Chapter 13: The Other Road

After having made completely sure that he had not overcome his hangover, and had decided to follow me down the narrow road to kill me or rape me, or whatever he had in mind, I slowed my sprint down to a quick run, and then a steady walk, knowing that I was safe from him. I blinked the last of the angry tears out of my eyes, and felt the tension I had felt within me quickly dissipating until it was no more.

Well, here I am, I thought, smiling a true smile to myself, Free at last… free at last, and he can't stop me, the sun was beginning to shine through the gaps between the treetops, and it felt good on my face. The bruises on my back would eventually begin to fade, and for the first time since my arrival, I had not suffered morning sickness, and to top it all off, ditching that sickening Viscount had filled me with such a powerful energy that I felt better than I had since my childhood. I was untouchable, and he knew it.

Everything was going my way now. I felt that I was drawing nearer towards the truth of Matthew's disappearance. I felt that every single step I was now taking had been taken by Matthew in the recent past, and somehow, deep down in my heart, I sensed that he was still alive-- he might be in danger, but he was still alive, and he knew that I was doing everything in my power to find him again, and that was all that mattered to me.

And, I also knew that abortion was ridiculous. The baby I now carried was ours, and chances were high that I was going to keep it, and raise it. I now wanted to. It would be difficult, yes, but it deserved a chance at life, and my eyes had been opened to that, for some strange reason, by the Viscount's abuse; it had made me fear miscarriage, although I was now confident that the baby had survived, and was going to be fine.

However, I still was not whole. My body was aching from fatigue and hunger; I had barely eaten at all since the breakfast we ate at the café, and I had walked nearly all day yesterday, and had a pretty good head start for today-- and I had barely been able to sleep the night before because of the sickening embrace that had kept me close to the pig-- not to mention his obnoxious snores that had distressed me even more.

I yawned, and realized how nice a good sleep would do me…

It was pretty dangerous risking laying down and sleeping with the fiendish Viscount relatively nearby, but he simply was not as intelligent as I. I had been fighting shaskas for years with success, and as he was no shaska-- a faerie man with disgusting fantasies, I was not in as much danger, and besides, I had cleverly nicked his knife in case I needed it to defend myself against him if he decided to follow me again-- for some ominous reason, I knew that he would end up following me, and there would be quite a battle if he tried anything again… Next time I was sent on a journey, it would definitely be myself-- no matter who or what REHtoMna thought able to assist me. This guy had turned out to be an abusive pervert, and I simply didn't need crap like that in my condition. It was more than enough to make me want to scream.

So, since I was now overcome with a wave of sleepiness, I would simply wander off the path, and sleep well hidden, so if he came along the path, he simply wouldn't be able to see me, and since he would probably start his drinking as soon as he could walk without staggering, he probably wouldn't be too fussy over small details-- and he probably wouldn't realize what I could do with some bushes to cover me.

Carefully noting my current position on the road, so that I would not become lost off it, I stepped off of it, and wandered off, until I found a couple of blackberry bushes that were dark and ripened. After having had my fill of the sweet berries, I tucked myself beneath the leafy branches, and drifted off to sleep relatively fast…

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"Beatrice, my love, you are closer-- closer to the truth…"

"Matthew? Is that you? Are you all right?" I run towards his voice, and find him sprawled across the floor, almost frozen, "Oh, my God! What has happened to you?"

"They're keeping me here like this to prevent me from getting away to rejoin you."

"Matthew, I'm frightened-- Please come back to me. Please tell me where you are so that I can find you quickly… I don't want them to hurt you anymore, Matthew. I don't want you to be in pain."

"I'm fine, Beatrice. Really-- I'd worry more for myself if I were you. There are traps they have planned along the way to the second half of the prophecy. You are in more danger with each passing second. You must awaken, and continue your journey down the path. Hurry."

"Please, don't make me-- Matthew, please… I love--"

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Before I can finish my sentence, my eyes have snapped open, and I find that I have slept for many hours, as it is dark again. It is already dusk. I groan in anger-- Why can't he just tell me what's happening to him? I wondered, sitting up, and pulling a sweater from out of my pouch, as it's freezing cold in the forest now, Why can't he just tell me so that I can find him faster…? I slip into the light-blue sweater, and hoping that the Viscount is not around for miles, I stand on two shaking legs, pluck about a dozen berries from off of the bushes, and chew them thoughtfully, He looked so pale, and so fucking thin-- he was thinner than back in D'Nalge-- what the fuck have they been doing to him?

Bitter tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to allow myself to cry-- I simply cannot cry. Not yet. Not today; I need to be strong. For myself, for Matthew, and especially for the baby who has so rapidly changed my life simply by being conceived.

I placed my hand to my stomach, and feeling a sudden wave of maternal instinct, whisper, "Don't worry… Don't worry. I promise that I'll find your father, and I'll bring him back."

I want to laugh at the corniness of my words, but I choose not to.

It's sweet, in a way. After having despised the baby for so long, I have learned to love it-- I have learned to love the burden growing inside of me, and now am happy for it. It's pushing me further forward now-- it's making me want to find Matthew and the truth now more than ever before.