action

The carriage shook incessantly while Ilyin fought against the cold and tried to sleep. However, the cold was too severe, and her feet were going numb. She tried to warm them up by rubbing them with her hands.

Even though they were in a snowstorm, the carriage was speeding up. She wondered what the time was but had no way of knowing because the sun was already buried among the clouds. They went through what looked like caves covered in snow and then suddenly, the carriage lunged and Ilyin held tightly onto her seat as it shook. They didn’t come to a stop though and she looked out the window to see why.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming, as she saw red creatures rushing towards them. They were fierce-looking four-legged creatures and they caught up with the carriage easily despite the snow.

Were they monsters? Ilyin did not know what they were, but the knights at the capital would know what these scary and fast-paced creatures were.

“We will be speeding up!” The horseman’s voice was barely audible over the creaking carriage and the sounds the creatures were making as they neared them.

It’s all right. Ilyin covered her ears and closed her eyes. She had not dreamed of her death, nor these frightful monsters. She heard something clawing at the carriage but the sound died out as they sped up, but the monsters continued to pursue them.

It’s all right. 

Her heart beat faster, and she told herself that she would be safe this first night that she had seen in her dream. Ilyin’s eyes shot open when she heard a bang against the window, and she met the creature face to face. Red scales surrounded its small beady black eyes, and it was dusted with snow. She saw its eye move in that brief moment and the monster opened its mouth in excitement.

The carriage suddenly turned around, and the monster lost its balance, trying desperately to hold on with its claws. Thankfully, the window didn’t break and only a deep scratch was made.

Ilyin had broken into a cold sweat and shuddered. She thought again that she would not die yet. However, she was still terrified and her body shook from the cold and shock. She again closed her eyes and covered her ears. Ilyin had no way to fight against monsters that could run this fast. The horses galloped without losing speed, and she saw the castle walls and she knew that she had arrived at the Biflten Castle. She was safe now, but she felt that this had been a mistake.

“Damn!”

She heard the horseman curse and could not believe what she was seeing. Some of the monsters were climbing up the castle walls and they were surrounded by the others. The horseman turned sideways as he tried to run away from the monsters in front of him.

Ilyin heard scratching at the back of the carriage, and her shoulder hit against the door. She froze and dared not scream for she feared that the red claws would come at her if she were discovered.

The carriage slid and stopped in the snow. She saw the horseman fight bravely against the monsters outside and watched helplessly as his sword met their claws. Ilyin’s body went rigid, as she knew that while the horseman could fight against the monsters, he would not be able to protect the large carriage indefinitely.

The monsters turned towards the carriage, they were too much for the horseman to cope with, and she grabbed the door handle with shaking hands. She had to get out if things came to that. Ilyin bit her lip until she tasted blood; there was nowhere to run. However, she reminded herself that she had not yet dreamt of her death, and if she had to die, she would not want to wait for it. She would have committed suicide already if that were meant to be her fate. The only reason she had endured her life at the mansion, was because she was afraid of the short wait if she tried to hang herself. She was afraid of death and feared loneliness.

When the monsters banged against the carriage, Ilyin opened the door and jumped out. White mist escaped her mouth and seeped through the blue cloth covering her face. The cold wind whipped against her bare hands, and the snow was sharp enough to wound her soft hands. She couldn’t stay standing outside the carriage and started running as fast as she could.

Then, something cold brushed up against her face.