Rose shoved the bitter aftertaste of her dream to the back of her mind, her resolution to hold on to her plan not wavering. The weather had improved considerably and when she peered out the window, a near cloudless sky promised her a crisp autumn day. Perfect for what she was planning. She washed herself up, slid into her clothes, her right shoe having dried up sufficiently during the night. It was warm enough to walk without a coat, but she still stuffed it inside her bag, just in case.  After a frugal breakfast she packed the book and the leftover food, enough to last her for a few hours, so there was no need to stop at the shop, and headed out.

The pathway towards the forest was marked clear enough, forking left from the main road just beside the church. Not much people were out and about when she left the village behind. The landscape spread like a resplendent quilt before her eyes, the patches of colour deep and saturated, a flock of black birds soaring high above her in the clear blue sky. Rolling hills and deep brown fields lay now mostly barren, but no less colourful, after the harvest. She inhaled deeply as she walked on, the smell of wet earth and fallen leaves filling the air. A sense of peacefulness overcame her, here so far away from everything, alone, but not lonely. Ahead of her the forest loomed like a massive wall of green, dotted with fiery orange and earthy terracotta.

Tendrils of wood unfurling, beckoning her, calling to her.

The air was buzzing and the rustling of leaves accompanied her as the vegetation grew thicker around her. Trees huddled closely together, their branches overhead whispering a song that was both foreign and familiar. She completely lost the sense of time, had even forgotten to check her watch, when she stopped abruptly.

There was a ripple in the air, a crack in the atmosphere. Barely noticeable, but for a faint tingle on her skin, an undulation in her soul. She felt it before she saw it, and nearly walked past it, since the spot looked just like any other place in the forest. Trees, bushes, two heavy boulders overgrown with moss and lichen, nothing but forest all around it. Only when she looked closer she noticed that those two boulders had been strategically placed facing each other, as if they were to mark an entrance. A small round flower had been carved into one of them, a leaf into the other, the outlines weather-worn and barely visible beneath the patches of moss. But there could be no doubt about it. She recognised those symbols from her book. For a moment she froze, her heartbeat racing, her hands clutching her bag.

This was what she had been waiting for all along. The tug on her heart became stronger, an unrelenting call echoing through her veins. With one hasty glance over her shoulder she stepped in between the two boulders and stretched out her hand, shaky and tentatively at first as if she expected to meet resistance, but there was none, only a slight wobble in the air as her hand went right through whatever was sealing away the world beyond.

Be brave, she said to herself.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever might await her on the other side. An inkling of magic hummed in her ears as she stepped through the ripple. And then the world was gone to be made anew. Buttery sunlight enveloped her, the air balmy, the colours mellow. The clearing looked exactly like the drawing in her book, but more vivid, as if some magical painter had breathed life into it. She stood in awe, taking in the scenery, so quiet, so serene, even unearthly, uncountable white flowers dotting the lush green grass. It was spring, despite the rest of the forest sporting the obvious signs of autumn. Spring eternal. Impossible, yet she could see it with her own eyes, smell it, the sweet scent of budding flowers. After lingering on the threshold, she slowly dared to advance more, taking one step at a time. Somehow she found herself trying to avoid crushing the flowers as if they were living creatures. Still, she ventured further, her initial hesitation gradually shifting to curiosity.

But then something changed.

A leaden heaviness settled in, fear clenching at her heart. She felt an ancient power rising around her, closing in on her. It seemed that whatever had allowed her to pass through, was now sealing the way back. Shadows of foreboding spread in her chest like a drop of ink in water. Maybe she had intruded into someone's territory without permission or had awoken some evil spirit as she had so brazenly stepped through the magical barrier. Possibly this whole endeavour wasn't such a good idea after all and Melinda had been right all along in calling her crazy.

She turned around, searching, her eyes scanning the beautiful clearing around her. But she was alone and everything was deceptively quiet except for the chirping of birds, the soft rustle of leaves and the soothing flow of water. There was a spring in the middle, its fountain gurgling merrily, the water crystal clear and inviting. She would drink, refill her bottle and then be on her way. The feeling that she was being watched crept up her spine like a slithering snake and her motions turned somewhat awkward, edgy. She hastily dropped her bag beside the boulder to lean down and drink.

And then she heard him.

"Don't drink from that fountain! It might be enchanted." The voice was a sensual caress, danger prowling beneath.

Her insides went hot and cold, her instincts telling her to run. Fast. But her legs were deaf to her brain's feeble commands. They were like lead, heavy, unmoving. Tales, dark, old and twisted, of evil creatures stealing away humans stumbled upon each other in her mind, amidst them murmuring promises of lands so beautiful they were beyond the power of imagination of any human. There was a shard of reason in the back of her head that whispered to her, that no human had possibly ever made it back home alive to tell.

Don't let him lure you in, she told herself as she whipped around. To no avail.

Beautiful and deadly and most definitely not from this world was the male who now approached her with a feline grace that made her knees weak and her mind go numb. He was barefoot, his soft footfall unheard on the grass. Tall and lean, yet athletic, his dark brown tunic and trousers accenting every chiselled muscle. A warrior, no doubt, although she could not spot a single weapon strapped to his body. Not that he needed them, not with that towering frame.

"W-what? Who are you? Don't get any closer or I'll yell!" She neither expected an answer nor for him to back up. She was only trying to buy herself some time. Time to find a way out. Her palms were beginning to sweat, her heart drumming loudly in her chest.

Raven black hair flowed around his broad shoulders, cascades of ebony gilded with speckles of sunlight. And then she finally dared to look up to his face. There was a ruthless beauty etched into his angular features, his sensuous lips a striking contrast, delicately pointed ears peeking through the strands of black. Not human, it hammered through her head, but an elf. Of course, no human was this devastatingly beautiful and lethal all at once. His eyes, a golden amber, blazing and bright, sealed her fate. They were unearthly and seemed to glow like liquid sunlight. He was sizing her up languidly, assessing her, a nonchalant smile tugging at those perfect lips.

"Do not fear me," he said, his voice a melodious song. Every word spelled danger.

A panther. A predator. And she, his prey.

This wasn't going to end well for her and it dawned on her that she might never ever see her home again.