Moonlit Ride

     They had been confined in the rickety carriage since early nightfall - mother and daughter. They were safe, Lady Leon thought while her little girl slept in her arms, at least for now. After what seemed like an endless hour of watching rows of pines blur past the tiny coach window, she glanced up at the moon and studied its gradual expansion and descent from the sky. She admired the way it illuminated their path, revealing every crook and wind as they coursed through the forest. 
     Occasionally a moving shadow would lure her attention. She often found them lingering behind the smokey pines, taunting her with pairs of glowing eyes. They were stalking her, trailing her carriage at a distance, waiting for the absolute moment to attack.
     Wolves, she thought with a shiver. They must be wolves.
     Waves of constant paranoia clashed against her, eroding away her wall of energy; she hadn't slept in days, resulting in blurred eyes and a throbbing headache. Allowing her eyes to close, she focused on the muffled sound of the carriage wheels as they quickly turned through the small rocks and snow. It calmed her, pulling her wandering mind away from the darkness, and within moments she was asleep.
     

     Lady Leon's slumberous expression contorted as a hammering echoed through her ears. It wasn't long until Hewie and Jasper, her husband's German Shepherds, joined in with their alarming howls. Her eyes opened just as her husband climbed out of bed.
     From the top of the stairs with their child cradled in her arms, she watched as he gradually made his way down the dark, winding staircase with a candle in hand. Lady Leon followed his lead, concealing her figure within his shadow.
     A short distance ahead towered the grand entrance door, the polished wood glimmering in the candlelight. She watched as her husband extended an arm, resting the palm of his hand against the smooth surface, feeling the unnerving vibrations. After a brief moment he reached in his pocket for a rusty key, turned the lock and reached for the door handle. With his face angled closely to the crevice of the door, he creaked it open, squinting sleepily out into the crisp, night air.
     Before them stood a boy no older than twenty. Tattered rags made up for his shirt, and his pants were caked with dirt. His wild, green eyes, which sometimes hid behind his tangled, auburn hair, seemed scarred with torment, while his thin torso quickly expanded and shrunk as he struggled to regain his spent energy.
     The boy parted his lips to speak, "Sir, the village! You must help us. Everyone is dead."
     The air around them began to churn and howl. The boy lifted his hands and watched as they cracked and shriveled. He let out a crazed scream just as his body too began to disintegrate, forming growing piles of ash on the ground.
     "Help me!" He cried, reaching out, his arms crumbling as he took a few steps forward; the man in turn took a fearful step backwards.
     The boy's figure then completely dissolved, his remains swirling with the wind. 
     Master Leon waited not a moment longer. He hurried past the ashy cloud, his wife's hand locked tightly within his, and whistled sharply out into the darkness.
     From a short distance ahead they could hear the sound of shifting cobble, and a clicking canter. From the darkness emerged two black stallions and the silhouette of a driver that lead a carriage of the same shade.
     While the man guided his wife and child inside the carriage, a dragged out cry rang out from behind. Lady Leon shot a glance back, discovering that their large manor was now deteriorating in flames. She opened her mouth to let out a gutting scream, while the coach driver raised his whip and slashed at the monstrous horses, sending them off and away. 
     Holding the child close to her chest, the lady glanced fearfully out the coach window, spotting her husband in the distance. She watched as his hand rose for a final goodbye before both he and the cindering mansion he stood before, began to crumble into ash and faded entirely away.

     Lady Leon woke to the sound of a piercing horse cry. She looked through the fogged pane, bracing herself with an arm as she felt the carriage jerk to a halt. Her eyes struggled to make out what was beyond the window, only darkness glared back. A pale face appeared before her, and then a hand that tapped quickly against the glass.
     “M'lady?” The driver questioned with a muffled voice.
     “Yes? Why have we stopped?” She shot back. The child began to cry.
     "Sorry for disturbing you, but I believe you had best take a look at this.”
     Lady Leon remained silent for a moment, gently rocking her little girl back to a slumber. Afterwards, she wrapped the child in a blanket, holding her close, and stepped out of the coach into the cold.
     

     She followed his lead as they made way a short distance beyond the coach, climbing a snow littered hill. Large, white pines huddled tightly nearby, glistening under the pale blue moonlight. A constant breeze shifted around them. It teased the ends of her dress, played with her hair, and whispered faintly in her ears.
     From the corner of her eye appeared a tiny, warm glow that came from deep within the thicket of the woods. She turned towards it and watched as it gradually faded into the distance. Her eyes narrowed.
     “M'lady?” The driver had already reached the highest point of the hill, and he stared at her with an odd expression.
     Lady Leon offered one last, hurried glance back to the still forest and then to the coach, before finally catching up with him.
     They stood at the edge of a tall cliff and spread out before them lay a magnificent view of the night sky. Hundreds of stars glimmered in every possible direction, while the moon hid behind a thin veil of fog. All seemed to be at ease, until she heard an all too familiar sound, a shrill scream.
     The lady crept closer towards the edge, allowing her gaze to drift down towards the far forest below. A small city that had once remained hidden there had been torched, and the fire continued to thrive. Tuffs of black smoke crept upwards at the sky, blending in entirely with the darkness of the night.
     “Master Leon…” the coachman began, “had asked that I take you there, Madam.”
     A chilling wind picked up and glided past them, bits of ash and the foul smell of charred wood trailing behind it.
     Lady Leon let out a heavy sigh before turning away.
     “Perhaps there is somewhere else I could take you?” Said the coachman, yanking the woman back into reality.
     Yes, but where? She thought, her eyes lingering on the forest. They widened the moment it appeared again, that warm, mysterious glow. But this time it was much closer, and there was more than just one.
     “Although we may eventually need to give the horses a rest...” He froze, his face suddenly covered with worry lines. “Madam, is everything alright?”
     From within the white forest charged a cluster of figures; their flaming torches lit up their gleaming spears, blades, and wicked grins with an orange glow.
     “Good God…” huffed the man. “I can’t believe it. They’ve found us.”