Isabelle's hands shook violently against her mouth, trying to quiet her breath as she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to stop her teeth from chattering. The chill had seeped so deeply into her bones that she could not stop her body from shaking. Her back roughly scraped the inside of the hollowed out oak, but she could squeeze in no further. Instead, she focused on remaining perfectly still.

The heavy footfalls continued to circle the tree, as a loud hissing exhaled just above her head. Slowly the creature stalked around the hollowed trunk. Glimpses of its shadowed figure peeking through the foliage that concealed the entrance. Long and gangly, the creatures' smooth scaled head bobbed and weaved through the underbrush around her hiding nook. What little light the moon provided filtered down onto its short jagged horns scattered atop its head like black coned rods of iron.

A tongue darted out its mouth like it was tasting the air- searching. A wail howled through the night to her left, her heart ripping from her chest with the cries of anguish. The creature let out a strange primal growl from its throat and took off on agile limbs toward the screams.

Isabelle waited for what felt like ages. Senses stretching for any other sounds beyond the pinging of rain on gnarled branches above and her own ragged breaths; but there were none.

She clutched her blade to her chest tentatively poking her head from the tree. The rain coming down slightly harder now, it prickled her flesh. She was without a horse and a map now. Was it still safe to press on foot? She squeezed the dagger tighter, the leather holt scraping her skin reminding her of Rosie's tiny claws that would scurry round the palm of her flesh. Rosie. Adam had said he would try and help her escape. She wanted to believe that- but the King would not give up his favorite toy without a fight.

Perhaps if she could make it back to the palace she could find another horse? Perhaps even the king had left Rosie in his room while off on the hunt. Perhaps she could save her friend and find another horse in the stable to escape on, before they came back for the ball. Perhaps....

Perhaps- was enough for Isabelle.

Carefully and slowly she wiggled the rest of her body from in between the crevice in the tree. Isabelle paused, taking soft shallow breaths as she surveyed the dark twisted landscape around her. Every tree branch that swayed looked like the tail or warped limb of a monster, causing her to jump.

Her dagger, a small comfort pointed ahead in the darkness, as she moved as soft and swiftly as possible. Molding her body into trees and looking around before darting to the next tree.

Isabelle continued this dance backward. Back the way the creatures least expected. Her body shook for the damp cold that seeped into her bones, her fingers like dried prunes were starting to go numb.

A rustled scraping noise caught her attention to the left. Isabelle instinctively crouched down. She wedged between a thicket of brambles at her back and the ferns that barely covered her torso.

Isabelle stood perfectly still as a large shadow came into sight. Glowing green eyes peered from between the darkness of the trees and she squinted straining her eyes to see. Squinting she could make out the outline of pointed ears pointed swiveling atop its head, down to a cat-like muzzle, much like Gaston', protruding from its face. It sniffed at the air as it went; mouth open and panting displaying large bloodied canines. In one clawed hand it was dragging a body back toward the direction of the castle by the foot. Even in the dark she could see a torso, or what was left of one. Flaps of shredded flesh and organs flopped out from a gaping hole in the man's belly. Pulled apart like the straw belly of a scarecrow. Isabelle dry heaved, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. The creature paused, green eyes fixed her way.

She sucked in a breath.

One.

It sniffed the air.

Two.

Another chorus of cries sounded from behind it, toward the fence line. Another soul had failed to escape.

Three.

The creature flicked an ear back at the sound before continuing on, dragging its prize back to the castle.

She breathed out.

The face of the mangled body came into view, it's jaw unhinged and one dim grey eye dangling from it's socket. But she could still tell in an instant who it was, from his peppered ashen hair. Jean. Oh poor Jean. She almost heaved again, but swallowed it down, shutting her eyes against the horror of her friend's mangled flesh.

Sarah. Jean. Jaqueline. She swallowed the sadness of the death and deep in her belly a heat festered and burned. A hatred so strong she wanted to run and ram her dagger into the throat of the creature that was dragging her friend like a sack of spoiled meat. Even a hunted stag was treated better than this.

She raised her dagger. But paused when another rustle came from behind, the fear dampening her fire.

A woman was running frantically; she skidded, turning round at the sight of the feline creature, terror on her pale blood streaked faces that held small gashes where branches had whipped her face. Leaves knotted in her short strawberry hair, a wild look in her eye. Isabelle remembered her from the pen. Another creature came into view, in hot pursuit of the woman. It looked like the similar one to the lizard-like creature that had stalked Isabelle's hiding spot, except this one's horns curled round small ears on either side of its head and had a much larger timber to its frame. The fallen branches cracking loudly under its scaled calloused feet.

The woman screamed a wild cry, her fists raised to fight, pincered between the two monsters.

Isabelle watched the terror unfold, unable to look away. The cat creature pounced first- catching the woman off guard. It had dropped Jean's body in the bed of ferns not 30 feet from her, digging its front claws into the woman's back as jaws clamped on her throat.

