Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | 页面 8

“I am. Thank you.”
The two men nodded to her then pushed off the dock.

When her transport disappeared back into the distant
fog, Ella sighed heavily. “No turning back now.”

She walked softly up the well-worn wooden dock.
Each creak echoed in her ears and caused her to
cringe.

“Okay, Ermine White. Where are you?” Ella asked
herself, looking around.

She stepped off the dock and onto the main road of
the village. “Great, which way?” she asked, turning
her head east to west. Looking straight ahead, between
two shops, Ella spotted a small game trail. “She said
north, so north I’ll go.” Taking a deep breath, Ella
headed to the trail and into the woods beyond.

The forest darkened as she travelled, even though
the fog was fading away the further she got from
the ocean. Eventually she came upon a fast-flowing
stream. Ella searched around for Ermine again, but not
finding the fairy, she decided to cross the stream and
head deeper into the wood.

The day trudged on and there was still no sign of Ermine White when Ella caught the faint sound of voices ahead. Stepping closer to a clearing, Ella spotted a
small group of soldiers digging through several bags
and tossing unwanted items about.

“Rosenrot’s soldiers,” she said quietly to herself
noticing the red rose and blood drop design on their
tabards.

Slowly, she backed away from the clearing until she
bumped into a solid object behind her. Turning, she
stood facing the chest of another invader.

“What do we have here?” The soldier grabbed Ella by
the wrist and yanked her closer. “Oye! I found something for us to play with,” he yelled out to his companions.

Ella started to struggle and grabbed at the man, trying
to break free. Without releasing her, he backhanded
Ella across her jaw, dazing her and causing stars to
shoot across her vision. Stunned, Ella was yanked
back against the attacker who laughed off her attempts at freedom. As her senses returned, Ella