Arissa's Fate (Redemption Trilogy)

ARISSA’S FATE

REDEMPTION TRILOGY – Book 1

By Amanda Daul

Copyright ©2014 Amanda Daul.

All rights reserved.

©Cover Design: Sam Byrns

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental or is used fictitiously. Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Do not upload or distribute anywhere.

This eBook is for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to others. If you would like to share this book, please feel free to direct others to the purchase page. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

DEDICATION:

This book is dedicated to all the people who had supported me for so many years. Without enough
time to thank everyone, I would like to specifically show my gratitude to several people.

To Sass
. My best friend and my rock. You are the greatest friend that anyone could have and I love that you are the crazy person that you are. Thank you for sticking with me after everything we’ve been through.

To Sam
. Not only are you my favourite artist ever, but you are one awesome guy. I appreciate everything you have done for me and for putting up with me all these years.

To My Mom.
I don’t even have to list all the reasons why I love you because it would take forever. Thank you for being my mommy.

Chapter One

Golden morning light was beginning to spill over the mountain peaks in the distance, etching a bright portrait of the picturesque landscape. Even so early in the morning, the chilly night air was already being vanquished by the swiftly rising sun and the water of the lake below the knoll was as still as the death that still hung in the air.

Clouds of
her heavy breath rose up and slowly drifted along until it disappeared into the atmosphere. Then another foggy breath would follow immediately.

Now that the ground was replaced over the fresh pit that had been dug,
Arissa stroked the surface once more with the shovel to smooth it over. In a few days, the vegetation and grass in the area would begin to grow back over the disturbed area and no one would be the wiser as to what had taken place on the knoll that night.

She hadn’t wanted to kill him right away, but he had left her no choice and her combat skills outweighed her
subconscious. No one was going to get in her way this time. It had been just after Arissa had extinguished her campfire for the night, to erase any evidence of her location. The fiery glow would have for sure called in anyone who was in the area and perhaps that was how he had found her.

Her instincts had told her something was wrong befor
e she went to sleep. Stealthily she had crawled out of her sleeping bag at the foot of the giant, scaly tree and had drawn her sword just in time to block the deathly blow that would have pierced her lungs. The sound of the two swords slicing together rang out through the trees and across the distant valleys, surely alerting others of the battle.

It had been foolish of the man to attack as suddenly as he had. Obviously, he hadn’t been on the hunt for her long enough to realize that she was even more deadly than the soldiers and trackers who were after her. He had little coordination and poor balance that didn't stand a chance against her quick, catlike
reflexes. In less than a minute it was over, and the man lay at her feet in a pool of his own blood.

Arissa had worked quickly to clear away his tracks and cover the blood with dirt. She kicked the rocks
from her campfire away, scattering them and burying the ashes in the sandy ground. Within a few moments, all signs that she had been there were gone.

Hurried, she whistled a quick, fluttering tune and only a moment later, a sleek
, black horse trotted swiftly into the clearing from the bushes. He came to stand next to her, his lengthy mane falling to his shoulder as he prominently arched his muscular neck.

Luckily, there was a short length of rope still attached to her saddle and she quickly tied one end to the man’s foot. Moving him onto the grass so the blood trail wouldn’t be as noticeable, Arissa was relying on the usual morning rain to wash away the remainder of the traces before the other patrol
lers found her campsite. It would be too obvious to bury him there, which is why she had taken the body over the next hill.

S
atisfied that the grave was camouflaged enough until the rain clouds covered the area, Arissa quickly mounted her stallion, ready to find a new direction to travel. Before she had the chance to even turn the horse around, the sound of shouting men and galloping hooves caught her attention.

Longs strands of silken black hair slashed at her face when she whipped her head around to see. Arissa quickly brushed her hair away from her face
, squinting her dark eyes to see through the trees. A flicker of movement and more shouts came from the patch of forest just south of her previous camp. They had missed it, she realized, grinning. Of course, they had. After she was through, she doubted they ever found any of her camps or resting places. The stakes were too high, she had to be thorough.

Arissa urged the stallion behind a clump of brushy trees, keeping out of sight until she could clearly see the majority of the
company approaching her. So far she could see five men on identical chestnut horses, the same type of horse that everyone in the area rode. The horses were all tall, light brown and even their manes cut to exactly the same length. The only thing that could distinguish them apart from the next was the rider, who looked almost the same as well. For the soldiers in the militia, they all wore the same uniform, same hat and all had a similar look. It was difficult for her to tell them apart. The other men, simply villagers or hunters or trackers who had volunteered in the pursuit of her, wore every day clothes and didn’t always have horses. Most of these men were poor and one of the reasons they volunteered was probably because of the bounty that was no doubt on her head. Not everyone believed she was innocent.

