Angeline Synet, woke with a start.

Another vision.

She shoved back the covers, sliding from her bed. It was still dark outside. The house was quiet. Only the rhythmic snoring of her father sleeping interrupted the silence.

Leaving the house without one of her brothers or her father to escort her was against the rules but Angeline knew what she had to do, and she knew what it would cost her. She pushed open her window and slid out onto the wet grass below.

The wind kicked up, lifting her heavy, long curtain of white blond hair away from her neck. She wiggled her toes in the grass, loving the feel of the soothing energy coming from the earth and easing the burn of her last vision. A connection to the earth always made it easier to gain the calm she needed to do what must be done.

A long high pitched yawn from within the house alerted Angeline. She didn’t know if it was her brother Herro or her other brother Barthos. Either way, she wasn’t going to wait and find out.

Angeline raced into the forest at the edge of their property. Stretching her limbs as far as they could go she pushed to cover as much ground as she could. Whichever of her brothers it was who woke would check on her and when they found her missing they would be after her.

Her feet seemed to know the way she should go. Angeline let her instincts guide her. Often times when she had her visions there were things her mind could not bear to see, or maybe it was that there was too much to remember, but a part of her remembered. This part of her knew the way.

The moon was high in the sky and cast light enough that she could see where to step and when to jump over or under a low branch. Her lungs burned as she kept the breakneck pace even as the earth began to rise in an incline.

Faster, Angeline. You will only just make it.

A tall mountain cast the forest ahead in black shadow. She didn’t hesitate but raced into the blackness. Sharp sticks scraped at her legs, and the sharp crunch of pine cones under her bare feet hurt. Still, she did not allow herself to slow down.

Her knee hit hard rock and she put her hands out falling forward on a rocky incline.

Climb? But I can’t see.

The vision she’d dreamed lit up in her mind like a burning flame. Angeline reached up and felt her way up the steep rocky hill. Once she reached the summit the land flattened out again.

She was breathing hard as she hurried into another thick crop of trees. These trees had thin trunks and grew close together. It was slowing her down weaving between the trees in the blackness.

Around her heavy breathing, and the crashing sound of her feet in the darkness she heard it. The whimpering sound that began her vision.

I’m almost there.

Angeline gained another three yards before she saw the small clearing. The whimpering sound was growing louder. Angeline’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness and the bit of light the moon granted the small clearing.

An oversized burlap bag moved on the floor of the clearing.

I made it.

Taking hold of the bag, Angeline untied the chord holding the bag shut. Red matted hair was the first of what she saw and braced herself.

Angeline continued working the bag down the quaking body inside. “I’m here to help you. I won’t hurt you.”

The head turned toward the sound of her voice. There was a blindfold and tape wrapped around the eyes of the woman. Her mouth also taped shut and based on the bulge of her cheeks, her mouth was also stuffed with something.

Angeline spoke quietly. “I don’t know how long we have until whoever did this to you returns. You have to stay quiet. Do exactly as I say and I promise, I’ll get you back to your family where you’ll be safe.”

She nodded her head showing Angeline that she understood.

Angeline worked faster now. She removed the tape from the woman’s mouth and then untied her ankles.

“Thank you,” the woman breathed. Angeline could tell the woman was trying to talk quietly but she was too overcome with emotion to have any control over her voice.

“Don’t talk right now,” Angeline advised as she moved around to the back of the woman where her hands were bound together at the wrist.

Sticks crunching under heavy feet broke through the stillness.

The red-haired woman stiffened up. Her arms pulling against the restraints on her wrists, tightening them.

We have to move. He’s almost here.

Angeline wrapped her arms around the waist of the woman and helped her to stand. The woman leaned heavily on Angeline. Her feet were probably numb from the tight binding at her ankles.

Even though it was dark, Angeline slid the tight blindfold and tape from the woman’s face. Her brown eyes blinked rapidly. They landed on Angeline who held her pointer finger up to her own lips.

The woman nodded.

Angeline grabbed the front of her dress and began to lead her from the clearing in a new direction. She kept the woman close behind her so that she wouldn’t run into anything.

They’d only gained twelve yards from the clearing when a roar of anger cracked through the night like thunder.

Five more steps and then we drop.

Angeline pulled the woman along with her. The woman was freezing up with fear and Angeline had to use all of her strength to propel the woman along with her.

