Free Fairy Flavor by Anna Keraleigh

Her camera
    lay atop, and she smiled. She couldn’t wait to add to her collection, to
    document her new life, to really smile for the camera with Carrick in her arms.
    She closed her eyes. This was the right choice.
    She never really liked being a lawyer anyway. The clothes sucked.
    Now she could be naked all day, which was always a bonus. “I think this is
    it…” She threw her contact book in the box, gathered it in her arms and headed
    toward her men. Her men, what a beautiful saying.
    “Run!” Wick screamed the word, shoved her screen door open with
    enough blood running down his face to cause her to freeze in panic. “Brook,
    run! Trolls!” He turned, raised his sword, and she took off at a sprint.
    She hadn’t even waited to finally catch a glimpse of a troll. It had to be
    them. What else would be chasing her? Steps blurred as she hauled her butt
    through the kitchen and jerked the back door open. She had to get to Carrick,
    warn him and get help for the others. Her pulse raced as her feet sunk in the
    soft grass. Brook headed straight for that horizon with her lungs beginning to
    burn and her head aching. She would not stop. It was a silent vow. A
    determination she would not falter.
    The sun was setting, and she ran toward the failing light. She could
    hear screeches, prayed it was her fairies doing the killing and kept going. She
    would not last long, but hopefully, long enough to find that willow tree and
    Carrick. Land stretched behind her, she shot through the field of long grass that
    stretched her property. Keep going. She had to keep running. Although by now,
    her run was more of a jog, but she wouldn’t slow anymore. There was no time
    to catch her breath; she had to get more fairies. There was that noise again, a
    screech.
    “Fuck…” It was much closer. She angled her path, aimed for the line of
    trees dense enough to hide her. The last thing she needed was to be captured.
    Of course, the ache that started in her side seriously slowed her down.
    The trees added to her lack of sight as daylight dwindled. Another high-
    pitched screech, she finally reached the shade of the trees. Running further
    inland and stopping behind a huge oak. She bent as her side ached fiercely. Her
    gasping was so damn loud she couldn’t hear anything else, and her head
    thumped along with her pulse.
    “Carrick…” she whispered his name, looked around and took a few
    steps. She was almost there. Another few minutes and she would see the tree,
    another ten to get beneath it. It didn’t matter that she was ready to collapse
    from exhaustion or fear. The adrenaline was still pumping; she would use that
    to her advantage. Brook grabbed her painful side, squeezed as she picked up
    her speed. She loathed jogging.
    Brook skidded to a stop. Holding her breath as the sounds of feet
    crunching debris came closer. She would make it. She would make it.
    Grinding her teeth, she took off again. She kicked hard against the
    ground and charged past trees. She would make it; she screamed the words in
    her head. Created a mantra and burst from the woods. Over the hill, she just
    had to get over a green hill. Her fingers dug into cool dirt, some nails broke
    under the strain as her heels pressed firmly against anything for leverage.
    When the tree roots thinned out, she used sheer determination. She dug deeper
    with her fingers, her breath erratic while she pulled herself higher. This was
    not a damn hill. It was a fucking mountain. Higher, further, she could do this.
    A warm hand wrapped around her ankle. It tugged as she glanced
    backward. “Oh, hell no…” Trolls. “Ugly mother fuckers.” She used her free
    leg to kick the face, sent it spiraling backward into more of them. They were
    better climbers than she was. She looked upward, almost there. She was too
    close to fail.
    “Carrick!” she cried out, another hand grabbed her. This time, it also
    snatched her other leg and yanked. The force separated her from the hill;