Sweat dripped from Selene's brow and down her face. She was sprinting through the trees, leaping over branches and fallen logs. She scanned the landscape, trying to catch a glimpse of blonde hair or a black and white coat. She considered shouting for the girl but the risk of something else hearing was too great. The last thing she needed was a pack of wolves following her. She didn't even want to think about other demons being around.

Exhaustion dragged at her body, slowing her and making her clumsier. The moon didn't shine through the trees, and Selene couldn't see. She tripped over a rotten log, wood spraying as she toppled to the ground.

She cursed and sat up, looking down at her now bleeding palms. She rested her arms on her knees and hung her head, attempting to catch her breath.

You left them.

No, she killed the demon. Everyone was dead. There was no one else to go back for.

You didn't see his body, she thought to herself.

Lucius could still be alive, running around trying to find her. Little did he know she had already fled into the forest. If he was alive, she knew that he'd suspect she left. There was a big if there. Yet the fact that she didn't have time to bury Jack's body ate at her. He'd be picked apart by animals until he was nothing more than a skeleton. She shook her head to rid the thought before the ball in her throat choked her.

She felt the dagger in her boot digging into her ankle and pulled it out. She brushed the dirt and black blood off the gem, studying it as well as she could in the darkness.

Selene remembered the blade whispering to her in the weapons shop, almost like a breeze or a soft cloth brushing against skin.

The stone showed no signs of glowing, no signs of the magic that had come from it and healed her.

Lucius would have loved to have studied the weapon, to sketch the sheath and the dragon that would look back at him.

She had left him.

As if comforting her, a wind brushed past her, cooling the back of her neck and face. A soft whispering reached her ears.

Come. Follow us.

Selene looked up to see a golden orb. Tendrils of light whirled around it, making it look like smoke. It danced, moving back and forth in jerky movements.

Selene blinked as she realized this was a wisp. She had finally stepped into the forest and they had come to greet her.

Follow us.

Selene wanted to reach out and touch the wisp, to feel what those shining golden tendrils felt like against her rough skin, but she feared she would scare it off.

"Have you seen my friend? She's a little girl. A horse is with her."

The wisp bobbed, as if saying yes, then darted away.

Selene shoved the dagger through her belt and pushed herself up from the ground, running to catch up to the wisp. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, but she just couldn't catch up to it. She only knew the way because of the faint glowing light ahead of her. She followed the wisp for what felt to be about ten minutes. Her throat burned, and she wished she had brought some water with her.

Suddenly the forest grew brighter. The leaves, bark, ferns, grasses, even the bugs all emit a faint glow. It was bright enough to let Selene see where she was going yet faint enough to make her wonder if the plants were actually glowing or if her eyes had just adjusted to the darkness.

She barely had time to think about it as she tried to catch up to the wisp, and when she finally did, she bent over and shut her eyes, trying to catch her breath. They stood on a small rise, one side dropping straight down seven feet to the ground below. The wisp danced around her as she struggled to catch her breath, her legs shaking. She had been running for hours now, from home to town and town to here. Soon, she was going to run out of steam.

Selene looked around, searching for Lily but seeing nothing but strange menacing trees. The wisp continued to dance around her as if telling them they had reached their destination.

"There's nothing here," she told the wisp, her voice finally coming back to her.

The wisp continued to dart around her. Selene stepped forward, out of the wisp's path.

She dared call out, "Lily?"

Only the song of the crickets responded.

"Lily? Are you here?"

Suddenly, a small figure appeared from under the rise Selene stood on. Her hair stood out against the night as if matching the wisp's glow.

"Miss?"

Selene's heart seemed to give a sigh of relief. She climbed down the rise, her muscles shrieking.

Jumping down the last few feet, she raced to Lily and took the girl's face in her hands, searching her for injuries. It seemed she only had a few cuts and scrapes, her elbows were bleeding, and her dress had been ripped open from the upper thigh down.

Lily looked around, "Where's Jack?"

Selene swallowed down the ball in her throat.

