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

into an exhausted,
dreamless oblivion.
     
    ***
     
    Hunger
pains awoke Raedwyn from a deep sleep. Her stomach gurgled loudly, reminding
her she had not eaten since the morning of the day before. Damp and aching,
Raedwyn wriggled out from the undergrowth and blinked like a sleepy owl. She rubbed
her gritty eyes and looked up, surprised to see the sun already high in a
cloudless, blue sky. She had slept for a lot longer than she had intended. She
only hoped her hunters had overtaken her by now.
    Raedwyn
knelt over the river’s edge and splashed water over her face. The shock of the
cold water cleared the last vestiges of sleep and sharpened her senses. She
took a long drink from the river and felt her stomach pangs ease somewhat.
However, it was no substitute for food.
    After a
brisk wash in the river, her skin now tingling from cold, Raedwyn broke her
fast with a few handfuls of juicy blackberries. Then she set off again,
following last night’s route upstream. For some reason, she felt safer
following the river. Since she was now completely lost within the woods, the
river represented the only landmark she could steer by.
    The day
grew steadily warmer and sweat soon trickled down between Raedwyn’s breasts and
shoulder blades. The woods grew denser and this worried Raedwyn. If she had
been traveling in the right direction, surely the woods would have given way to
open country by now. Raedwyn had the niggling feeling she had made a mistake,
but she was so intent on escaping Ceolwulf that she decided it was better to
continue this way rather than turn back and risk capture. As she journeyed on,
Raedwyn kept her senses sharp for any sign that Ceolwulf’s men had picked up
her trail. However, apart from the chatter of birds, the forest was silent and
Raedwyn began to hope that she really had escaped. 
    Hunger
gnawed at Raedwyn’s belly as she walked. Apart from the odd handful of
blackberries, she had not eaten in a day and a half. Lack of food sharpened her
senses and made the sights, sounds and smells of the woods even more vivid.
Raedwyn’s skirts were now mud stained and ripped from where she had pushed
through brambles and undergrowth. Burrs matted her travel cloak and mud caked
her boots. She longed to stop by the river and bathe in the cool water but
instead she pushed on. This forest had to end before too long, she told
herself.
    At times,
the trees formed a canopy overhead but despite the warm shafts of sunlight that
filtered down onto the forest floor, Raedwyn could not see what direction the
sun was traveling in. She still journeyed blind, hoping she was heading towards
her father.
    Finally,
the heat of the day waned and dusk approached. So weary that she felt on the
edge of tears, Raedwyn collapsed on the riverbank and pulled off her boots. She
removed her cloak and hitched her skirts high around her hips. Then, with a
sigh of relief, she sank into the cool water and waded into the river. The
water was a soothing balm to her aching feet and tired legs. The river eddied
gently around her legs; the water was brilliantly clear so she could see her
pale feet standing on the pebbly bottom. She splashed water between her legs
and over her face and neck, letting it run down her chest and back under her
scratchy clothing. She longed to undress completely and loll in the river like
an otter but she decided against such recklessness. Ceolwulf’s men were still
pursuing her.
    Dusk cast
a golden hue over the woodland and Raedwyn thought to herself that she had
never been in a place so peaceful and lovely. She straightened up from washing
and listened to the evening chorus of birdcalls. She could live in a place such
as this.
    Then, all
at once, Raedwyn knew she was no longer alone. The sense that she was being
watched caused the fine hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. Raedwyn’s
empty stomach twisted itself into a hard ball. She had relaxed too soon.
Slowly, Raedwyn turned back towards the riverbank. Her heart