Chapter 4
Madelyn's POV
Madelyn woke up to darkness. By the musty quality of the air, and the seemingly low and damp ceiling, she assumed that she was in a cave. Groggily, she tried to stand up, when she realized that her feet and arms were bound together by a length of black cord. Trying to yell out, she felt with her mouth that she was gagged. Instead of wasting further breath and energy, she instead sagged into a more comfortable position on the hard, rocky surface of the cave. That's when the memories hit her.
She was walking through the forest outside of Will's Cabin, following a deer. The deer was big and plump, and Maddie estimated that she could get 70 or 80 pounds of meat and fat from it. Some she would save for meals back at the cabin, but most of it would go to Jenny's Restaurant. Maddie had taken to hunting for Jenny, to try to make up for previous insults to her in the beginning of her apprenticeship. However, unbeknownst to Maddie, Jenny was past that, and viewed the provided meat and venison as a simple token of friendship, or possibly a new training regime from Will.
So far, the deer had no awareness of Maddie's presence, and Maddie intended to keep it that way. Finally, the deer stopped. Maddie began to unsling her bow, which had been strung, around her back, when the Deer turned at the slight rustling the came from the bow sliding off the shoulder. Instantly, Maddie froze, realizing that the slight noise of her jerkin brushing against the leaves of a nearby bush would alert the deer to her presence. Slowly moving away from the bush, as to not startle the deer
Maddie clenched her teeth. She had been wanting to show Will that her skill in hunting with the bow was just as good as a sling. Lately, Will had been feeling Maddie had been starting to favor the sling, and not wanting the traditional Ranger Weapon to be discarded, had given Maddie extra practice with the bow, and even introduced lifting to weights stuck together with a long, firm piece of wood. Although Maddie knew that what Will called 'Weight-Lifting' would do her much good in the future, right now it was torture. She supposed that killing the deer with her bow might get her off the hook.
She drew back, took a deep breath, and sighted. That's when everything went wrong.
An arrow came screeching out from the trees, catching the hem of her cloak and pulling her to the ground. The deer, in surprise, bolted away. Her attacker jumped down nimbly from the tree, and Maddie glimpsed the sight of the unique camouflage pattern of a Ranger Cloak. She rose, quickly drawing her throwing knife. She tried to skewer him with the small, sharp knife, but the man saw the movement and turned to the side. She then drew her saxe knife, prepared to defend herself, and then she felt a sharp thud next to her head, then everything went black.
Maddie sat up in shock. The torrent of memories temporarily overwhelmed her, leaving her panting on the hard cave floor. She lay still for a moment, sweat on her forehead, when she realized something - she was hungry.
This was the perfect time for her captor to walk into the dim cave. He was tall, and even in the darkness Maddie could see that this man was fit and strong. His eyes were a dark brown, near black, and his hair was as dark as midnight. He wore the long hair in a ponytail, and had a slight stubble of beard on his face. Altogether, he gave a menacing air to the room, and Maddie, despite herself, cringed a little.
The man paused, and sneered at Maddie. "Well then. Looks like we have Will's precious little girl."
Maddie's face contorted in anger. She hated to be called a simple girl. Fortunately, and unexpectedly, the gag slightly slipped, allowing Maddie to let loose a string of insults and threats.
The man clucked. "Now, that's no language for a lady, now, is it?"
Maddie seethed with fury, but said nothing. The man dropped a crust onto the floor. "Here's your breakfast," he said sarcastically.
Maddie looked up at the towering figure. In disgust, she asked, "Who are you?"
The man smiled vindictively. "Your worst nightmare."