"He stayed behind to see if anyone still needed help."

"You don't have to lie to me, miss. I saw bad things too."

Selene wiped the dirt from Lily's cheek, cursing the Angels for forcing her to witness such horrors.

"What do we do now?"

Selene had been so concentrated on surviving that she hadn't planned anything after their escape.

"Right now, we need to put some more distance between us and the town."

"But what about after? Where will we go now?" Lily asked, the sound of her hopelessness breaking Selene's heart.

"We can go anywhere you'd like to. Wherever your heart desires."

Lily bit her cheek, summoning up a destination for them. A small smile spread across her face.

"My Momma used to tell me about the ocean. How there was just water as far as the eye could see. I want to go there."

Selene realized the girl was shivering. She took off her cloak and threw it around the girl.

"Then we go to the ocean."

Selene looked at where Lily had been hiding. There was a small burrow hidden behind a clump of bushes.

Selene hoped she had been alone in that burrow. Then she noticed her horse's absence.

"Where's Kadan?"

"I had to leave him. I put him in a little clearing, but I was hearing noises, miss. He's ok. I'm sure of it."

Worry filled Selene, "Can you take me to him?"

Lily nodded and took Selene's hand, leading her towards her horse.

Now that Selene wasn't sprinting through the foliage, she took in her surroundings.

She had never known why people had named this place the Naiṭ araṇya, but as she looked around, she understood.

A few wisps joined the one that had led Selene and they lit the area around them, bathing it in a golden light. They danced and shot around Lily and her. Even though the little girl's face was swollen from crying, she giggled and reached out her free hand to try and touch the wisps.

Their singing filled Selene's ears as she looked up. The glowing of the leaves made it look like they were in a strange magical world. The canopy shone brighter here than before, even if slightly. It seemed the deeper they went, the brighter the forest would become.

This place had been named for Forest of Night because that's when it came alive. It was strange to think that something this extraordinary was so close to her home. She wondered why she hadn't been able to see the glow from the roof of the barn, but perhaps it was because the moon shone brighter most nights.

They passed a stream and Lily gasped. The water shone blue, flowing upstream instead of down. Selene couldn't help as she reached out a hand and touch the water; it was ice cold and tingled her fingers.

Magic.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Lily asked Selene.

"No. I haven't."

"Look!"

The excitement in Lily's voice made Selene look up from her hand.

Water sprites danced across the water surface as if skating on a lake. Where their small feet touched the water, a brighter glow would shine.

By instinct, Selene pulled Lily back a few steps. She wasn't taking any more chances that day. But these sprites didn't seem aggressive, in fact, they waved and laughed, if you could call it that. They took the shapes of humans, but their features weren't clear. Selene could tell that their hair flowed down behind them and their feet danced across the water, but the more she focused on their faces the hazier they became. One curious sprite came up to Lily, reaching for her hand. The sprite was small enough to look like it could be crushed by the girl if she wanted to.

It poked at her fingers and Lily laughed. Then the sprite giggled, a strange high pitch noise, and gave her back her hand. It danced away to join the others, turning to waved before disappearing upstream.

The wisps continued to follow them as they slowly made their way to Kadan, marveling at the beauty of the forest as they went.

At one point, Lily swore she saw a green fox between the trees. She claimed it had grass growing on its back and fern leaves for a tail. It had shaken its pelt and dandelion fuzz had flown off in the wind.

Selene couldn't help but wish Lucius were here to see it. She knew how badly he had wanted to leave their home and travel the world. Knowing now the secrets this forest held, she was sure he would have stayed here for days, painting until his fingers cramped and then some.

Finally, they reached a clearing. The pines that enclosed this space did glow, but not nearly as much as the other foliage. Stepping into the clearing felt a bit like stepping back into the normal world.

Selene let out a low whistle, used to command the horses to move while plowing the fields. A snort sounded nearby and from within the trees, Kadan appeared. Lily flew forward, embracing one of the horse's legs since she couldn't reach his neck.

