Skip to main content

Star Crossed Lovers

                                     CHAPTER ONE


   The woods were dark as a raven’s hide and the only light was from the full moon. I didn’t pause to admire its beauty, I ran. I ran like my life depended on it because yeah, it kinda did. I could hear the sound of feet pounding the forest floor, matching my own in this frenzied chase. What it was, I didn’t know. I only knew the why. I had to strain my eyes to avoid running into trees because I couldn’t afford to give It any chance of catching up to me. 

   My chest hurt, my breaths coming in short bursts. I could feel my heart working overtime to keep up with the strain I was exerting on it. Air, I need more air. I felt lightheaded, my vision disoriented, slowly failing me in my hour of need. And still, It chased me, not affected in the slightest. Just a little bit more, I thought. The Cottage was just a little ahead. It was my sanctuary.       

   Once inside, I’d be safe from the creature of the night that hunted me. For it was the Hunter and I, It’s prey. Even with these thoughts, I could feel myself slowing down, my body unable to handle the lack of air, my limbs ready to fall off. 

   I have to stop, my body screamed at me. But I knew to do that would mean certain death. I fell face forward towards the ground, the earth rising to meet me. My body had betrayed me. 

   And then I saw It. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. Large, black, and grotesque. So hairy I couldn’t tell how many limbs it had, where one ended and the other began. It leaped right above me on all limbs. I looked into Its eyes and felt the world stop. It was like the world had come to a stand-still to mark this incredible moment. The moment I died. Because that was what I felt when I stared into Its eyes. I saw my death. Those bottomless globes of despair, terror, and a promise of great suffering, for I knew I was done for. There was no escape. All those years of training, eluding danger, living a careful life. All of it pointless, just to die in the beast’s lair. The irony did not elude me. 

   I closed my eyes, welcoming the slash of Its claw, the death blow that would leave me bleeding out into the earth for a long time in agony before my heart gave out from the lack of blood or shock. 

   The sound of steel clashing against bone made me lookup. It let out a blood-curdling scream that split the night air into two. I’m almost certain the whole county heard it. It reared off of me and turned to face the assailant. I was too weak and in too much shock to rise and get a look at my savior. Friend or foe, I didn’t care at this point. They were after the beast. That was all that mattered. 

   No. I used the last of my strength to push myself up. It was too much. I felt my head fall back to the ground with a muffled bang. I passed out. 

   The next thing I know, I’m waking up to the smell of infused herbs and freshly baked bread. Mmmm, I thought. I tried prying my eyes open, but they wouldn't budge. Afraid I’d lost my sight, I panicked and sat up so fast, my head spun. 

   “You should lie back down, you’re still unwell. Don’t worry about your eyes, I put soothing balm on them. You banged your head pretty bad, which caused some blood to flow into your eyes. It’ll clear up.” I heard a man’s voice say.

   That made me relax a little, and I laid back down against the soft cotton pillows of what must be the bed I was lying on. The next second though, I was shooting up again. Last night came back to me and with it the stranger that saved me from the beast. I remembered my last thought, friend or foe, and discovered now that the threat of the beast was gone, I did care. I didn’t want to be at the mercy of an enemy. 

   “Who are you?” I asked sharply. I could feel the harshness of my voice and was glad for it. I may be weakened but I was not afraid. 

   “Here,” he said, rubbing a cool towel over my eyes, first one then the other, “you can open them now.”

   I slowly pried them open and immediately shut them closed in the sudden bright light. That hurt. Let’s do this slowly then. I opened them bit by bit to get them accustomed to the brightness. After a few more tries, it didn’t hurt as much.

   He was standing over me, a little distance away but still close enough for me to make out his features. Dark hair that fell over his face, brown careful eyes that watched me warily. His nose was straight as a pin. Oval-shaped face and full lips. He was obviously handsome but that wasn’t my concern at the moment. I took the rest of him in as I slowly moved to the other side of the bed, away from him and creating enough room to act swiftly in case of a sudden attack. He was about 6’1, strongly built, and had a bearing that screamed years of disciplined training. Probably military. Left-handed, from his sword belt. Strong, very strong. Good. If we were allies, that’d come in handy. If we were enemies, then that would be trouble.

