JAY

The sun would be setting soon.

Standing up, I brushed dirt off my pant legs, satisfied that I had finished setting up the last net around our camp before night had fallen. I’d do well to return before dark. It was odd, but the tediousness of setting up the nets never bored me. With a life filled with as much uncertainty and unanswered questions as mine, I found I enjoyed the routine.

With my task completed for another day, I trudged farther into the darkening forest, up a hill, toward where my map had shown me a large river lay on the other side. I’d check it out and see if it was fresh enough for my group to refill our water supply tomorrow before we continued our journey.

As I reached the top of the hill, I pushed through the branches and peered below at a large river rushing into a canyon pool. The water glinted in the last rays of sunlight. I was just about to head down the hill to fill my canteen when I froze.

In the water was a young woman in a white dress running her fingers through her long, brown hair. I blinked, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. Except for knights, no one should have been in this forest for miles. Who was this girl?

I stood frozen for a moment. Any stranger, even one as seemingly innocent as a young woman, could be a threat to me and my group. Especially since a woman was not likely to be traveling alone. I should head back to camp immediately, warn the others, and prepare to move our spot. But one thing stopped me.

The girl was shoulder-deep in a river that was home to creatures so terrible they could kill her in a moment. Just what kind of a fool was she?  Didn’t she have any idea of the danger she was in?

Before I could call out to her, she let out a frightened shriek. At first, I thought maybe she had seen me, but then a black eel jumped from the river, striking her.

She screamed, then crashed beneath the water until all I could see were the swaying rivulets of her long hair floating on the surface.

I rushed down the hill, pulling out my knife as I reached the bank, and charged into the river. I prayed the attack had only rendered the girl unconscious and hadn’t killed her. The water was up to my chest by the time I reached her unmoving form. I pulled her into my arms and pressed her close, shielding her from any more river monsters. My steps were loud and lumbered as I splashed back to land.

I laid her gently on her side on the grassy embankment. Water drained from her mouth, and she immediately began coughing and shivering.

I released a relieved breath. She was alive.

“That’s it . . . breathe. You’re all right.” I rubbed one hand on her back encouragingly as the other reached for something to cover the poor woman with. She was only wearing a delicate silk and lace undergarment, which clung to her skin. Its white hem was streaked with mud from the riverbank.

A rich fur cloak lay on the bank beside us. I grabbed it and gently laid it over her shaking body, for both warmth and modesty. As I did, I caught sight of a purple emblem stitched onto the lining. Seizing the soft material, I drew in a sharp breath.

The crest of Tover.

Whoever this girl was she must be someone of consequence for her to have such a fine cloak with a royal insignia sewn on it. An insignia that only meant one thing.

Knights.

There was no way a young woman like this would be traveling alone if she had anything to do with the royal kingdom of Tover.

As the girl continued to cough and gasp for air, I hauled myself up and swiftly retreated into the trees. My heart pounded in my chest as I expected to see a band of knights burst through at any moment.

Hidden by the thicket, I saw the girl push herself up on her hands, breathing easier but still unsteadily, as she looked around her with large, curious eyes.

I told myself she’d be fine as I turned away. The knights traveling with her would find her and tend to her. But still, I felt guilty about leaving her in such a state.

I had no choice. And so, I made my way toward my camp, moving gingerly, to not attract the attention of any Tover knights who were sure to be close by.

Whoever the girl was, she’d live. Now I had to get back to my group to make sure they would too.

~

I crept stealthily through the forest, my senses on high alert for any trace of knights. I cursed the fact that I had re-entered the woods on the other side of the hill, making me that much farther away from my camp. And it had almost grown dark. Luckily, I was skilled enough at navigating the woods to know how to make it back.

My mind was a flurry of uneasy thoughts. Had my group been discovered? Was that why that girl was left alone for so long? Were Tover knights rounding up my companions right this minute? If they were, would I be able to do anything to help them when I got there?

The questions plagued me, but I forced myself not to rush. There was a good chance the camp had not been discovered yet, and we could still move out in time. I needed to be careful if I didn’t want to be found and give away our location.

I wasn’t far from the entrance of the camp when I heard a thud and a loud, feminine cry.

Racing toward the sound, I pulled my knife from my belt. A figure was entrapped by one of my nets, wrestling with it. I couldn’t see who it was through the dark leaves, but clearly, it wasn’t an animal.  

