"Oh, screw this!"
Screeching owls only worsened the emotions building up inside Thana. She flipped her middle finger into the dark, unsure who it was aimed at. Maybe the owls. Maybe the universe. She used that same finger to wipe away a tear that slipped down her cheek.
She had one goal now: to get away.
"Screw that man! I don't care if he's gorgeous," she hissed, her voice tight with frustration.
Another sound joined the haunting music of the forest. Thana glanced to the side and spotted a group of deer standing motionless, their glowing yellow eyes fixed on her, heads held high like silent watchers. A chill raced along her spine, but she kept running. She didn't dare look back.
"I'm so unfortunate... ah!"
She had not been watching her step. Her foot struck a fallen log, and she tumbled forward, landing face-first in a bed of damp soil and dead leaves. The fall knocked the breath from her lungs, and for a moment, everything fell silent.
It felt like the forest was mocking her.
She let out a miserable cry, punching the ground with a clenched fist. Her foot burned with sharp pain, but she had no time to dwell on it. Somewhere behind her, she heard the crunch of boots over dried leaves. Slow. Deliberate. Getting closer.
Thana froze.
She was not ready to die. Not like this. Not under the blade of some stranger. She forced herself up and bolted, pushing past the pain. Her vision was clouded with tears and panic, making it nearly impossible to see what lay ahead.
By the time she noticed the stone, it was too late.
She crashed into it and stumbled sideways toward the edge of a slope. The earth gave way beneath her feet. She rolled down through loose dirt and scattered roots. The fall wasn't deep, but her body could no longer take the punishment.
The pain and panic were too much.
Sprawled across the ground, she stared at the glowing moon above. Her vision blurred. Her limbs refused to move. Her chest rose and fell in uneven gasps. She heard nothing but her heartbeat and the rustle of wind through leaves.
Her thoughts began to fade.
Maybe this was the end.
She lay still, alone and bloodied under the moonlight. But despite the aching in her body and the fear that had wrapped around her like a second skin, Thana kept breathing.
Shallow. Strained. Unyielding.
She was not ready to die.
When the sun rose, it seemed Thana wasn't as unlucky as she had thought. A woman had found her, unconscious and lying in the middle of the woods. Kneeling beside the girl, she leaned in to check if the young maiden was still breathing.
What she didn't know was that Thana was already awake.
Her body ached too much to move. The pain in her limbs, the pounding in her skull—none of it allowed her to open her eyes. All she could do was listen, barely, to the hushed conversation nearby.
"I wasn't there, Mother. It beats me," a young man muttered.
"The white-haired girl ran this way last night. This has to be her," the woman replied thoughtfully. "But the hair doesn't match. It doesn't make any sense."
She studied Thana's dirt-covered face, clearly lost in thought.
The man groaned, his voice low and sharp. "Mother, I need to report this. The fact that she's in here and no one noticed is dangerous. For all we know, she's planning to infiltrate the palace. Security is tight around the walls. How do you think she even got inside without being seen?"
He moved closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "What if she's one of the runaway mages?"
"Don't be ridiculous," the woman scoffed, waving him off. "She was headed toward the wall, not away from it. This poor girl was trying to leave. Look at her. I don't know how she got in, but she looks terrified... and very alone."
She smacked her son lightly on the shoulder at the absurd suggestion.
"Mother—" he began, exasperated.
But she had already dropped to her knees beside Thana and gently touched her cheek. Thana stirred and turned her head with a soft groan. Both the woman and her son jumped back in alarm, but the girl didn't move again.
Still unconscious. Still breathing.
"She's hurt," the woman said with finality. "We're bringing her back to my chamber. She needs treatment."
The man could only tug at his hair in frustration. Every part of him wanted to snap at his stubborn mother for making such a reckless decision, but deep down he knew it was useless. He never won against her. The thought of anyone—especially the palace superiors—catching them filled his chest with dread.
They both held good standing within the palace. The king himself knew their names, thanks to his mother's contributions. People praised them often, and Elias had no intention of losing that recognition or being stripped of their status.
"What are you waiting for? Pick her up, Elias," his mother commanded with her arms crossed, frowning in that familiar disapproving way. "You're the captain of your unit, yet you're always slow when it's me giving the orders."
"Your orders will get us caught and possibly executed. That's exactly why I'm the captain," Elias snapped back, but his words lacked real bite as he reluctantly stepped forward to scoop the girl up.
His mother let out an impatient huff and planted her hands on her hips. Without hesitation, she lifted her boot and kicked him squarely on the backside.
The unexpected force knocked Elias off balance. He stumbled forward, landing face-first on Thana's toned stomach. His entire body froze. Panic surged through him like fire, and he yelped in horror, jerking away from her as if he'd been burned.
"What is she even wearing? Could she be a man?" he exclaimed, pointing at her cropped turtleneck. "Who wears something so short that it barely covers anything?"
His gaze slid lower, and the sight of the black leggings clinging to her legs made him flinch in disbelief.
Before he could react any further, his mother's hand came down hard on the back of his head with a loud smack. Elias groaned, rubbing the sore spot.
"You absolute idiot," she muttered with exasperation.
"She's holding her coat. Go grab it and cover her up. Move, before the morning patrol finds us out here!"
The poor man had no choice but to obey his mother, driven by the same fear of getting caught. With a frustrated grunt, he snatched the girl's coat and noted the fabric's thickness and luxury. It was far from something worn by a commoner. Elias frowned, puzzled at why anyone would wear such heavy clothing in the middle of summer.
Still, he draped the coat around her body and lifted her into his arms in a careful bridal hold. He turned his face away from her mud-smeared skin and sighed, only to catch his mother watching him with a gleam of delight in her eyes.
She glanced around cautiously before nodding. "Let's get her inside the palace."
"I hate you for making me do this," Elias muttered, walking in step with her.
His mother scowled at him, quick with her comeback. "I hate you for giving me the worst nine months of my life carrying you in my womb."
Elias snorted. "Yeah, I knew you regretted having me."
She came to a halt and groaned, turning to him with a sharp glare. "Elias, that's not it—"
"Ugh, shut up!" a groggy voice cut through the air.
The young woman stirred and wriggled in Elias's arms. Without opening her eyes, she swung her right arm upward and backhanded him across the face. Her eyebrows pinched in agitation, lips curled in a tired frown.
Elias stared in stunned silence. His mother, however, raised a stern finger and snapped, "Don't you dare drop her."
"But—" he protested, eyes wide with disbelief. Every bone in his body screamed to put the stranger down and abandon this absurd rescue his mother insisted on. Why waste time and risk everything for someone they didn't even know?
Before he could argue further, a voice boomed from the trees ahead.
"Who goes there!"
Mother and son froze. Their eyes locked in horror.