   “Where are we? And who are you?”, I asked.

   “We are in the sanctuary. The Cottage, if you will.”

   I noticed he avoided my more important question. I let it go for the moment, if he could enter the sanctuary then he was no dark entity. That didn’t make us allies yet though.

   He saw my inquiring look and humored me with an answer, 

“The beast is weakened for now. It’ll stay away until it’s nursed Its wound. We’ll have to move as soon as you’re well enough to walk. We’re safe here for now, but soon It’ll find a way to breach this place. Its protection has weakened over the years.”

   “Good. We’ll talk about how you know about this place later. Right now, I need to regain my strength. And...I’m starving.”

   “Here, I made breakfast. Eat. We have a lot to do before dark,” he said, handing a plate of the bread I’d smelt earlier and a mug of grounded herb infusion. 

   I eyed the food warily. He raised an eyebrow, bit off a piece of the bread, and took a sip of the tea. Not poisoned then, I suppose. Unless he’d taken an antidote. But I wasn’t lying when I said I was starving, so without further hesitation, I dived in. He was a good cook, I’d hand him that. 

   He took a seat across from me and watched me eat with no expression on his face. When I was done, he cleared his throat, leaned forward then fixed me with a stern glare. 

   “Who are you?”

   “What?”

   “I know your name. I don’t know why the Elders would send me to protect you. You don’t seem that important, after last night.” He said that without sounding condescending.

   I chuckled inside. Boy, he had no idea.    

   This is going to be so much fun. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Interview With Khalil Nur Khalil: Executive Secretary of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA)

   On Sunday, the 16th of January 2021, I had the opportunity to sit down with Khalil Nur Khalil, the rising and hardworking new Executive Secretary of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency. He’s the brain behind all the newly constructed infrastructure, transforming Kaduna into a millennial city in its own rights, and on its way to becoming the future hub of Africa. We had some interesting discussions that revolved around economics, life philosophies, unemployment in Nigeria, cryptocurrency, and dealing with burn outs. Read on!  Aisha : At this point, I think the world knows who Khalil Nur Khalil is but can you briefly introduce yourself please? Khalil: Hello Aisha, my name is Khalil Nur Khalil. I am the Executive Secretary of KADIPA (Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency).     Aisha: What drives/what motivates you? What makes you get up every morning even when you’re on the threshold of burn out, and keeps you going? What is the biggest contributing factor?  Kh...

Infidelity: What Makes People Cheat?

Hi guys. It’s me. Again. You’re probably rolling your eyes right about now. I know. Hah. So last night whilst trying desperately, and failing to fall asleep, I decided to go on Quora and I came across an article on something very close to my heart. Infidelity.  For as long as I can remember, as far back as my teenage years, around the time I stopped thinking the opposite sex was a bunch of sniveling gits, I’ve always had a strong principled zero tolerance for cheating. My views might’ve been unrealistic at the time as I believed if you love someone, you wouldn’t even be tempted to betray their trust and loyalty, which is the end result of infidelity. But as I grew older, and began to see the world in a new light, I’ve come to realize that not everything is as black and white as I’ve always thought. There is right, there is wrong and there is that middle ground, in-between right and wrong, good and bad, influenced by confounders. And this, technically also applies to infidelity. Now...

Star Crossed Lovers

                           PROLOGUE     Silence. Deafening silence. That’s when I realized something was wrong. Not even the rustling of a leaf could be heard. My heart pounding, I gathered my skirts and ran. I didn’t run away, I ran towards the danger. Oh God, please...My breathing was getting erratic, I was falling over the overgrown roots and tree barks and still, I ran. I was gasping for air by the time I came upon him.    I could feel the moment my heart dropped to my stomach. It was as though the world had stopped, just me and him, the clearing....and the blood. Oh, the blood. I’d never seen so much blood flow from one person.     I inched closer, afraid of what I’d find. Don't let him be dead please, I prayed. I bent down a little unsteadily and fell forward on his chest. He wasn't moving. Maybe I was too panicked. I raised my head, and placed my hand on his face, slowly inchi...