Part One

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A sliver of moonlight fell upon the fresh snow in the forest clearing. The strong trees’ crooked fingerlike branches swayed little in the wind. Smaller trees, however, lost whole limbs to the harsh billows. Nearby, one could make out the faint outline of a pool of water that had frozen over. Upon the glassy surface, the wind whipped away some of the snow. A horrendous crash swallowed the silence of the night. Coughing and gasping, a figure broke through the surface of the ice. The dark shape clawed at the slick surface with all its might. Finally able to crawl up the bank, the figure’s features were illuminated. The moonlight revealed a teenage girl dressed in an unusual tunic. Shivering violently and dripping with black water, the young girl collapsed under a tree. Before slipping into unconsciousness, the girl whispered one word, “Why?” Not far away, shrouded in shadows, yellow beast-like eyes stared through the dark trees at the prone figure lying in the snow.

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I woke to the sound of a crackling fire. Turning my head a little, my blurred vision cleared. I blinked and looked around the small abode I found myself in. As far as I could tell, it was some sort of hut. Weapons, tapestries, and shelves littered with jars lined the walls. The windows were boarded up. Aside from the fire, there was very little light. I was lying on a couch with a thick blanket draped over me. When I tried to get up, I not only found myself too weak to do so, but my hands bound as well.

“About time you woke up,” said a voice to my left. A woman stepped into my line of sight. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back. She wore a brown leather outfit covered with various weapons, pouches, and pockets. The dark red cape she wore looked dirty and tattered. What I found incredibly odd though was the black strip of cloth covering her eyes.

“Do you always tie up your guests?” I asked, being more annoyed with the heavy blanket than actually being held captive at the moment. She smirked at me.

“Only if they have as much spirit as you do. What’s your name, kid?” she asked.

“Irritated, now let me up before I melt under this thing!” I snapped back. I wasn’t in the mood for formalities, especially a kidnapper. The strange woman came closer to the couch and put a knife to my throat. The cold blade against my sweaty skin only mocked my situation.

“Name,” she whispered in my ear.

I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered through clenched teeth, “Not telling.”

Thankfully, she removed the blade. I let out the breath I had been holding and involuntarily shivered. As if this insane woman wasn’t creepy enough, that last move really had me freaking out now. All at once, the heavy blanket was yanked off and a refreshing wave of cool air greeted me. I took a deep breath and sighed. I looked down to see my hands and feet tied with rope and my clothing stained black. I bit back tears when I remembered how I got to this new land.

“It’s odd that you know that,” the woman said.

“Wha-?” I turned to see her sitting in a chair near the fire.

“You had a strong connection to your original. That’s intriguing,” she continued.

I was really confused now. Original? What in the world was she talking about?

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” I said, hoping she would actually believe me. Who knows what was going on in that crazy lady’s head…

But she ignored me and continued speaking. “The sands of time are shifting in Thorae. Change is coming, great change. I can see it.”

You know someone needs to be in a mental hospital if they think they can still see when they’re obviously blind. I figured my best bet is getting out of these ropes and hightailing it as far away as possible. I twisted my hands and tried quietly wriggling them out of the rope. My arms felt like noodles and the rope harshly cut into my wrists, but I kept trying. Keeping an eye on the woman, I watched her use a stick to prod a black pot hanging over the fire. She suddenly turned to me and I froze. If she weren’t wearing a blindfold, she probably would have been making direct eye contact. I knew she couldn’t see me through the blindfold, but I was too afraid to move a muscle. Who is this freak of nature?

“Nathalia,” she said. Before I said a word, she answered my question for me. “My name is Nathalia,” She turned back to the fire as she continued, “You should know the name of your fear.”

“I don’t fear you!” I burst without thinking. I had surprising confidence, considering I was absolutely terrified of being around this woman.

“You will,” Nathalia said plainly as she took the pot off the fire and placed it on a nearby table. She grabbed my bound hands and pulled me forward so I could sit up. It’s actually quite pathetic how I was too weak to even do that by myself. Either that or I simply didn’t want to put in the effort. I brushed the thought aside when Nathalia brought a spoonful of steaming broth to my face. Despite how hungry I was, I kept my mouth closed. There was no way I was going to let some crazy blind woman feed me. For all I know, she might poke my eye out with a spoon, accidental or not.

She waited a few moments before putting the spoon back into the bowl. “You sure are a handful,” she said as she stood up. “Fine. Starve.” She walked away and I heard a door shut.

Finally! She’s gone. I looked around and spotted a dagger next to the bowl of soup. I reached for it, thankful that I could at least move a little more without too much trouble. I grabbed the knife and started cutting the rope. It cut through easier than I expected and my hands were free within seconds. My feet were next. Instead of trying to find a way out of the place, like I probably should have, I grabbed the bowl of soup and downed it in seconds. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate and the soup smelled too delicious to pass up. I didn’t even care if I died of food poisoning, as long as I died warm and filled. 

With the salty taste of chicken still on my tongue, I spooned out another bowl and ate that as well.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself to my feet. I wobbled some and my whole body wouldn’t stop trembling, but I was standing and that was good enough for me. I spotted the door and bolted for it. I stumbled and tripped over every object in the room on the way to the door, but I wasn’t stopping for anything short of freedom. Once I made it to the exit, I yanked on the handle and swung the door open. 

A blast of icy cold wind and snow met me, but I ignorantly plowed through anyway. I got about ten feet from the door when it hit me that I just ran into a blizzard. Forethought isn’t exactly my strong suit.

The snow-covered ground had already started numbing my feet. It was already dark outside, but the harsh wind and snow made it even more difficult to see. I wrapped my arms around myself in an effort to cease my violent shaking, but such was futile. I started to feel lightheaded and I could feel myself start to fall. Something grabbed me from behind. I vaguely remember the blinding snow disappearing into darkness and warmth replacing the cold. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the couch again with a blanket wrapped around me. Nathalia was sitting in a chair across from me, sharpening a dagger.

“You’re going to have problems if you keep running into life threatening situations like that,” she said calmly. “But who am I to take the fun out of life? I don’t know of any escape attempt more amusing than the one you just pulled.”

I winced as my feet slowly regained feeling. “Please, just let me go,” I weakly pleaded.

She laughed. “So full of spirit... In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a storm outside. We’re both stuck here until it passes, so lighten up.” She swung her legs over the arm of her chair and sunk into the seat. “You should really try coming up with a plan before attempting an escape like that.”

“You’re right,” I said with my teeth still chattering a little. “Next time I’ll be sure to knock you unconscious before running.”

“Thanks for the warning,” she answered with a smirk. “Are you always so troublesome? It’s quite sad.”

I glared at her, but didn’t say a word. I considered throwing the pot of broth at her more than a few times, but restrained myself because I couldn’t think of what to do after that. Such an action would probably produce some very bad results if I weren’t able to get away immediately. We probably would have sat like this for a few hours had Nathalia not stood up to leave.

“Good night,” she said cheerfully and walked into a back room. 

It wasn’t until after I heard the door slam shut that I shouted, “Not if you wake up with a knife in your back!” I heard something slide against the door, presumably a lock. Sighing, I got up and walked to the door behind which the wind was howling outside. I opened the door a crack to peek out. It was still snowing heavily. I closed the door and went back to sitting on the couch.

“It’s no use. Even if I ran…” I slowly admitted to myself the undeniable fact that I had nowhere else to go. I wouldn’t make it very far without proper gear anyway. I curled up on the couch and felt myself drifting off to sleep.