Free AutumnQuest by Terie Garrison

passed through shrubby areas, the Guardsman let the branches slap me in the face after he passed through. Several times I stumbled over tree roots, each time growing more terrified that I would fall and strangle myself on the hideous leash. At first, I tried to wriggle my hands free, but the rope was too tight, the knots too secure. After an hour, my hands were completely numb.
    We finally reached a stream, and if I’d been able to, I would have cried out in relief. But he lashed me to a nearby tree, then drank his fill, looking up at me with cool, fresh water dripping off his face.
    “Please, water,” I finally managed to croak, deciding that staying alive was more important than maintaining my pride.
    He stood up and came over to me, leaning a hand against the tree and peering into my eyes. “My orders are to bring you in. They don’t specify ‘alive.’”
    Tears welled up in my eyes, though I tried to blink them away. They only made him laugh as he untied the rope from the tree and led me on.
    The afternoon was lost in a haze of thirst, pain, and fear. As we walked, he remained silent, and there was always the very real danger of my falling down as I grew weaker and weaker. My tongue seemed to swell in my mouth, threatening to choke me.
    Eventually, the light began to fail as evening arrived. This time, he let me sit down before tying the leash to a tree. My hands were numb, but that didn’t keep pain from shooting up my arms as they were crushed against the tree trunk.
    The Guardsman started a campfire and cooked a delicious smelling stew. He ate it greedily, watching me the whole time. He also drank from a skin, but I doubted it was water. Not that I cared by that time; any liquid at all would have been welcome.
    He stood up and came over to me. He untied the rope from the tree and pulled me to my feet. The noose tightened a little more. With the rope held taut, he ran a fingertip gently down my cheek. “Are you going to be a good girl and behave yourself?” I simply nodded, silently begging him to let me have some water, even just a mouthful. He pressed his body closer. If it had been possible, I would have shrunk away from his touch. A sense of utter helplessness washed over me. I closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears from leaking out, as his hand slid down my sleeve. My heart beat faster, my mouth went drier—if that were possible—and I wished desperately that I could simply pass out.
    Then came the sound of something moving through the trees nearby.
    “Damn! My mates are here too early.”
    I opened my eyes as he let go of the rope and stepped away. The thrashing sound came closer, and the man opened his mouth, presumably to call to the others. But no sound came out, and the smile on his face turned into a look of absolute terror.
    I tried to look over my shoulder to see what could possibly frighten a man such as he, but I couldn’t see anything. He backed up a few steps, turned around, and raced away, crashing through the undergrowth and leaving me alone to face whatever it was that had terrified him.
    “Coward.” The word echoed inside my head, but hadn’t come from me. Must be my imagination, I thought. Now I stepped away from the tree and looked behind. What I saw made me gasp aloud and take an involuntary step backwards.
    At first I thought it was a trick of the shadows and the tail end of daylight. But, no, the lines were too well defined. A hallucination brought on by thirst and fear? No, one suffering a hallucination didn’t recognize it as such. In truth, a huge red dragon towered amongst the trees, flexing its wings and flicking its tongue in and out. Reared back on its hind legs, forelegs with their terrifyingly sharp talons slashing the air, it would, I felt sure, shred me to ribbons any moment now.
    “Is it you?” Once again, words not of my own inside my head.
    “Who is that?” I tried to speak aloud, but my parched mouth made it come out as a squeak.
    Then, as I watched, the