Free Fabled by Vanessa K. Eccles

ground and snapped at their fragilely exposed necks. The men tried to run back to the carriage, but the enormous wolf snatched them back and pinned them down, each with one paw.  
    “Come on!” cried Chester. We both ran into the woods until our legs collapsed with exhaustion.  
    “That must have been the same thing I scared off in the woods earlier,” he said while struggling to catch his breath.
    “A wolf?”
    “It appears so, but I’ve never seen one that large. Anyway, the guys’ camp is near here. We will be safe there until we can figure out where to go next,” he told me. I tried to believe him. Needed to believe that we’d be safe, but safety was becoming an unrealistic expectation here.  
    We walked until we saw a wide clearing. I got a little ahead of Chester for a minute and walked into something unseen. “Oh no,” Chester complained.
    Next thing I knew, the little men were belting rocks at us. We hid behind two trees while Chester explained to them that it was just us. The area must have been booby-trapped, and because almost nothing could be seen through the dense fog, they couldn’t have known who was invading their territory.
    “You know the code, Ches. Why did ya have to go and get us all rallied up for?” one of them murmured.
    “I’m sorry,” he said giving me a quick, resentful stare. I mouthed to him that I was sorry.  
    “Come on, then,” a couple of them said in unison. They all motioned with their hands for us to follow them, so we did. Chester still held my hand tight, as if I would ever let him out of my sight again.
    We approached a large rock. There were runes written on the side of it. I only knew what runes were because of reading The Lord of the Rings when I was younger. I watched as one of them traced the symbols with their fingers. The phrase lit up bright green when he was finished. Then I heard something like an internal lock unlock. Another man slid the rock, effortlessly, which revealed a spiral staircase that led into the cold ground.  
    Another hole, I thought. I can add holes to the list of things I’m afraid of now. One of them led the way, and the others waited for us to go before them. Candles, periodically placed on stands attached to the earth’s walls, lit the stairs. About halfway down, the rock opening closed and locked. I pushed myself forward, trying not to think about being in another pit.  
    At the landing, I saw that the room opened up into a large living area. A fire burned in a stone fireplace. Cozy, though small, chairs and sofas were scattered around the room. The floor was dirt, but the walls were a mix of earth, brick, wood, and stone. It was lovely, really.  
    A few minutes later, we were shown where we would be sleeping. The men carried us deeper into their burrowed dwelling. Large wooden beams braced the narrow hall and framed it from one end to the other. Rows of bunks, three beds up, lined either side.
    “Pick whichever ones yous guys want. If you need something in the middle of the night, you can find us across the way.” One pointed to another hall that was adjacent from where we stood, separated by the living area.  
    “Do y’all have many guests?” I asked, wondering why they had so many beds.
    “There used to be a lot more of us,” another said in a somber voice and hung his head in sadness. Guilt swept over me.  
    “Oh. I’m sorry,” I whispered.
    We were summoned for supper. We sat at a huge wooden table and benches, much like the one I ate at in the Tresels’ kitchen. I watched as the men ate their soup hurriedly, missing their mouths more than ringing them.  
    Afterwards, we all sat by the fire watching it dance among the bricks and sipped tea. We resisted the results of a long, tiring day until finally one of them suggested that we all “hit the sack.” I couldn’t have agreed more. I’d been fighting sleep since supper started. Chester and I walked down our lonesome hall, and I plopped on the lowest bunked