Above them, there was the pouring sky. Below them, the muddy road stretched ahead in the forest . Between the water and earth, Eira rode on her black stallion. Its hooves stomped against the wet dirt. The bounty huntress's mind traveled much faster than its steed.

Before her sight, the shadowy killer appeared. It was shaped like a human man. Its eyes were as dark as night. They glowed with pure wickedness.

Knots tied inside of Eira. All of her life, she had seen monsters. All kinds of beastly creatures in the kingdom. She should be used to been used to them by now. Yet, this creature was different from the rest.

Vibrant light shattered the vision. Her steed neighed its high pitch. The rider tugged the reins back. The horse backed away from the fallen tree. Bright flames ate at the bark of the fallen tree. It blocked the road. The woman's hand patted the soft neck of the stallion.

"Shh, its alright." said Eira. Holding onto the reins with one hand, her free one raised at the burning bark. Ice consumed the fire and tree in a second.

The wild commotion startled the stallion. It had thrown Eira in the mud. Every part of her screamed in agony. Groans escaped from her lips. Hooves hurried away from the fallen.She pulled herself up. Mud squished underneath her. It drenched her garments. Yet, Eira did not care. She crawled over the trunk. The youthful huntress tried to not let impatience possess her. By the time her boots touched the earth, she ran as fast as she could. Fog began to roll into the forest. Eira had heard old wives' tales about fog. They say that the ghostly dead linger inside wherever it goes. Others told that spirits would come into the world for vengeance.

Her heart beat with each hurried step. Eira kept on running, never looking back as the fog rolled in.

She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. The woman took a glance behind her. It kept coming closer to her heels. Before she knew it, Eira's boots tripped over something rough. The young woman slid down the slippery slope. No one heard her screams all the way down. Her screams stopped when she fell into the squishy mud facedown. Her tired body rose herself up.

"No." muttered the maiden. Her eyes shifted back and forth. Fear etched on her scarred face.

It was too late.

Despite seeing patches of thick tree trunks, Eira felt a sinking feeling inside. She carefully walked toward the nearest tree. Placing her hand on the bark, she concerted on her magic. Silvery ice crystalize the entire tree and its roots.

Pulling it out, the huntress scratched the bark with its blade. She grasped onto her dagger while gaiting into the foggy forest. Her sight looked up. There was nothing but heavy mist. She shifted her eyes to what lies ahead.

In the air, Eira heard a peculiar sound.

She was not alone.

Eira crept up and hid behind a tree. Taking a peek, her eyes widened. She let out a small gasp.

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They were lost. Only an hour or two had passed. No village nor shelter was seen in sight. Adrien had to keep himself going. Behind him, Skandar tried to keep up with the man in the bearskin.

"How long do we need to keep going on?" complained the boy, "The storm is coming. We got out of here."

Adrien rolled his eyes in the air, "We'll find a way out of this, I hope."

While gaiting, Adrien's boot snapped a twig. Steel against leather was heard.  Turning around, Adrien saw the young lad pulling out his cutlass out again. 

"We got to keep our eyes peeled, Adrien." said Skandar, swishing his blade at the air.

"You're right." agreed the man in the bearskin, "We can't just..."

He was interrupted by loud cracking.

"My sword!" exclaimed Skandar. His sharp weapon began to freeze over. In panic, he dropped it to the ground. The frozen cutlass shattered into a million tiny pieces. 

They were not alone.

Adrien breathed out. He felt the powerful curse, coursing through his veins. The man in the bearskin raised his hands in defense. 

"Use your curse and you're mine!" taunted the black-eyed hood inside Adrien's mind. He breathed in. The power of the curse faded away.

"Show yourself!" commanded Adrien. Coming out out of the fog, a woman covered in mud stood before the  travelers.

"You!" growled the stranger. She gestured her hands out. Ice spiked out from the earth. Skandar leaped to the left.  Adrien dodged to the right away from the ice. Again, he charged at the woman. 

"Leave us alone!" yelled Bearskin. The attacker gestured her hands again. Adrien felt goosebumps rising on his wrists. He tried to move. But, the ice trapped him by the wrists.

"What are you?" questioned the stranger, "Answer me!"

Fury was in her eyes. One eye was gold while the other was a shining emerald. 

"You?" whispered Adrien. Before she could strike, the woman was hit in the back of the head. She collapsed onto the mud. Behind the unconscious stranger,  Skandar had tossed a branch away. The trapped ice quickly melted away.

Rubbing his wrists, Adrien stared at the female body. 

"What are you doing?" asked Skandar. "We got to leave now!"

The man shook his head. He knelt down next to the woman.

"No." replied Adrien, "We can't leave her. Now hand me the rope."

With slight hesitation, Skandar pulled the rope out of the satchel and handed it to the man. Adrien tied both the woman's wrists and ankles. He picked up the woman and put on his furry shoulder. 

"What makes you think that her life is worth anything at all?" questioned Skandar.

"What makes you think that our lives worth more than hers?" countered Adrien.

Strong winds howled in the woods.  Thunder rumbled above the travelers. They ran as fast as they could. With no sense of direction, they were chickens with their heads cut off. Faint  flicking lights shined ahead of them. The weary travelers wasted no time chasing the brilliance.

As they became closer to the lights, they were revealed before the group. Bright candlelight glowed from the insides of a shadowy village. The faster they hurried, the closer the group could see the whole village. Tall stone towers were behind a wide wooden bridge. Its two stone doors were closed shut. On each side of the gateway, two raggedly guards hold their stance.

Despite the lack of a threatening appearance, they pointed their spears at the travelers. They stopped at the entrance. Both Adrien and Skandar caught their breaths.

" We mean you no harm." said Bearskin. "Let us in."

"No harm, my foot." answered the shorter guard. His pinkish face snarled with his yellowish teeth. They were cracked like old tombstones. Its deep voice, continued, "Last one said it, we got trouble."

"Get a move on, freak," yelled the other guard. He raised his spear close to Bearskin. "Not another move."

Adrien bit his lip. "Hold her, will you?" said the man, handing the unconscious body to Skandar. His companion held the woman by the arms. He tried to hold her.

The other young man dug into his coat's pockets underneath the bearskin. Out of the pockets, the man revealed a handful of shiny gold coins. The guards began to lower their spears. The short guard grabbed the coins from Adrien. The other guard pushed the two doors open, grumbling "Get in, already."

As rain began to pour heavily, both of the traveling men carried the woman inside the village walls. Skandar held her by the arms while Adrien had her by the ankles. 

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