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I cut through the back gardens of two cottages, scaling the fences, and approached the edge of the Forbidden Wood A patch of goat-trimmed land was all that separated me from it Weeds crawled toward the perie, twisted branches reaching for the village Beyond lay shadowy depths, sliced through with ht under the star-flecked sky

I cleared e of Father’s sickbed Tossed aside the worry in Hannon’s eyes and the feel of Sable and Dash clinging to oodbye, hopefully not for the last tiht now, it was just me and these woods Me and the creatures that lurked within their deteriorating depths Me and the beast, if it came to it

I would not let my father down I would not fail him

The edge offroing ground and avoiding anything that e Once I passed that tree line, it would be a whole lot harder A whole lot deadlier

Not a sound vibrated through the air No wind stirred the frostbitten branches or boughs My breath puffed white I noticed every little detail of o with the hunter

The air cooled as I crossed the threshold I stilled and took a deep breath Panic would get me dead I needed to keep a level head

Onward I atchful eyes I needed to pay attention to any e in scent or sound

I remembered a time, before the curse, when the Forbidden Wood had been lovely Green and lush Now, though, the brittle grasses crackled under ers No leaves graced the branches, even of the evergreen trees, and no flowers adorned the winter budding plants

Up ahead, around a large pine scantily clad with needles, I spotted it—a birch that didn’t seem to fit in with its peers Just behind it was my destination

The everlass field had been less than half its current size when I first found it It had grown over the years, not that it really mattered I could only use what I could steal, and I didn’t dare do that often

Crack

Adrenaline dumped into my bloodstreah ready for actual flight Idanger