The ground seemed to disappear from under them as the loose dirt gave way and they slid down the rocky, dirt incline. As soon as Angeline was able to stop their progress she dragged the woman into the bushes.

A blinding beam of light ran over the dirt where they’d just landed.

Angeline pressed her hand over the woman’s mouth as the light ran over the bushes. It paused, beaming through the leaves on Angeline’s face.

She felt like he must be looking right at her but did not move. She didn’t even breathe.

The beam of light continued over the bushes and then out into the forest beyond the landing of the hill. It seemed like hours passed as the two women stared at each other, barely breathing as they waited for the man to leave.

Heavy footfalls crunched from above, the light turning away.

The woman relaxed but Angeline knew better. She knew they weren’t safe until she heard it.

The woman was eager to escape, to get away. She began to move but Angeline gripped her shoulder and continued pressing her hand over the mouth of the woman.

“Not yet,” Angeline whispered.

She shook her head, in disagreement with Angeline. The light was gone, and the sound of boots crushing the dried leaves and twigs was gone.

Not yet.

The woman turned her face away from Angeline’s hand. “He’s gone. I can’t hear him,” she whispered.

“He’s not gone. He’s waiting.”

Angeline clenched her teeth together as the woman’s bottom lip began to tremble. If she made noise, Angeline would have to knock her out. She held her finger to her lips again, warning the woman to be quiet.

A howl broke through the night. It was in the distance but it was the sound Angeline was waiting for. Light swept over the landing one more time and then the sound of retreating feet filled the air as more howling joined the first.

The Rizer wolf pack lived up on the mountain. They were shifters and although they were at peace with the people of the town, it was known that the mountain belonged to the Rizer pack. The townspeople were to stay off the mountain.

“How did you know?” The woman asked as Angeline went to work on the binding at the woman’s wrists.

“Know what?” Angeline asked.

She looked over her shoulder at Angeline. “That he was still there?”

“It was just a guess.”

The knots were tight, but now that Angeline wasn’t in as much of a rush she was able to loosen them and remove the rope.

“I’ve seen you before,” the woman said as she rubbed her wrists. “Your family just moved to Freebasin, right?”

Angeline lowered her blue eyes. This was the risky part. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Unis.”

“Unis, you have to promise that when I take you back to Freebasin, you won’t tell anyone that I was the one who found you and set you free.”

Unis took hold of Angeline’s hand. “My father is a wealthy man. He’ll reward you for saving me.”

“I don’t want to be rewarded. You have to promise me, Unis. Swear on the life of your father that you won’t tell anyone that I saved you.”

Unis slowly began to nod. “I don’t understand why you don’t want anyone to know, but I swear it. I swear on the life of my father, and on my own life that I will not tell anyone. I’ll tell them I freed myself and found my own way back.”

“Thank you,” Angeline said with a sigh. Her vision had ended just after the wolf shifters began howling. Angeline had no certainty that Unis would agree to keep the secret.

“How do we get back to town? What if we run into the man who kidnapped me?”

“Do you know who it was?” Angeline asked leaning forward.

Unis shook her head. “I was picking apples for my mother. I remember a sharp pain.” She touched the back of her head where there was dried blood in her matted hair. “Then, I was in a bag and tied up. The man carrying the bag said he was going to do things… to me. He…. He said when he was finished he’d kill me like he did the others.”

Others? How many times has this happened?

“If you don’t know who it was, then we’ll have to be careful how we return to the town,” Angeline said. “Would you recognize his voice?”

“Maybe. My ears were ringing when he was talking to me. I can’t be sure.”

The man who took Unis has the upper hand. He’ll be looking for her to return.

“It’s important that when we get back to town, you don’t trust anyone who approaches you unless it’s your father or another member of your family.”

“You think….” She grabbed onto Angeline’s nightgown. “You think he’ll try and take me again?”

I should lie. I should try and give her some peace of mind.

Angeline couldn’t lie. She would lose her visions if she lied and then she would be helpless. It was too great a cost to save Unis the worry.

“He’ll try again. He won’t want you to be able to warn others, or help to figure out who he is so that he’ll pay for his crimes.”

Unis nodded as tears ran down her pale face.

Angeline took her hand. “We’d better start moving. Stay close to me.”