Samhain woke in a cold sweat. The dream he had just woke from was slowly fading into the back of his memory. He wiped the sweat from his face as he tried to remember what the dream was about in the first place. He remembered that he was standing in a small clearing in the Evannha Forest. He remembered gazing at the strange soft green light that was filtering through the treetops as he listened to the sounds of the birds. And then he remembered the sound of a twig snapping behind him. He remembered slowly turning, a wary look on his face, to find the strange girl Achroi walking towards him. But she didn't look like herself. Her strange warm smile had been replaced by a wicked grin and her eyes were a feral crimson red. He remembered her beckoning him towards her and him obeying like a lovesick puppy. He remembered how she had trailed her hand down the side of his neck, her eyes lighting up when she felt the pulsating blood beneath his skin. Remembered as he stared, horrified, as she opened her mouth and revealed elongated fangs. He remembered the pain, the blinding pain, as she sunk those fangs into the side of his neck. That's what had awakened him from the dream, the blinding pain.
Samhain quickly got out of bed and dressed. He hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. He found his mother and his eldest sister, Pearl, at the stove making a fresh batch of scones. He quickly told his mother he was going out then all but flew out the front door. He called to the stable hand to ready his horse while he pulled on his riding boots. He quickly mounted then sped towards town. He didn't know why he was going into town or where he would go. He just knew that he had to try and clear his head. He slowed down as he came to the main street so as to not run over any pedestrians. He watched the people bustle around the busy street stopping here and there to purchase something. He wondered aimlessly through the streets, occasionally wandering down a street that he'd never bothered to explore. As he wandered, he came to the more industrial part of town. He passed small warehouses where he guessed wheat; wool and other things were stored. He wandered back up the main street again then down a side street. This street was crowded with inns and their stables. He noticed a small general store near the corner where a group of children were lining up, no doubt, for some lollies. He was about to turn around and go back when a small, pale face appeared at a window in one of the inns. He recognised the face and stopped dead. Why was she here at this inn? Wasn't she rich enough to afford something better? He continued to ponder when her eyes locked on to his face. The look she gave him wasn't friendly. She disappeared again and Samhain jumped off his horse and walked casually, well what he thought was casual, into the inns crowded dining room. He ignored the innkeeper as he approached and bounded up the stairs, which he assumed led to the guests' rooms. He stopped in the middle of the corridor as he realized he didn't know which room she was in. He proceeded cautiously as he continued the walk down the corridor; listening for any sound that might give away what room she was in. He didn't have to listen for long. He heard muffled cursing come from behind one of the doors. He wasn't positive, but he was sure that it was her who had cursed. He placed his hand on the door handle and slowly twisted the knob. He held his breath as he pushed the door open revealing a very disgruntled Achroi.
Achroi had woken with a plan set in her head. As she had slept, her semi-unconscious mind had formed a plan for her task. She decided she would kidnap one of her targets children, preferably Samhain, and lure her target deep into the Evannha Forest where she would wait for him. She was positive that her target, Samhains father, would fall for the trap because she knew that he wouldn't risk his son and only heir. She had cleaned herself then dressed and prepared herself for her days work. Walking to the window, she decided what she would do. First she had decided to stalk them, find out their daily routines and hobbies. Then she would decide the best moment to strike, the moment when she would kidnap the boy and ask for his ransom. Then she would take him, drag him if necessary, deep into the forest where she knew a small clearing existed. She would keep him there, alive, until his father came looking for him and offered his life instead of the boys. Well, that's what she was hoping he would do. She didn't want to have to kill him in front of his son. She liked being an assassin, loved the thrill of killing, but didn't want to have to hurt any more people than necessary. She believed that only the people with evil in their hearts should suffer. As she had stared out the window, her eyes fell upon a small figure on a horse. Samhain was staring up at her, a confused look on his face. She stared at him for a moment then realised that he had just helped her with her plan. She grinned wickedly and turned back into her room. As she walked towards her bag she tripped on the rug and fell to the floor, cursing all the way down. She got up again and grabbed her bag. She was in the middle of packing when the door to her room had opened. Samhain was standing at the door, watching her with amusement and confusion in his dark eyes. She ignored him and continued to pack her things, stopping every so often to rub her sore head. She closed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. Then she straightened up and looked at Samhain.
'Going somewhere?' Samhain asked, taking in her dishevelled appearance.
'As a matter of fact, yes,' Achroi answered flicking her hair over her shoulder.
'Where?' Samhain asked.
'Somewhere.'
'You want to be a little more specific?'
'I'm going to another town,' she answered evasively, 'you know, places to go people to see.'
'What town?'
'That's for me to know and you to find out.'
'And exactly how am I supposed to find out?' Samhain asked, just a hint of irritation in his tone. He still didn't like the way she used cryptic answers.
'Um, well…' Achroi began circling around him. As she walked around she grabbed her dagger that was lying on a small table. She gripped the dagger by the blade and turned the hilt so it was pointing towards the floor.
'Well?' Samhain asked, no idea of what she was planning to do.
'Well, you could find out like this,' Achroi said. She lunged at Samhain and knocked him to the floor while at the same time ramming the hilt of the dagger into his head, knocking him out. She jumped up and quickly tied his hands and feet together. Now the hard part, she thought. How the hell do I get him out of here without anybody noticing? She considered throwing him out the window but decided not to. He needed to be unscathed if his father was to pay the ransom. She opted to put him in a sack and carry him down the stairs, pretending that he was dirty laundry. She hurried down the stairs; the boy slung over one shoulder her bag on the other. Achroi ignored the people's strange stares as she hurried out the door. She all but ran to the stables and readied her horse. She laid the sack of "dirty laundry" across the horse then climbed on. Achroi kept one hand on the sack, the other on the reins. She rode out of the stables and onto the street. Careful not to hit any people on the street, she rode down the main street and headed for the forest. As soon as she was behind the safety of the trees, she slowed down to a walk. The clearing was in the center of the forest, only a few yards away. Once Achroi had reached the clearing, she dumped the sack on the ground. She jumped down from her horse and tethered him to a tree. Achroi quickly pulled Samhain from out of the sack and propped him up against another tree. She had accomplished the first part of her task, now all she had to do was do the second part. The hard part. Somehow she had to convince her target to come with her, alone, into the forest. Her capture of Samhain had made it that little bit easier. Achroi was positive that her target would come once he learnt what would happen to his son if he didn't obey. She rested her head against a tree and contemplated on how she was going to get him alone. As she was drifting off to sleep, she didn't hear the soft groans coming from Samhain. He was starting to wake up. Which was not a part of the plan.
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