Lightning Echo

Chapter 1

Cilia bent over herself panting out of breath. She has been on the run for five days now. The creatures that are after her have been unrelenting. She needs to get to the nearest city as fast as possible. The exhaustion has taken a toll on her body. At this rate, she is going to run out of stamina and collapse any time soon.

While catching her breath she surveyed her surrounding with wild eyes. She is very desperate. Desperate enough to risk entering the tall and dense hedge in front of her. She contemplated her choices for a while. Continue on the normal path through the Sykian forest or risk losing her bearing but also ultimately shaking off her pursuers. Thundering hoof beats decided her choice. Glancing up for the last time at the sun, Cilia rush into the dense hedge just as her pursuers appeared.

A glance at her pursuers would have shown that they were not any creature ever seen before. With long trunks on their human-like face and standing on four hoof legs, their hands were no ordinary hands. Instead, they had two long and sharp pincers that click and clack as they bend over to the ground sniffing out the scent of their target.

One of them stood out above the rest. His name is Burrock. Unlike the others, he had a scorpion tail that swished agitatedly as they search for their target proved futile. Cilia's scent just seems to have disappeared all of a sudden.

"Captain, the scent vanished near this hedge." Reported one of his underlings.

Smashing his way through the search party, he looked uncertainly at the hedge. The party started murmuring with discomfort at the idea of having to go through the hedge.

"We are going through this hedge!" announced Burrock to his party.

"But captain, this is 'The Hedge'. Nobody that went through here ever come back or manage to find a way out. If the girl went through here she is as good as dead," one of the members started to argue.

The others started to mumble their agreement.

"SILENCE!" shouted Burrock.

"I am in charge here and unless any of you want to die you will do as I say!" he threatened while brandishing his venomous tail.

At once the party went silence. Everybody is afraid of Burrock not just because of his venomous tail but because when angered he slaughters indiscriminately. While the hedge is dangerous, death is uncertain since there was no one to report of its consequences. Angering Burrock, however, is certain death.

"I will get you, Cilia! When I do, I will make you regret ever trying to escape from my clutches. Mark my word," he spat In fury before plunging into the hedge.