TPWSM 81

Chapter 81

“Lila! Where are you going!”

My call never reached the horse. I had thought it was a gentle, well-trained animal. But in the blink of an eye, it panicked and threw me off.

I lay sprawled on the thick forest floor, staring up at the sky. The sun was dipping below the horizon. I could have torn my hair out—would I be able to get out of this forest before nightfall?

I pressed my hands to the ground and tried to stand on both legs. But I collapsed back down with a thud, landing hard on my backside. Pulling off my boots and rolling up my trousers, I saw dark purple bruises blooming across my knees and shins.

Tears welled up.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stand straight. My legs had taken the full impact of the fall, and now neither was of any use.

“Am I going to die here…?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. What a ridiculous way to die this would be. All because I staked my pride against a neighboring prince’s mocking provocation—and now I was lying here, broken.

I should have known better when they warned me the hunt would be rough.

“I have to survive. No matter what, I must get out of here alive.”

At this point, rabbits and deer didn’t matter. Preserving my own life came first.

Thus began my struggle for survival.

The only way to move was by crawling, but even bending my knees was too painful. Like an infant barely a hundred days old, I pressed my belly to the ground and dragged myself forward with my elbows. My fine hunting clothes were quickly caked in mud and stained green from crushed plants.

The bread and water I had packed were still tucked neatly in the saddlebag—on the horse that abandoned me. Which meant I had no food, no water.

“Hello! Is anyone there? Somebody’s here!”

I screamed until my throat burned.

But the dense forest was silent, utterly devoid of people. Well-worn paths should have short grass, but here, there was none.

Rustle, rustle.

Something darted through the brush.

“Someone’s here!”

I shouted again in Dvorka tongue, but no reply came. It wasn’t human, then.

That meant it was a beast. But what kind?

A boar, maybe? No… the footsteps were too light for that.

Still, fear gripped me. To wild animals, I must look like an easy meal, a feast laid out before them.

From that moment on, every time a sound came from the brush, I shrank into myself, trembling.

Terrified of stumbling into an animal trap, I swept my hands carefully through the undergrowth before inching forward.

Having eaten nothing but a few scraps of bread for breakfast and lunch, my stomach soon collapsed with hunger. Grrrrr. With the rumbling came weakness, draining from my arms. At this rate, I might starve to death.

“If I die here, will they even find my body?”

Desperate, I scoured the forest for fruit. After tearing through the brush, I found something like wild raspberries. I grabbed a handful and stuffed them into my mouth. They were bitter, sour, astringent. I screwed up my face, but I chewed and swallowed anyway—there was no room for complaints.

With renewed strength, I crawled forward, dragging my limp legs behind me. Where am I even going? Was I crawling in the right direction at all? Despair tightened around my throat.

The heavens showed no mercy. The sun sank completely. Hunters would be going home now, and my chances of being found dwindled to nothing. I gave up looking for people and tucked myself beneath the shade of a massive tree. Thank goodness it was summer—at least I wouldn’t freeze to death.

But lying down, I felt chills creep in. My clothes, soaked with mud and plant juice, were clammy and cold. The berries had done nothing to ease my hunger. The chill seeped deep into my bones.

Like a chick burrowing into its mother’s feathers, I pressed my body against the tree trunk. My only refuge was this one tree.

Tears poured down. For the first time, I longed for my cold, distant mother.

Would she even grieve if I died? The day before leaving for Dvorka, she had scolded me for lacking the qualities to inherit our duchy. Still, she had raised her foolish daughter to adulthood—perhaps she would be pained to know I had perished in a foreign land.

I curled up like a fetus and drifted into a fitful sleep.

Sharp beams of morning sunlight pierced through the leaves and woke me.

I opened my eyes beneath the same towering trees. My fall, my abandonment—it hadn’t been a dream.

Another attempt to stand failed miserably. With a heavy sigh, I dragged my shivering body forward.

If the sun rose in the east, then by heading south, perhaps I could escape this forest. That was my hope.

But hunger struck again. My stomach growled so loudly I cursed it.

I stumbled upon unfamiliar berries—tiny, dark blue, no bigger than beans. I picked them all with my grimy fingers and ate them. Looking down, I noticed my clothes were now dyed green all over.

Wouldn’t a swamp crocodile mistake me for one of its own? I let out a hollow laugh.

No matter how far I crawled, the forest never ended. I came across five or six animal traps. Perhaps a hunter would come to check them and find me. Weakly, I kept crying out, “Anyone? Is anyone there?” as I dragged myself along.

But then, something felt wrong. A sour taste surged up my throat, and I vomited violently. The berries had been poisonous.

It was my mistake—shoving unknown things into my mouth without thought.

There was no one else to blame.

Guuuaaaagh! The retching sounded like a beast being slaughtered. I emptied everything I’d eaten, even stomach acid and bitter bile.

Now I was worse off than if I’d eaten nothing.

My supporting arms collapsed, and my vision swam, rippling like heat haze. I shook my head, forcing consciousness back. Already pressed flat against the dirt, I knew if I lost consciousness here…

…I would truly die.

Just as my eyes were about to close, something jolted me awake.

A smell.

The smell of baking bread. The smell of chimney smoke. That meant there had to be a house nearby—people nearby.

I could live. I had to live.

“Someone… help….”

I mumbled hoarsely. My pitiful voice couldn’t possibly reach the source of that smell.

Cough, cough. No matter how I hacked, my voice wouldn’t come. All I could do was crawl toward it. Sniffing like an animal, I turned my body in the direction of the scent.

Born the daughter of Levanteia’s most prestigious duke, I had never once thought of myself as vermin. Until now.

When humans reach this point, rank and title mean nothing. You only realize it standing at death’s door.

Is this scent real? I inhaled deeply. Surely this wasn’t an illusion, like the little match girl seeing visions in the snow.

Fwaah. Warmth filled my lungs. The scent was real—and it grew stronger.

But my body was failing. Just a little more… if I crawled just a little further, I could reach it…

Huff, huff, huff.

Forcing my last strength drained my breath. The sky turned pale. My arms wouldn’t drag me anymore. Then I would roll. Hugging my arms to my chest, I rolled sideways once. Ugh. The dizziness nearly killed me. My stomach churned, though there was nothing left to expel.

Please. Please, let someone find me.

“Help… me….”

I forced out my final cry. Would it reach anyone?

And then—

Something appeared in my vision.

A face. A human face.

Small, round, white and soft—like the face of a cherub.

A child, perhaps six years old, stared down at me, blinking wide, curious eyes.

I had never seen anyone with violet-colored irises.

I’m saved. My savior has come.

Relief washed over me, and I opened my mouth to speak.

The child tapped their ears and lips in turn, then crossed both arms in an “X.” What did that mean? Did it mean they couldn’t hear, couldn’t speak? Deaf, perhaps. If so, would I need sign language to be understood?

Weakly, I raised both arms. With my left thumb extended upward, I struck its back with the palm of my right hand twice.

A plea for help.

But the child didn’t seem to understand. They only continued staring at me with round, curious eyes.

Cough. I cleared my throat, trying to raise my voice again, but only air wheezed out.

Child, do you live nearby? If so, take me to your house….

I mouthed the words silently. The child suddenly clapped their hands together—smack!—and bounded off somewhere.

Where are you going…?

Watching the small figure vanish, I prayed with all my heart. Please don’t abandon me. Please come back. Bring an adult who can help me, if you can.

The moment I saw another person, my body lost all tension. My mind grew hazy, flickering like a candle in the wind.

And then—darkness claimed me.