Arissa's Fate: Redemption Trilogy, #1

Chapter One

Golden morning light was beginning to spill over the mountain peaks in the distance, etching a bright portrait of the picturesque landscape. Even so early in the morning the chilly night air was already being vanquished by the swiftly rising sun, and the water of the lake below the knoll was as still as the death that still hung in the air. Clouds of her heavy breath rose up and slowly drifted along until they disappeared into the atmosphere.

Now that the ground was replaced over the freshly-dug pit that had been dug, Arissa stroked the surface once more with the shovel to smooth it over. In a few days the vegetation and grass in the area would begin to grow back over the disturbed soil and none would be the wiser as to what had taken place on the knoll that night.

She hadn’t wanted to kill him right away, but he had left her no choice; her combat skills outweighed her subconscious. No one was going to get in her way this time. It had happened just after Arissa had extinguished her campfire to erase any evidence of her location, because the fiery glow would have for sure called in anyone who was in the area. Perhaps that was how he had found her.

Her instincts had told her something was wrong before she went to sleep. Stealthily she had crawled out of her sleeping bag at the foot of the giant, scaly tree and had drawn her sword just in time to block the deathly blow that would have pierced her lungs. The sound of the two swords slicing together rang out through the trees and across the distant valleys, surely alerting others of the battle.

It had been foolish of the man to attack as suddenly as he had. Obviously, he hadn’t been on the hunt for her long enough to realize that she was even more deadly than the soldiers and trackers who were after her. He had little coordination and poor balance which didn't stand a chance against her quick, catlike reflexes. In less than a minute it was over, and the man lay at her feet in a pool of his own blood.

Arissa had worked quickly to clear away his tracks and cover the blood with dirt. She kicked the rocks from her campfire away, scattering them and burying the ashes in the sandy ground. Within a few moments, all signs that she had been there were gone.

Hurried, she whistled a quick, fluttering tune and only a moment later a sleek, black horse trotted quickly into the clearing from the bushes. He stood next to her, his lengthy mane falling to his shoulder as he prominently arched his muscular neck.

Luckily, there was a short length of rope still attached to her saddle and she quickly tied one end to the man’s foot. Moving him onto the grass so the blood trail wouldn’t be as noticeable, Arissa was relying on the usual morning rain to wash away the remainder of the traces before the other patrollers found her campsite. It would be too obvious to bury him there, and so she had decided to take the body over the next hill.

Satisfied that the grave was camouflaged enough until the rain clouds covered the area, Arissa quickly mounted her stallion, ready to find a new direction to travel. Before she had the chance to even turn the horse around the sound of shouting men and galloping hooves caught her attention.

Longs strands of silken black hair slashed at her face when she whipped her head around to see. Arissa quickly brushed her hair away from her face, squinting her dark eyes to see through the trees. A flicker of movement and more shouts came from the patch of forest just south of her previous camp. They had missed it, she realized, grinning. Of course they had. After she was through, she doubted they ever found any of her camps or resting places. The stakes were too high; she had to be thorough.

Arissa urged the stallion behind a clump of bushy trees, keeping out of sight until she could clearly see the majority of the company approaching her. So far she could see five men on identical chestnut horses, the same type of horse that everyone in the area rode. The horses were all tall, light brown and even their manes cut to exactly the same length. The only thing that could distinguish them apart from the next was the rider, and even they all looked nearly the same. The soldiers in the militia all wore the same uniform; it was difficult for her to tell them apart. The other men, either villagers, hunters or trackers who had volunteered in the pursuit of her wore everyday clothes, and didn’t always have horses. Most of these men were poor and one of the reasons they volunteered was probably because of the bounty that was no doubt on her head. Not everyone believed she was innocent.

Six soldiers on horseback in total were trotting her way, but they seemed completely unaware that she was lurking behind the trees only a few hundred paces ahead of them. A slight grin cracked across her face; she knew she was smarter than they were, otherwise she wouldn’t have survived as long as she did. She knew the woods too well; even their trackers weren’t able to keep up with her. If she hadn’t been in such a dire hurry, she would actually be having fun. However, this time it wasn’t a game and she needed to stay focused.

There was enough space left between them that she could grab their attention and lead the men off on a false trail that would get them lost for days. That would get this particular group out of her way, and only leave at least a hundred more armed men on her trail.

The second she stepped out from behind her enclosure and whistled sharply to turn their attention on her, bullets began firing through the air in her direction. Arissa let the stallion charge into a full gallop and clutched at his thick mane as they rushed through the forest, dodging and weaving between trees and flying bullets.