As I weaved through the trees, I saw it was none other than the girl I had pulled from the river. She was very much alive, sawing away at the entwined ropes with a knife. A wave of anger accosted me. Not only was she damaging my nets, but she was also going to lead her knights to my friends.

“Stop that!” Between the netting, I snatched her knife before she could do any more damage. I gripped her by the shoulder, eliciting another surprised shriek from her. Whoever this strange girl was I wanted answers. Now.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “What are you doing in these woods?”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The young woman flinched at my grip, and for a moment, I felt bad for frightening her. “I was out riding when I was thrown from my horse and I’ve been lost ever since. I’m sorry if I’ve trespassed on your land.”

Immediately, my guilt was replaced by fresh irritation. She’d just fed me a blatant lie.

“Do you expect me to believe that?” I shook her shoulder, prepared to frighten her more if necessary. Each moment she toyed with me was a moment closer to my group’s discovery. “You know as well as I that no one lives in this part of the forest! What are you doing here?”

However, my intimidation tactics merely seemed to rile her up. “How dare you? Take your hands off of me! I’ve done nothing wrong, and you have no right to speak to me that way.” Her haughty manner confirmed my suspicion that she was connected to royalty.

My patience wearing thin, I yanked the net off and pulled her up. With the ropes no longer covering her face, I studied her. Although I wasn’t particularly tall, I towered over her. Her slim, graceful frame peeked out between the folds of her opulent cloak. Unwittingly, my mind flashed to when I had pulled her from the river and her curves hadn’t been so hidden.

I banished the thought and returned my gaze to her face. Her soft features were highlighted by her flushed cheeks and alert eyes. Golden-brown waves of hair framed her face and cascaded past her shoulders, ending in silky curls. Something about this girl tugged at my mind, like the shadow of a memory—her hair blowing in a sweet summer breeze, hazel eyes sparkling in the sunshine, and a warm smile directed at me.

But how could that be? There was certainly no warmth coming from her now. Her dark-lashed eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed in disdain as she regarded me.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Mary,” she replied quickly. Too quickly.

I didn’t believe her, but I reminded myself that her name wasn’t really what I was concerned with. “Where are you from, Mary?”

“Marcsnovia.”

I tensed. Was that why she looked familiar? Did she recognize me too? Although my friends would be safer, I didn’t want Marcsnovian knights catching up with us any more than I wanted Tover ones to.

“Are you traveling alone?” My voice rose as did the knife in my hand.

“No, I’m traveling with Marcsnovian knights.” She tilted her chin upward as if noting my alarm.

Then I remembered how the cloak she’d worn had borne the crest of Tover, not Marcsnovia.

“You’re lying.” I glared at her, tired of her games and frustrated by the confusion she was causing me. Did I know her? Did she know me? These questions were added to the many that my hazy mind couldn’t quite remember the answers to.

“I’m not—” She gasped as I whirled her around and pushed the blade of my knife flat against the back of her thick cloak.

“Move,” I ordered, my mind as firm as my grip. Whoever this girl was and whoever she was traveling with, I’d be better off taking her to camp than letting her go. If she was traveling with knights—Marcsnovian or Tover—she’d be the only leverage I’d have to keep my friends and myself safe.

We marched forward in silence. Her shoulder tensed beneath my grasp and her steps became rigid with fear. Guilt shot through me. Was this what I had become? An angry, mistrusting intimidator who held an innocent woman at knifepoint? A former knight who once swore to uphold chivalry now reduced to little more than a ruffian? The thought soured further in my mind. Maybe that was who I had been all along.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” My words came out quiet and worn—a feeble attempt to comfort her, or maybe myself.

“Then let me go.” Her voice was flat, as if she already knew her request was useless.

“Believe me”—I gave a humorless laugh—“I’d like nothing more than to be rid of you. But I don’t trust you. Not when you’re clearly lying about who you are and who you’re with. This forest is too ruthless for me to rely on the good faith of a stranger.”

She didn’t respond and I didn’t press her. What could I possibly say that would make her believe me? She likely thought I was a madman or a criminal.

And perhaps she was right. After all, I didn’t remember much about myself, and what I did remember wasn’t good.

We trudged on with the crackling of twigs beneath our feet and our heavy breaths the only sounds in the darkening forest. Oddly enough, whoever this girl was, we had two things in common right now.

We were both terrified and completely distrusting of each other.

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