sorry for…’ he hesitated. ‘Wynter, are you injured?’ He asked quietly, his voice a low growl once more.

‘I’m fine,’ she told him, resolute. Other than frightened, and managing the demons she’d bought with her into the forest, she was fine. His horse shifted underneath him as he drew a breath.

‘You were traveling through the forest…and you’re not from around here. Where were you going? Before the Roses caught you?’

Should she lie? Wynter held her tongue once more. Why would she even think about lying? She was an honest person, but what if she told Fin where she was going and then what? What was she afraid of? That he might help her? That she might have to see him again? That the strange act of passion in the forest might be repeated. Yes, all of that terrified her. Yet she had accepted his help before, and maybe she should again.

‘The nearest village,’ she explained, ‘I just needed, I wanted to find shelter for the night.’

He huffed at that, glancing up at the sky, ‘there’s not much of the night left.’

‘I’ll be fine to make my own way,’ she replied, resolute, ‘the wolves are gone?’

‘They won’t bother you again.’

She wrinkled her nose, there was something strange in his phrasing. It didn’t matter.

‘Good night, Fin. Perhaps our paths might cross again.’

‘Oh no,’ he shook his head and extended a hand down to her, ‘you’re coming with me.’

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