Another gunshot whistled past her, but all she could think was how much she needed to find what she was looking for. Lives that she actually cared about depended on it and she was running out of time.

Chapter Two

Sorry about that, Raze, Arissa muttered to the stallion that stood over her patiently. She patted his leg as she finished rinsing off the blood from his hind quarter. One of the arrows had narrowly grazed his flank just before they had disappeared into a steep valley, out of sight from the soldiers.

The light was still dusky after Arissa let the stallion go back to his grazing, wandering loose around their new camp. The small glow of her campfire wasn’t noticeable yet, so she decided to keep it lit for a few minutes longer. A cool breeze was beginning to settle in the valley, and she silently hoped it wouldn’t get too cold overnight.

Her tense expression was finally beginning to melt into a sombre, cold grimace as her thoughts began to catch up to her once again. During the days she felt nothing but anxious and overwrought just trying to decide what to do and how to keep herself on target. It was no problem keeping herself alive, but her goal was so much more than just her own well-being.

Arissa could feel herself getting tired, which meant she had to force herself to rest before she became disoriented. There was no way she could afford to be anything less than completely focused and sharp at all times.

Without wasting any time, she decided to take advantage of the last few moments that she would allow her fire to keep burning. The flickering shadows were reaching dangerously far across the wooded knoll and would have to be extinguished, before anyone saw them, but she suddenly felt like she needed to see them.

She reached inside her lined jacket to the inner pocket and pulled out several pieces of crumpled paper that had been folded together so many times that their creases lined up exactly. Careful not to tear the worn papers, Arissa smoothed them out against her knee before holding them up to the light so they were legible. Biting her lip to keep herself steady, she made her eyes follow the lines, considering each individual word that she had already memorized a dozen times over.

My darling Arissa. I cannot tell you how many times I think about you every day. I do not understand what has happened, but I want you to focus on taking care of yourself. You can’t let anything happen to you because of me. I won’t-

No, Arissa snapped aloud to herself. She couldn’t handle reading that particular letter anymore. Quickly it was refolded and back in her pocket before she let herself read the words she already knew. It was too distracting. Skipping to the next one, she struggled to focus.

Arissa. I wish I could tell you where I am, but I’m afraid that someone might intercept my letters. I can only get them to you when I know for sure they won’t be found. I hope you are well.

There were several other notes, all basically saying the same repetitive things. They didn’t sound like much, but Arissa was sure that she wouldn’t be able to continue her quest each day without them. Building up her courage and forcing the swell of emotion in her throat away, she quickly skimmed the last letter to refresh her memory.

I don’t know how much longer I will be able to send you these letters. You know where your heart is and what we need to accomplish. I’ll join you if I can. Be careful, Arissa.

Heaving a deep breath, Arissa took an extra moment studying the rushed script on the crinkled, faded pages. She remembered receiving each one at a different time, sometimes even several weeks apart. At that point she still had not been able to decide exactly how she should take action, but when it had become two months with no news she knew time had run out. That was when she had smuggled Raze out of the city limits and disappeared. When she left it had felt as if her heart had been physically ripped from her chest, but it reminded her to keep focused and it had served her well so far. Whenever she felt the strong sensation of heartache wanting to pull her back to her homeland of Daer, the letters were the only thing that kept her from heeding the temptations. That and, of course, the fact that she would be killed the instant she showed her face again.

The night passed in a flurry of nightmares. When she decided to just stay up after jumping awake for the third time, it was just before the dawn broke. The heavy darkness was oddly comforting to Arissa. If she couldn’t see any approaching soldiers or trackers, then they wouldn’t be able to see her either.

Another few minutes passed and her camp was once again cleared away. Raze was waiting for her at the edge of the trees, alert and just as focused as Arissa was. After reading the letters and letting a few tears slip from her eyes, she was feeling more empowered than she had for days. She was confident in herself that she would be safe with the plan she had been able to work out in her head. If it worked, she could finally return home. If not...then she would just have to find another way to save him.

Raze galloped smoothly under her as they charged together into the darkness, Arissa’s deadly and determined gaze penetrating the forest around them.

I’m coming for you, she whispered to herself.

Chapter Three

By the time Arissa was able to locate a village, it was near nightfall with a vicious storm looming. In sight of the public eye was the last place she wanted to be, but she knew that there was someone in the area who could help her. Someone she hadn’t spoken to for a very long time, but she was confident that they were still loyal to her. Of course, with everything that had happened recently, she doubted there was a single person who hadn’t drastically changed their opinion of her.

Moments before approaching the settlement, Arissa had been forced to find a secluded place to stash Raze. All of the horses within the villages