Chapter Twelve
Azurdee hit the ground hard, her vision blurring from the impact. Her bones ached, but she ignored the pain, running toward the tree line, hoping none of the servants spotted her.
Once she reached the woods, she looked over her shoulder, but the estate was quiet. No one would notice she was gone until dinner, which gave her just enough time.
But only if she hurried.
She sped through the forest as fast as she could, her bag banging against the small of her back.
Overhead, dark clouds rolled in, blocking out the moon, making it hard to navigate. Azurdee wasn’t one of the hunters, she had never been trained to see in the darkness. She slowed her pace, focusing on the obstacles underfoot so she wouldn’t trip and hurt herself.
This was crazy.
She thought about turning back. Maybe she should just go through the rite of passage, like every other noble girl her age. What made her so different that she thought she should have a choice when others didn’t?
But the thought of marrying that scumbag made her skin crawl. No. She simply couldn’t go through with it. She tightened her grip on her bag and continued through the forest. When she made it to a clearing, she could see the Pillai Mountain looming before her. She was already tired, but she couldn’t give up now. She had already come this far.
A few feet away, she arrived at a rushing river. The water flowed rapidly toward the ocean, carrying sticks and other debris in its powerful current. Azurdee looked for a safe way to cross the body of water, but as far as she could tell, the only way across would be to swim through.
Thinking there must be another way, she started up the bank, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might help her. Finally, she arrived at a fallen log that spanned the length of the river.
It would take a lot of balance, but as long as she remained focused she thought she just might be able to do it. Carefully, she climbed onto the log. Luckily, the wood was still pretty firm. Hopefully, it would be strong enough to withstand her weight. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself before tiptoeing forward, taking her time.
She refused to look down at the angry water beneath her. Just thinking about it sent chills up her spine. What would happen if she slipped and fell in? Noah wasn’t around to save her this time. She gulped, keeping her eyes fixed on the log.
With sweat running down the back of her neck, she continued forward, her feet barely moving.
So far so good.
She was about halfway when she slipped on a patch of moss. Her eyes widened and she reached out her hands to break her fall. Desperately, she clung onto the log, but it rolled and she found herself dangling upside down. Her hair grazed the water, some of the loose items in her bag fell in and disappeared along with the current.
Azurdee shook in fear, trying to edge her way toward dry land, but the second she moved, the log started to crack.
“Fuck…” She whispered to herself.
What was she supposed to do now?
If she kept going, the log would certainly break. If she let go, she would never survive the harsh river.
Her grip started to weaken the longer she held on. She couldn’t keep this up forever.
With no other choice, she shimmied forward.
Again, the wood cracked and splintered, threatening to snap at any moment. Azurdee cursed under her lips but continued forward. The muscles in her arms were starting to burn, but she ignored the pain, knowing she had to hold on if she had any hope of survival.
Her fear of water made it hard for her to breathe, especially when it looked like it wanted to gobble her up.
Crack!
The log snapped in half.
Azurdee splashed into the river, thinking she was as good as dead. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for the water to consume her, but it never did.
Confused, she opened her eyes to find that she was sitting in about two feet of water, her clothes soaked, her backpack waterlogged, but besides that, she was perfectly fine.
She grumbled under her breath before she got up, looking like a wet dog. Still grumbling, she took some time to wring her clothes dry as much as possible. With an evil glare, she cursed the river for fooling her into thinking it was deeper than it really was.
With her shoes now drenched and squeaking with her every step, she started on her journey once more. Soon enough, she reached the path Kai had told her about.
The road was wide and free of obstructions, making it an easy trek. In no time at all, she arrived at a beautiful home, right on the shore, exactly as they said. It was large, at least three stories. She couldn’t quite make out the color in the darkness, but it looked like a light blue. A large porch in the front overlooked the sea. A garden was blooming with flowers in the back.
Azurdee admired it for a moment before it started to rain. Fleeing from the sudden downpour, she rushed onto the porch, making quite a ruckus.
Before she could even knock on the door, Noah was standing there, a knowing grin on his face. “We thought you would come around, we just didn’t know it would be this soon or that you’d make this much noise. What’s the rush, princess?”
“Noah, can’t you see she’s wet. Let her in.”
“Oh, she’ll be more than just wet when I’m done with her…” He whispered under his breath.
“Did you say something?” Azurdee turned, narrowing her eyes in his direction.
“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Noah chuckled, feigning innocence. “Please, come in.”