My yet to be titled novel Chapter 1

The flames climbed ever higher, greedily devouring the ramshackle shed in its fury.  The little girl huddling in the corner flinched away from the heat of the roaring fire.  As it flared up again, she seemed to see a demonic face in the depths of the blaze.  The face laughed as the fiery fingers reached for her...1

Gasping, Rae sat straight up in her bedroll, dagger drawn.  Breathing heavily, she quickly looked about her little clearing as if searching for some unseen enemy.  Seeing no one, she started to calm down as the dream began to fade away into nothingness.  ~Well, I needed to get up anyway, ~ she thought.  With that in mind, Rae began her morning routine, making the camp look as if no one had ever been there.  She then set out for the nearby village.  It seemed that some creature had settled in close to the village's borders near her part of the woods, and was preying on livestock and unwary travelers.  She also had a sneaking suspicion it was a magical creature, considering one unlucky victim had jagged claw marks on his throat and chest.  The man's heart had also been torn out of his ribcage and his arms ripped off.  As a druid, Rae did NOT want something like that in HER woods!  It would scare away the animals and violate the sacred groves.  Determining the tavern to be the most likely source of information, Rae headed off in that direction, thinking she should reach it by mid-afternoon if she was not delayed.  When she arrived, the afternoon rush had only just started, so there were still seats available.  Rae sat down at an empty table in a shaded corner where she could see and hear everything without herself being observed.  2

She was glad of the shade, as the summer sun was particularly warm and bright, with no clouds to provide relief.  The beast seemed to be the main topic of discussion, with each person telling their own accounts of the supposed atrocities it had committed.  One man in particular seemed very interested, buying a drink for anyone who would tell him anything about it.  After watching him talk to Mad Marlo, Rae asked a local friend, Wallace, if he knew who the man was.  'Him?'  Asked the genial blacksmith, 'Soldier of some sort.  Says 'is name is Brace.  There's summat suspicious 'bout 'im.  'E don't carry hisself like a regular soldier.  Why do you ask?'  'Oh, no reason, I've just never seen him here before, and I was curious.  How're the wife and kids?'  3

Rae smiled as Wallace blathered on about how his wife was pregnant for the fifth time, and his new goat, and other such mundane matters.  She had been close to Wallace's family ever since she had cured their eldest son of a debilitating sickness.  After a while, Wallace had to leave to tend to his forge, so Rae went back to watching the man Brace, if that was his real name.  His eyes wandered around the tavern as he idly leaned against the bar.  He seemed to be looking for someone in particular, when all of a sudden, his gaze locked with hers.  He had caught her looking at him!  They continued to stare each other down until a hassled-looking barmaid walked in front of him, a tray of empty mugs in her hand, breaking their eye contact.  Seizing her chance, Rae slipped out of the tavern, so when he looked for her again, she was nowhere to be found.4

Rae waited until sunset to track down the creature, because that was when it was agreed on that the beast hunted.  Following directions given to her by the villagers, she entered the woods, immediately finding signs of the creature, in the form of bones gnawed clean and bark ripped off trees a good six feet off the ground.  As she followed the signs, Rae had an unshakeable feeling something was watching her.  Her excellent night vision showed paw prints on the ground in front of her.  As she bent to examine them, something vaguely human-shaped dropped from the trees above her, and knocked her to the ground.  Rae thought she saw cat eyes flash as the thing reached down, grabbed her by her shirt, and pulled her in close.  'Leave me alone!'  It hissed.  It pulled back its right arm as if to strike her, when it suddenly cried out in pain and clutched its right shoulder, dropping Rae in the process.  A bolt from a crossbow had buried itself in the creature's flesh.  It staggered off, still moving inhumanly fast, even though it was wounded.5

