Free Dark Under the Cover of Night (The Kingdom of the East Angles Book 1) by Jayne Castel Page A

could see the glow of fires and the shadows of men
moving about indoors. Nearby, she saw the outline of one or two of them
patrolling the area. Raedwyn’s heart was now thundering in her ears. She could
either run like a hare for the trees or sneak quietly, flitting in and out of
shadows until she reached safety.
    She chose
the second option.
    Raedwyn
moved from her hiding place and, with the hood of her cloak pulled up around
her head, crept in-between the huts towards the woods. She was but yards from
the trees, and passing the last hut, when she heard the sound of footfalls. A
man emerged from the doorway behind her. Raedwyn dove behind the hut and
cowered in the shadows as he wandered over to the trees. The man unfastened his
breeches and relieved himself in the undergrowth. Raedwyn flattened herself
against the damp ground, praying her dark cloak would camouflage her in the
darkness. The man took his time relieving himself and farted loudly before
making his way back to his hut. Raedwyn guessed from the unsteady way he was
walking that the man was drunk. He staggered past Raedwyn and ducked back into
his hut.
    Raedwyn
lay there, frozen with fright for a moment or two before she slowly got up and
dove for the sheltering boughs of the woods. Inside the protective shadow of
the trees, Raedwyn grinned in the darkness.
    I’ve
escaped – I’m free.
    Wrapping
her cloak tightly around her, Raedwyn attempted to orientate herself. She had
no idea which way was north, east, south or west. She had no idea in what
direction Rendlaesham was, but she was free and she intended to remain so. She
decided that the best route was a straight one, as far from Ceolwulf and his
minions as possible. She cared not if she became lost in the forest, for then
nobody would find her.
    Raedwyn
moved through the trees away from the sounds and smells of civilization, into a
dark, primeval world where the only sounds were those of night creatures,
rustling in the undergrowth or screeching overhead; and the only smells were
forest scents. In truth, Raedwyn was terrified of being in the woods alone at
night. She tried not to think of the wild boars or wolves that inhabited the
forest.
    Darkness
cloaked the woods. The moon had not yet risen, and so Raedwyn fled blindly,
away from her captors.
     
    ***
     
    The
half-moon was rising into the night sky when Raedwyn heard the far off shouts
of men behind her and knew they had discovered her absence. Drenched with
sweat, her heart now hammering from exertion rather than fear, Raedwyn halted
for a moment, listening to the sounds of her hunters. Every muscle in her body
tensed, like a deer sensing a predator nearby.
    The hoary
light of the moon turned the forest into an ethereal landscape. Raedwyn had
reached a small stream. It burbled gently and twinkled in the moonlight.
Raedwyn stepped into the cool water and felt it soak through her boots. She
waded upstream in an attempt to mask her trail from her stalkers.
    Raedwyn
knew not how long or far she fled. She thought of nothing but escape. Finally,
scratched, aching and almost collapsing from exhaustion, Raedwyn realized she
no longer heard those who hunted her. She knew it was still not safe to tarry
but she could go no farther. She had to rest, and she needed to find a safe
place to do so.
    The stream
had widened to a lazy river and the bank rose up steeply on one side. A narrow
cleft cut into the bank, obscured by a fringe of thick undergrowth. Raedwyn
wriggled under the cloaking underbrush, ducking her head to avoid catching her
hair in the brambles. It was a snug fit and in normal circumstances Raedwyn
would have worried her hiding place was some unfriendly forest creature’s home,
but such was her exhaustion that the damp, mossy ground felt like the softest
fur bed and she did not care if she had to share it.
    Trembling,
Raedwyn pulled her hood up over her face, curled up into a ball and pulled her
cloak tightly about her. Sleep swallowed her and she sank