Page 350 of Once Upon a Fable

And why did he suddenly want me gone after weeks of ultimatums that I belonged to him, that I owed him, that I was now his in every way?

He needed me to stay.

He needed my help to gather enough food for winter.

If he didn’t, he would either starve or freeze or—

Dammit, Kas, what the hell are you thinking?

I balled my hands and ducked past a tree, hopping in pain as a stick stabbed my foot. I jumped as a raccoon bolted through the undergrowth, its wide eyes reflecting the moon as the giant silver disc finally popped out from behind a cloud, granting much-needed illumination.

My heart chugged in my chest. My pulse pounded in every fingertip. I glanced left and right, wishing I knew how to track a person, desperate for a torch to light a path.

“Kas!” I yelled at the stars. “You can’t just disappear! We need to talk about this!”

My ears strained for a rustle or hint of him being close by.

A hoot of an owl was my only reply.

Striding onward, I grabbed a handful of my nightgown as it stuck to small bushes, heading deeper into the forest.

A chill ran down my spine as I drew closer to the bare piece of land where nothing grew and the aura of death never left.

Bypassing it, I kept going, occasionally stopping to listen.

I didn’t know how long I walked, searching for a man I didn’t truly understand, padding beneath moonlight instead of being safely tucked up in bed.

A deer bounded out of the thicket as I switched my walk for a jog again, bracing myself against the rough ground.

“Kas, please!” I kept running, slipping out the trees and back into the long grass lining the river.

The blueness of its water seemed silver-black, glossy in deep areas, and white frothed in the shallows. I strained my eyes along the bank, searching for him.

Would he come out here to think?

Was this a spot where he could find peace after a decade of living in that mansion?

Nothing.

Goosebumps sprang over my arms, raising the tiny hairs at the back of my neck as I kept going, tracking deeper into the valley than I had since arriving.

The cave loomed up ahead.

The same one I’d longed to explore.

Would he have gone in there?

Where did it lead?

A stitch flared in my side as I switched my jog for a run. I gritted my teeth as my poor feet gave in to cuts and bruises, wincing as pebbles replaced earth debris as I drew closer to the gaping maw of the cave.

It was so much bigger up close. Imposing and dank, an eerie, musty breeze coming from within.

I halted as I rubbed my arms, another chill running through me.

A soft sound echoed deep within the cave’s belly.

A footstep. A small rock rolling from being displaced.