Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE
Geraldine
T he night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, and the only sounds were my own ragged breaths and the distant shouts of my father’s guards as I ran and they chased.
My gown was torn, the delicate silk snagging on branches and underbrush as I fled deeper into the forest.
Every step sent jolts of pain through my bare feet as I stumbled over the rough terrain, but I couldn’t stop.
I wouldn’t stop.
I glanced behind me and held in my cry as I saw the torchlight flickering between the trees. The orange glow made my enemies seem like monstrous shadows creeping closer to take me away and keep me as their prisoner.
They were close. Too close. If they caught me, there would be no escape, no mercy. My father had made that clear.
But I refused to be sold off like a pawn in my father’s game of power. I refused to take a husband who was cruel and savage and would beat me daily.
I’d rather die.
I pushed forward, lungs burning, legs trembling with exhaustion. The world around me blurred, my vision darkening at the edges, as desperation took hold.
I couldn’t outrun them. I had to hide. And then—I saw it.
A slight curve in the surrounding rock and earth. It was black and boundless, like the end of the world, and I was running right toward it.
I ran toward that cave, knowing the darkness and the way the ground and rock twisted and curved around it would make the hiding spot hard to see.
It was the only sanctuary I could find on this unforgiving night.
I didn’t hesitate. I ran faster and then lunged forward, my body propelled by sheer instinct, and crossed the threshold. I was sweaty, dirty, my red dress was torn to shreds from running through the forest, and I couldn’t control my panting as I moved farther into the tunnel.
The light and sound of the forest fell away the deeper I went, swallowed by the inky shadows that curled around me. I had my hands on either side of me, the walls rocky and craggy and abrasive against my sensitive flesh.
The cool, damp air wrapped around my fevered skin, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I allowed myself a single breath of relief. But I didn't want to even hope that I was free.
When I was so deep in the cave that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, I paused and pressed my back to the jagged wall. My heart was slamming against my ribs as I struggled to regain control and catch my breath. I was so dizzy and thirsty, and now that I gave myself a moment to take inventory of my body… I hurt.
My hands trembled as I touched my arms, feeling the sting of countless scratches, the damp stickiness of what was undoubtedly blood.
I squeezed my eyes closed and shook my head. The pain and cuts didn’t matter. Right now, for the time being, I was hidden. I was safe.
Or so I thought.
With each and every breath, I realized something else. Something wrong. But I wasn't going to leave. Not when I knew the guards were right outside, searching for me.
The air here was different. It was thick—almost charged. I held my breath and just listened, because I wasn't able to see a damn thing. My hands were back on the rocky walls, and a strange energy pulsed through the stone, a hum beneath my skin.
The air grew heavier the deeper I ventured. Each step forward felt like I was pushing through an invisible current. I couldn't see it, but God did I feel it.
The cave walls were slick with moisture, and a strange sensation skittered up my arms, like static before a storm.
It was a whisper in my bones.
I swallowed hard, looking left, then right. I wasn’t about to leave the sanctuary of the cave. The darkness was absolute, submersing me like water. My instincts screamed for me to turn around and to run.
But there was no turning back.
I didn’t know how long I walked, but not being able to see anything made it seem like I had been moving forward for hours.
And then I heard it. A sound that was not human.
It was low. Rumbling. God, I felt the unmistakable vibration of whatever lived here.
Was it a bear? A wolf?
The sound made it seem like it was enormous as it stirred in the inkiness.
And then I saw the flicker of light up ahead. But it was too late to retreat.
I wasn't alone.