A pair of strong hands helped Rae to her feet.  Turning around, she saw it was Brace, the man from the tavern.  A heavy crossbow hung from a belt by his side and he had a quarrel of bolts on his back.  As he steadied her, Brace got a good look at Rae.  Suddenly, his face dawned in recognition.  'You're the woman from the tavern who kept watching me!'  He exclaimed.  'What are you doing out here?  You could have been killed!'  'I'm a druid and this is MY forest, and I do not relish a marauding creature taking up residence in my home.'  She replied tartly.  Flustered, Brace changed the subject, 'What exactly was that thing anyway?'  He asked.  'Why don't you go ask it and find out?'  Rae replied.  Brace shuddered.  'No thank you!'  He said.  'After seeing what that thing has done, I'd rather not get too close to it.  I'd prefer to take it out from a distance.'  'So I see,' she said, looking pointedly to his crossbow.  Crossing her arms she said, 'And just what were you doing, skulking in the shadows anyway?'  'I wasn't SKULKING,' he said, even more flustered.  'I was...' he began.  'Sulking,' finished Rae.  So I take it you're looking for the beast too?'  She said, giving him an appraising glance.  He wasn't much to look at, a somewhat homely face, well-worn studded leather armor, scruffy clothes, and a week's growth of beard on his face, evidence that he'd obviously not shaved in a while.  His crossbow showed signs of heavy use, and the bowstring was beginning to fray.  ~Not surprising, considering the poor quality of those bolts, ~ she thought.  ~Probably a runaway guardsman or some mercenary who couldn't take orders.  Hmmm...  I'll have to keep a wary eye on him.~  6

'So what if I was skulking?'  He demanded.  Rae sighed, as if dealing with a rather slow, belligerent child.  'So,' she said.  It appears as if we have the same goal, so we might as well work together.'  'What?!'  Brace exclaimed.  'But you're just a woman!  And you don't have any weapons!'  Rae was starting to get annoyed.  'I'm a druid, remember?  And just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I can't fight.  In fact, I'm highly considering setting a pack of wolverines on you.  Then you'll sing a different tune.  In a high soprano.'  She snapped.  'Now shall we go, or do I need to call the wolverines?'  Brace paled, and quickly fell in behind Rae as she stalked off in the direction the beast had fled.7

~How did I get myself into this mess?!~  Brace wondered.  ~I go to hunt down some beast for a reward, and I get stuck following some stupid, low-born WOMAN!'  A part of Brace's mind actually didn't mind following the druid woman.  ~Very easy on the eyes.~  He thought.  Long, straight, black hair that reached down to her waist.  Dark brown eyes that gleamed with intelligence, and a soft face that would have shamed any courtesan.  Her long legs were hidden by a pair of close-fitting buckskin trousers, and she wore her light, black leather armor with grace and ease.  ~Definitely a plus side to this little fiasco, ~ he decided.  ~Wonder how much I could get for her at the slave market.  With that face and that body, she'll fetch a pretty penny from the brothel owners. ~  8

Caught up in his thoughts of greed, Brace didn't realize the druid had stopped until he almost ran into her.  'What did you stop for now woman?'  He said in a condescending tone of voice.  'Ready to go back home and let your betters take care of this, girlie?'  Rae had had enough.  She stood up, turned around, grabbed his collar in her right fist and hissed, 'If you do not lose your attitude right now, I won't even bother calling in the wolverines, and I'll castrate you myself, right here, right now!'  She knew she had hit a nerve when Brace blanched and surreptitiously covered his groin.  'Now shut your mouth and be quiet.  We're close, this blood is still fresh.'  'What blood?'  Brace muttered rebelliously.  Rae grabbed his head and yanked it towards the ground, pointing to a patch of red against the forest floor.  'That blood you idiot.  Now shut up and do as you're told.'9

Rae and Brace followed the trail of blood left by the creature’s wound.  It continued on for another five minutes, the amount of blood slowly but steadily increasing as the path progressed. The blood led them to a small clearing in the forest.  At the other end of the clearing stood a small cave, naturally hollowed out by wind and rain.  The trail of blood led into the center of the clearing, then disappeared.  Both Rae and Brace quickly looked around, to see if the creature might be hiding in the surrounding trees or brush.  Seeing nothing, they cautiously ventured out into the clearing, brace's crossbow held at the ready.  There was no sound, save for that of a gentle breeze ruffling through the trees.  'Nothing.'  Brace said disgustedly.  Rae suddenly heard a low growling behind her....10