Hunter's Moon by Sophie Masson Page A

Drago’s.
    At first the way was clear. But soon it grew more difficult. The trees grew closer together and prickly thorn bushes spread in every direction. We had to pick our way much more slowly and I began to be seriously concerned.
    â€˜Drago,’ I asked, ‘how much further is it?’
    â€˜Not too far, my lady,’ he replied. ‘And the way will clear soon. You’ll see.’
    But it did not. On and on we went for what seemed like forever, further and further into a tangle of wilderness with seemingly no beginning and no end. And the weather was changing – the sunny day turning overcast – so that in the thickness of the forest, it felt later than it really was.
    I was getting more and more anxious. How long would it be before we got to Mormest? Would I arrive in time to catch the steamer? Would I arrive too late and have to stay overnight? Would my father not wait for me?
    We came to a small clearing. Drago halted. He turned his head to look at me. ‘We’ll have to stop a moment. I need to take our bearings.’
    â€˜Are we lost?’ I cried.
    â€˜We could be. Best if you dismount too, my lady. Tie your horse to that stump a moment while I have a look.’
    I did as I was told and waited anxiously as he took a compass out of his pocket and looked at it, squinted up into the sky, then looked at me. By his expression I knew that what I’d feared was true. We’d gone the wrong way.
    â€˜What are we going to do, Drago?’
    He didn’t reply. He just kept looking at me and all of a sudden I grew nervous.
    â€˜What is it, Drago?’
    â€˜I’m sorry, my lady,’ he said, and in a flash there was a knife in his hand. It was a big hunting knife with a wickedly sharp blade and I knew at once what it was for.
    He moved towards me. For a moment all I could do was stare at death coming for me. My body was rooted to the spot, my mind blocked, my pulse not so much racing as almost still. It was as though I was encased in a sheet of ice, incapable of thought, feeling or action.
    It was only for a moment, though it felt like an eternity. In the next moment, I flung myself down on my knees in front of him, pleading for my life.
    â€˜Anything,’ I wept. ‘You can have anything! Money, jewels, anything you like – everything you want! My father will give you anything …’
    He gave me a hard glance and his mouth twisted. ‘I do not answer to your father.’
    At first I could not take in his meaning. And then I understood. He was not doing this for himself. He was doing this for …
    â€˜I am truly sorry, Lady Bianca,’ he said, almost gently, ‘but you must die. And Lady Belladonna Dalmatin wants your heart as proof that you are dead.’
    Black horror rose in my throat like toxic smoke. Numbly, I whispered, ‘But why, Drago? Why? What have I ever done to deserve this?’
    Something flickered in Drago’s eyes, something I could not read. He pulled me roughly to my feet, the knife inhis other hand, and I thought my last breath had come. But instead of striking me he pushed me away, growling, ‘Go. Go now. Never come back. I will kill a deer and take its heart to my lady in place of yours.’
    When I did not move – for I stood still in shock and confusion – he shouted, ‘Go now, before I change my mind!’
    I did not wait to be told a third time. I ran blindly into the trees, away from Drago, tripping over vines, getting scratched by thorns, with my breath whistling in my throat, my head and heart pounding. I took no notice of where I was going. I knew only that I wanted to get as far away from the clearing as possible.

Seven
    I crashed through the woods till I could run no more and had to stop to draw breath. There was a deep ache in my side and my feet hurt badly, for the soft-soled cream boots I’d been wearing were not meant for a race across rough ground. Looking down at them,