TRACES SPRING 2017 | Page 55

the Princess forest on horseback. In fact, she would usually move away from them to make sure she wasn’t spotted. Unlikely though it was, Ingrid was afraid that they were knights sent to look for her to drag her back to her gilded cage. It was during one of those times where Ingrid came across it. The horses that Ingrid had heard were unusually close that time and, although she knew it could have been her imagination, she was sure that she heard her name being called. In her panic, she simply started running in the opposite directions of the horses. It had been around noon when she had started and she had stopped at dusk. Gasping, she sat down and took of her shoes. Her feet were bloody and covered with blisters. She cursed at the sight. Ingrid collapsed and stared up at the sky. She cursed once more when she felt a raindrop on her cheek. Dragging her weary body to its feet, she limped along, searching for some form of shelter. After what had seemed like days of walking, although it was more like an hour, Ingrid came across a cave. “Thank God,” Ingrid murmured as she haltingly made her way to the cave. A small part of her wanted to be cautious because of the dangers that could lurk in the dark cavern but the rest of her was far too exhausted to care. She curled up in the entrance, not wanting to go too far in, just outside of the rain. Her body shivered violently and for the first time since she had left, she wished that she hadn’t run away. Sleep pulled at her eyelids and against her better judgement, she fell asleep. “What the actual hell?” a voice growled. Ingrid slowly woke from her slumber to see what looked like the head of a giant lizard staring down at her. READ MORE HERE BY: NOEL BASS-RILEY