"I knew you weren't dead! I told you he wasn't dead."

Selene almost winced at her words.

Dead.

"So you did." She stepped forward to brush at Kadan's forelock and he seemed to look at her as if he were happy she was safe.

"Come on, Lily, we have to get moving."

She picked Lily up and put her on top of Kadan before pulling herself up as well.

She kicked him into a walk, cautious of all the raised roots and rocks.

For the first time, Selene noticed the wisps had abandoned them and the tree's glow had faded completely, sinking them into the black of the night.

She tried not to think about the omen.

***

They moved through the night, not stopping except to drink from a stream.

Both Selene and Lily's stomachs rumbled every few moments. They needed food and soon. Yet they did not stop until the sun shone through the pine trees. Selene slid off of Kadan's back, turning to lightly lift Lily off. The girl had slept for most of the ride, the cloak keeping her warm.

Selene laid the girl down at the base of a tree, between the roots. She couldn't help but imagine her as one of the Nymphs that they'd been told stories about. All she needed was pointed ears and wings.

Selene turned from the girl and ventured into the trees, leaving Kadan to watch and hoping he would alert her to danger. Every urge in her body told her not to leave the girl alone, but they needed food and a young child would make hunting practically impossible.

Selene unsheathed her dagger, the metal singing as she pulled. She walked as quietly as she could, trying to avoid dead leaves and sticks, but Selene was no hunter. It took her a few hours before she saw anything that could be caught.

A young rabbit, barely big enough for one person, sat on its haunches and nibbled on a stalk of grass.

Part of Selene was relieved the animal wasn't a strange creature, for she may not have been able to hunt it.

Selene slowed her walk, being as silent as she could. She was downwind of the rabbit, which meant it couldn't scent her. Walking forward, she prepared to throw her dagger if necessary.

A loud crack sounded, and the rabbit's head shot up. Selene looked down at her feet and saw a broken stick under one. She cursed herself and looked up to see the critter staring right at her through the leaves and bushes surrounding her.

It twitched its nose at her and darted away into the underbrush.

If the crack hadn't scared off any near prey, the slew of curses that flew from Selene's mouth after did.

She returned to camp with just a handful of blueberries she'd found on a late-blooming bush. Lily looked at her with sadness and hunger Selene wished she could douse.

"Don't worry, soon we'll be eating like queens, you and I."

Lily gave her a weak smile and curled back into a ball beneath the tree.

The day passed slowly, with Selene keeping an eye out for danger. Kadan wandered away to nibble at a nearby patch of grass while Selene eyed him with envy.

Lily slept for most of the day, waking a little past noon. She stood with the cloak still around her and ventured away.

"Don't leave my sight, Lily," Selene called after the girl. She waved a hand as if in answer and Selene let out a sigh through her nose.

How far had they traveled from her home? The town was about twenty miles from home, and it took two hours to get there running on horseback. They'd walked for around five hours, which meant they could be between twenty and twenty-five miles from town. She'd never been this far away before. This is what she had always wanted, isn't it?

Despite the effort, Selene was making at staying awake and alert, sleep pulled at her. It weighed down her body, making her lean back against the tree and close her eyes. She felt as if she had been dozing for a few moments, but when she opened her eyes night had fallen and a drizzle had begun.

She jumped up, searching their surroundings and noticing Lily wasn't with her. Panic immediately flooded Selene and she ran straight to Kadan, pulling herself onto his back and sending him shooting through the trees.

She silently begged for the wisp to return and help her find the girl, but Selene knew she was alone.

After hours of searching, the drizzle turned to a freezing cold downpour and Selene began shouting. Damn the beasts, she needed to find Lily.

She yelled for the girl until her voice was raw and her legs ached from the hard riding.

Just when she was about to lose hope, she heard a distant shout. She steered Kadan in the direction of the sound and they sprinted for it.

"Lily!"

As they got closer, she could make out what the voice was yelling.

Help.

"Lily, I'm coming. Where are you?"

"Miss! I'm here! I'm here!"