The lizard shrieked a high pitched whine, revealing its rows of short pointed teeth across its long jaw. It thundered toward the cat creature snapping at the air around the feline who clawed in response, unwilling to release its jaws from the woman's neck. The woman was still wiggling in her grasp, her blunt human nails clawing feebly at the creature's jaws around her throat. The screams quieted, replaced by a gurgling sound as the jaws clamped down harder round her throat with a snap. The woman went limp.

Jaws stretching wide, the large horned lizard man closed around her face tugging and hissing at his claimed prize. A tearing pop and her head ripped from her body. The cat was still holding onto the neck as the rest of the body hung limp in its grasp. A mess of strawberry locks hung from the jaws of lizards like a bobbed apple plucked from a basin. It spit her from its mouth, head rolling on the forest floor, eyes open reflecting a glassy blue in the moonlight, her screaming jaw slack and soundless as she rolled through the muddied earth.

The beasts fought over her body tearing at flesh till it was an indistinguishable sea of carnage on the forest floor. Isabelle took her chance and jumped up from the brambles, her back scraping along the thorns.

Isabelle didn't look back as she stumbled out and ran straight ahead through the dark forest maze. She fell several times over upturned roots and rocks. Vomiting up bile as she went. The images playing over and over in her head. Adrenaline drove her neck breaking pace through the thick underbrush as whipping branches and forest floor tore at her flesh.

The scent of blood would draw them in. She had to keep running.

Her lungs burned, and her legs ached threatening to collapse. Just when she thought she couldn't run any further, there it was, the glow of a building flickering in the distance.

Isabelle's heart soared as the edge of the treeline came into view along with the torches that lined the start of the hunting grounds. She could see the wretched pen she'd come from and the stage to far left. They had moved Sarah's body and Isabelle was thankful for it. She could not stomach the sight of seeing her friend's face again.

She stayed in the edges of the trees, hopping from behind trunk to trunk as shadows of creatures paused in the flickering lights ahead moving bodies. The stables were to the back of the castle and she continued weaving her way right along the forest line till she was at the rear where the cooks and servants doors opened to the small garden and livestock pens that weaved a path toward the royal stables.

Isabelle peaked her head out of the tree line. She could see bodies piled up high on a pyre at the far left in what looked like a burning pit. It was a good sprint to the back of the castle. She waited till the creature's backs were turned to her and facing the pyre.

Now.

She took off in a dash body hunched crouching low to draw as little attention as possible. Once at the wall she pressed her back against the cool stone catching her breath. Her legs were shaking from exhaustion, but she didn't let herself rest long.

Isabelle weaved her way through the livestock pens, A few pigs squealing in protest at being woken and chickens gave a startled squawk as her shadow passed their coop.

The oil lamps were lit in the stables, the smell and hay and manure a comfort to her senses.

The door was slightly ajar. Isabelle crept in. Horses snorted and stomped in their stalls and a series of grunts and moans rose from the back pen.

Someone was here.

Isabelle paused listening.

The groaning and moaning continued.

"Ah yes , right there. Gaston."

Isabelle covered her mouth. That was the king's steward. The moans continued and a younger more innocent Isabelle would have blushed at the sounds of their passionate entanglement, but after all that she had been through it seemed a small matter now.

She noticed a servant's dress strewn on the grown among the stewards tailed coat, shirt and breeches. Isabelle crept forward quietly timing her footsteps with their loud love making and gingerly plucked the dress from the floor.

A bell sounded in the night interrupting the panting and moan.

"Shit."

An black head rose from the stall. Black ears twitching between horns. Gaston.

"They're done hunting. I have to get going."

"No stay."

Isabelle darted right into the nearest stall of a large bay mare. She squeezed in crouching down by the front feeder, the dress draped on her lap.

"You know I have to be there for the final show. Play the part of the loyal steward."

The mare sniffed at her hair.

"They'll burn for their sins."

"Quiet woman!" Gaston's voice snapped over the sounds of chewing hay. "Keep those loose lips shut until I give the signal. Then-you know what to do."

"Get the humans out of the ball room through the passage."

"Good girl. Very soon this palace will be mine. A new age for humans and beasts alike."

Was this the rebellion? And lead by a creature no less! Isabelle strained to hear more.

"Oh my king, you're positively criminal." There was a feral growl followed by a smacking of flesh and a giggle from the woman.

A squeak sounded as the latch to a door lifted. She heard the rustle of clothes as the creature dressed once more. Padded paws clicked on the stone floor beneath midnight trousers as he came into view. A white lace-front shirt, and trimmed coat stretched over his chest and a long catlike poked out of his pants, flicked behind as he passed.

As soon as she heard the barn door open and squeak shut she made her escape. She would have to leave before the woman noticed her missing drawers.

Isabelle- light footed as possible-side shuffled from the mares stall.

"Is someone there?"

Not quite enough.

She made a run for it. Hopefully the woman would not pursue her in such an unsightly state.

"Hey that's my gown!' the woman screamed from behind.

Isabelle ran full tilt toward the servants doors and pounded on the back kitchen door. Willing someone, anyone to answer.

The bell sounded again and the smell of burning flesh choked in through her nose, lodging in her throat.

She pounded harder.

The hunt was over and the final act was about to begin. 

PROCEED TO CHAPTER 26