Isabella O’Brien froze behind the stone wall as the palace guards strolled through the courtyard. Afraid to turn her head and be spotted, she observed their shadows on the dirt path. Beads of sweat formed on her brow from the blistering rays of sunlight. She feared her handmaidens would soon notice her absence and notify the castle sentries. Quelling her rising anxiety, Isabella knew a cautious approach would aid in evading capture. Watching the guard’s silhouettes pass and disappear, she gathered her courage to sprint to the next area of safety. Turning her head, she confirmed her solitude before dashing through the square.

Heart pounding, she hurried the distance to the grey retaining wall. Safely arriving at the partition, she glanced down the lanes to ensure no one witnessed her movements. Isabella knew daytime held her best chance of escaping as most of the castle occupants were nocturnal. The vampire townsfolk were deep in slumber with only a scarce number of residents out during sunlight hours. The sleeping residents remained oblivious to the latest judgements announced by the Golden Oracle Council. In the secrecy of daylight as the citizens snoozed, the Council had stealthily approved its most wounding set of rulings.

Earlier her handmaiden sheepishly informed her of the Council’s decree that witches of a certain age must procure an heir within a year. Isabella was included in this ruling demanding she bear a child. She recognized the birth rate within the Malagi waned, but she recoiled in disgust to have this decision forced upon her. She held no aversion to children, but she had not foreseen them in her future when she married her vampire husband. Two years prior Nathanial and Isabella’s marriage was arranged mainly for political reasons. He took her as his bride to solidify the relationship between the Malagi and Dulra. As a mortal witch could not procreate with a vampire, this judgement from the Golden Oracle Council meant Isabella must lay with a warlock outside of her marriage.

Travelling the length of the grey retaining wall, Isabella shuddered at the thought of propagating with a stranger. She would rather face an unknown future outside of the kingdom than be forced into a decision she was uncomfortable with. In the partition, she came across an oval opening with footpaths branching out in different directions. She heard the path with the blacksmith’s hut on the corner ran parallel to the outer barrier wall. Instead of rushing, she began to casually stroll down this path confident she could explain she was merely observing the kingdom if she bumped into an inquisitive villager. Isabella had based her route on royal court gossip that described a concealed entrance hidden behind the horse stables.

If Isabella were honest, this was not the first time she entertained the idea of fleeing the kingdom. When she first arrived at Barn Castle a couple years ago, Isabella thought of escaping frequently. This barren land of dirt and stone could not compare to the rolling green fields and lush leafy trees she called home. Even though she had no homestead to return to, she dreamed of returning to Hibernia to be close to the fauna and flora. Isabella was a Malagi, a witch, and her powers were derived from the natural world. This desolate landscape was home to the Dulra – the vampires.

She held no ill will towards the Dulra as they were one of many supernatural species protected by the Golden Oracle Council. The Council with their rules and regulations shielded most of the mystical creatures from persecution by the mortals. Certain stragglers that refused to be governed often met with torture and horrific death at the hands of the humans. Whispers at court described mortal men that hunted supernatural beings for sport. Isabella’s pages and maids told tales of a feared hunter called the Black Knight. Except she remained unsure of how much information was based in truth and how much was based in myth. Isabella, still slightly fearful would rather face these unknown dangers instead of forced into an unknown union.

Isabella approached the stone horse stables with a slight hesitation in her step. She could change her mind and return to her room in the castle vowing to battle the Council’s decree. If she left this fortress, she would have to contend with the dangers outside of these walls. Coming to a halt in the middle of the dirt path, Isabella battled herself with her decision. Backing down from a battle was not her style, but she knew the Council had never rescinded their rules. A deep aching sorrow crept up on Isabella as she admitted she had not felt content within this castle. Living by others rules and regulations made her feel as if she was drowning in sorrow. She could not accept this rule of mating with a complete stranger as normal. She had to leave.

Confident in her choice, Isabella trudged through the extra hay surrounding the stone building. She moved to the back of the stables as she ran her hands along the stone exterior wall. The weathered stones were rough on her fingertips as she watched for abnormalities. Isabella was rewarded when she felt a stone move at her fingers. Crouching at the spot, she placed both hands on the stone and lightly pulled until she saw blue sky from the hole. She gently set the stone on the ground and looked up to see the adjacent rocks were loosely set in place. Isabella began to remove the stones one by one speeding up as she went.

She removed more than twenty rocks as they lay piled up around her feet. It left a sizeable gap in the exterior wall she could easily crouch through. Isabella poked her head out to view if anyone was present on the other side of the wall. She knew the Vilkros guarded the exterior of the castle during the day. Vilkros were mortals with the ability to transform into wolf-like beasts. Isabella feared the creatures would rip and tear first and then ask questions later. She did not see another soul outside of the castle exterior. Slipping through the gap, part of her hem of her blue dress got caught on a ragged rock. Isabella pulled at the material tearing a small hole in the fabric of her dress.

She cursed under her breath as she turned to restack the stones. Isabella sat on her knees and began quickly setting stones on top of each other. She had only started restacking when she spotted a robust man walking on the dirt footpath. When he noticed her, she gave up on the stones, stood and quickly ran over the grassy pad. She heard him shout at her. “Hey there, what are you doing?” It was only a few feet of grass before the land dropped off at a sharp edge. Isabella balanced on this edge as she had a good look downwards. She knew the castle was built on top of a mountain, but honestly she never thought she would get this far in her plan. She looked down at the steep rocky path. “Hey come back here!” The voice became louder and she decided to take her chances on the steep incline.

Isabella placed a foot down on the rocks and her foot slid taking the rest of her with it. She began tumbling down the incline head over feet. Feeling the heavy thuds on her body, she desperately reached out with her hands trying to grasp onto anything to stop her continuous roll. Fear mixed with blinding pain as she toppled her way down the mountainside. She finally came to a stop on the side of the dirt road. Isabella dazed and confused pushed herself to stand up on the gravel path as she heard more men shouting. She checked herself over quickly as her fancy dress was dusty and torn in certain sections. Small cuts on her arms and legs were freshly bleeding as she lurched over the dirt road.

Stumbling to the next edge of the mountainside, she could see this incline was not as steep. The men shouting in the distance made her more determined to escape. Missing her shoe, she placed her foot onto the next incline, and she did not immediately slide down. Isabella set her other foot over the side and in a controlled manner slid down. She did not topple over as before, but she could feel minor pains in her feet and legs. Isabella’s heart sped up in her chest as the sound of men shouting, the sound of hooves pounding, and the sound of branches below her breaking. She successfully completed this slide and limped her way over to the next edge. The appearance of green grass and large trees made her feel inspired she was coming to the end of the mountain.

This time she felt cool grass on her torn feet as she could now run down this grassy incline. Isabella moved fast as she could as the sounds of the chase grew louder. She spotted a brown beastlike figure on the side of the grassy hill bolting at her. She raced it down the hill until it collided with her taking her off her feet. She tumbled into the grass along with the beast until she came to a stop lying on her stomach. Isabella’s head spun as she looked up to see a group of men rushing at her. But she noticed a young blonde woman standing tall over her. She wanted to reach out and ask her for help when she heard a man shout. “We have her. We have the Queen.” And Isabella passed out.