They moved so quickly through the trees that they blurred. They didn't stop running until they came upon a large hole in the ground that Kadan barely missed plunging into.

Selene slid off Kadan and looked down into the hole.

Mud slicked the sides, making it impossible to climb. It went down about ten feet, with roots and rocks sticking out from different places.

At the bottom was Lily. She was covered in mud, almost to the point of invisibility in the darkness. She had been crying, pathways of skin streaked down her face.

Selene reached out a hand for the girl, her shoulder aching. Lily reached up, but her arms were nowhere near long enough to reach Selene's outreaching one.

Selene desperately searched around them for a solution, anything to help reach the girl.

"Hold on, Lily."

The girl begged for Selene to stay, fearing Selene would abandon her. Selene didn't have a choice. She ran to the nearest tree, grabbing the trunk and digging her nails into the tiny holds. She crawled up until she reached one of the low-hanging branches.

"Don't look down," she told herself, knowing she was at least twelve feet in the air.

She grabbed the stick and discovered too late that it was dead and hollow. With a resonating crack, the branch came free and Selene fell with it all the way to the ground.

Something snapped in her ankle and her teeth cracked together. She laid on the ground for a few moments, stunned. She blinked and forced herself up, her ankle numb. She looked back at the tree, the next branch a few feet above the previous. It was still the lowest branch.

She clenched her teeth and began climbing again, praying to the Angels that the next branch wasn't dead as well. Fortunately, it wasn't. Unfortunately, she couldn't break it off the tree easily. She released one hand and unsheathed the dagger tucked into her waistband.

She would dull the knife by doing this, but she had no other choice. She began sawing the branch, her thighs burning as she gripped the tree with her legs. Showing no signs of progressing, she began hitting the branch at an angle. Nearly sobbing in relief as the base grew thinner and thinner. Finally, Selene was able to pry the branch from the tree.

Shimmying her way down the tree, she slid to her knees in front of the hole and called to Lily.

"Grab the branch."

The girl had been sobbing, her shoulders still shook as she looked up at Selene. She reached up with her tiny hands and grabbed the branch that Selene lowered. It barely reached.

"Hold onto it."

Lily nodded and clutched the stick, her knuckles turning white.

Selene heaved her up, her body aching from the fall. Lily climbed up the wall, using her legs to help Selene as much as she could despite the wetness. Selene stood and, with a grunted yell, yanked the girl up the last few feet, feeling something in her ankle crunch. They both collapsed into the grass, breathing heavily. She could feel the pain in her ankle now as it threatened to overtake her vision.

Water drops hit her face, the icy cold was the only thing keeping her from falling unconscious.

She turned to Lily, "Why did you wander off? I told you it was dangerous to go off by yourself."

Lily had begun to cry again, sitting up and staring down at Selene.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Miss. I saw-saw some flowers and thou-thought I could get them f-f-for you."

Selene's body slackened, the last of her energy ebbing away. As the last of her strength left, so did her ability to ignore the pain. Her ankle throbbed, daggers of pain shot up her leg and she could barely move it. She pulled off her boot and looked down. She saw that the skin had turned purple, it hadn't begun swelling yet, but it would.

Selene dropped her head back and groaned. She had broken her ankle in the fall. She couldn't move it now nor feel anything past the pain that rose there.

They would die if she couldn't move.

Think, Selene, think.

"Lily, I need your help. I need you to get me two sticks, as strong as possible, and anything I can use as a rope, like a vine or big leaves."

The girl nodded and dashed off. As Selene watched her go, she debated if sending the girl off had been a good idea, but they had no choice.

She dragged herself backward until she could rest herself against a tree.

So much had happened within the span of two days, Selene's head was spinning. She still couldn't wrap her mind around everything. A demon had attacked them, an actual, live demon. And everyone was dead. Even though she should feel sadness, she didn't even have the urge to cry.

Selene sat in the rain until Lily returned, the girl soaking wet. She carried two long sticks and had dogbane tucked under her free arm.