Six soldiers on horseback
in total were trotting her way, but seemed completely unaware that she was lurking behind the trees only a few hundred paces ahead of them. A slight grin cracked across her face. She knew she was smarter than they were, otherwise she wouldn’t have survived as long as she did. She knew the woods too well; even their trackers weren’t able to keep up with her. If she hadn’t been in such a dire hurry, she would actually be having fun. However, this time it wasn’t a game and she needed to stay focused.

There was enough space left between them that she could grab their attention and lead them off on a false trail that would get them lost for days. That would get this group out of her way and only leave at least a hundred more armed men on her trail.

The second that she stepped out from behind her enclosure and whistled sharply to turn their attention on her, bullets began firing through the air in her direction. Arissa let the stallion charge into a full gallop immediately and clutched at his thick mane as they rushed through the forest, dodging and weaving between trees and flying bullets.

Another
gunshot whistled past her, but all she could think was how much she needed to find what she was looking for. Lives that she actually cared about depended on it and she was running out of time.

Chapter Two

“Sorry about that, Raze,” Arissa muttered to the stallion that stood over her patiently. She patted his leg as she finished rinsing off the blood from his hind quarter. One of the arrows had narrowly grazed his flank just before they had disappeared into a steep valley, out of sight from the soldiers.

The light was still dusky after Arissa let the stallion go back to his grazing, wandering loose around her new camp. The small glow of her campfire wasn’t noticeable yet, so she decided to keep it lit for a few minutes longer. A cool breeze was beginning to settle in the valley, she noticed, hoping it wouldn’t get too cold overnight.

Her tense expression was finally beginning to melt into a sombre, cold grimace as her thoughts began to catch up to her once again. During the days, she felt nothing but anxious and overwrought just trying to decide what to do and how to keep herself on target. It was no problem keeping herself alive, but her goal was so much more than just her own well-being.

Arissa could feel herself getting tired, which meant she had to force herself to rest before she became disoriented. There was no way she could afford to be anything less than completely focused and sharp at all times.

Without wasting a moment, she decided to take advantage of the last moments that she would allow her fire to keep burning. The flickering shadows were reaching dangerously far across the wooded knoll and would have to be extinguished. However, she suddenly felt like she needed to see them that moment.

She reached inside her lined jacket to the inner pocket and pulled out the several pieces of crumpled paper that she had folded together so many times, their creases lined up exactly. Careful not to tear the worn papers, Arissa smoothed them out against her knee before holding them up to the light so they were legible. Biting her lip to keep herself steady, she made her eyes follow the lines, considering each individual word that she had already memorized a dozen times over.

My dear, amazing Arissa. I cannot tell you how many times I think about you every day. I remember Daer and how we used to watch the sun rise and set every day together, how I would actually spend the whole time looking at you.

“
No,” Arissa snapped aloud to herself. She couldn’t handle reading that particular letter anymore. Quickly it was refolded and back in her pocket before she let herself read the words that she already knew. It was too distracting. Skipping to the next one, she struggled to focus.

Arissa
. I wish I could tell you what has happened but I am afraid that someone might intercept my letters. I can only get them to you when I know for sure they won’t be found. Consequences would be high, but the risk is worth it just knowing that you can hear from me. I hope you are well.

There were several other notes, all basically saying the same repetitive things. They didn’t sound like much, but Arissa was sure that she wouldn’t be able to continue her quest each day without them. Building up her courage and forcing the swell of emotion in her throat away, she quickly skimmed the last letter to refresh her memory.

Arissa, my darling. I don’t know how much longer I will be able to send you these letters. You know where your heart is and what we need to accomplish. I’ll join you when I can. Remember the last words I told you. Be careful, my love.

Heaving a deep breath, Arissa took an extra moment studying the rushed script on the crinkled, faded pages. She remembered receiving each one at a different tim
e, sometimes weeks apart. At that point, she still had not been able to decide exactly how she should take action, but when it had become two months with no news, she knew time had run out. That was when she had smuggled Raze out of the city limits and disappeared. It had felt as if her heart had been physically ripped from her chest to leave, but it reminded her to keep focused and it had served her well so far. Whenever she felt the strong sensation of heartache wanting to pull her back to her homeland of Daer, the letters were the only thing that kept her from heeding the temptations. That and, of course, the fact that she would be killed the instant she showed her face again.

The night passed in a flurry of nightmares. When she decided to just stay up after jumping awake for the third time, it was just before the dawn broke. The heavy darkness was oddly comforting to Arissa. If she couldn’t see any approaching soldiers or trackers, then they wouldn’t be able to see her either.

Another few minutes passed and her camp was once again cleared away. Raze was waiting for her at the edge of the trees, alert and just as focused as Arissa was. After reading the letters and letting a few tears slip from her eyes before falling asleep, she was feeling more empowered than she had for days. She was confident in herself that she would be safe with the plan she had been able to work out in her head. If it worked, she could finally return home with the ones she loved. If not...then she would just have to find another way to save them.

Raze galloped smoothly under her as they charged together into the darkness, Arissa’s deadly and determined gaze penetrating the forest around them.

“I’m coming for you,” she whispered to herself.