“They’re pretty much everywhere if you don’t know where you’re walking,” he replied like it was supposed to be expected.
“And...you know where you’re walking, right?” I asked just to make sure and stay on the safe side.
“Just follow me,” he replied as he yanked a little on my wrist.
It was dark and there were no landmarks of any kind. Every tree just looked spooky and all the same. I had no idea how he could navigate his way through the forest without stepping on a trap just like I did. However, since we had been walking for a while without incident, I was convinced that he was telling me the truth.
“Where are you taking me? Umm...how much further do we need to go?” I asked as my leg began to feel tired.
“Are you tired already?” he asked like this was supposed to be nothing.
“Yes. I’m tired. So, can we just head back now?” I suggested again.
If he wanted to hear that I was tired and I was ready to give up on our expedition into the dark wilderness, then he could have it.
“But we still have a very long way to go...” he said while sounding overly regretful.
He turned to smile at me, and I knew that he was just teasing me. Plus, I had no idea where he wanted to take me in the first place. I doubt that there was anything worth seeing in the dark forest except for more traps.
“Long way to go? Go where?” I asked as I felt even more confused than before.
Bradon stopped walking and turned to face me properly before he pulled me closer to him until I was standing right in front of him. He stared down into my upturned face and then our eyes met.
“Weren’t you looking for it? You know, the wall to this place or the gate where you can leave?” he asked although he already knew the answer.
“Not really...” I muttered.
“If you don’t hurry up and walk faster, I don’t think we’ll get to the nearest wall before dawn breaks...” he said before he showed me another smile.
Before dawn breaks? As in morning?!
He’s really messing with me...
Just how far is the wall?
It never occurred to me that his land was so large and that the wall would be so far within the forest. Regardless, I didn’t want to go there anymore.
“I want to go back to the mansion. Let’s go back...” I said as I grabbed his arm with my other hand and tugged on it.
“Are you giving up on leaving already?” he asked as he cocked his head slightly to the side.
“No...I’ll find another way...” I murmured.
“So, you really were trying to run away,” he said before he smiled innocently at me.
His smile looked so enchantingly beautiful but extremely dangerous at the same time. Just like how some colorful and attractive animals in the wild are deadly poisonous. I gasped when I realized that I had let it slip that I was planning to run away. Although he had probably caught on to it a long time ago, it was another matter now that I had admitted to it.
“Don’t blame me for wanting to go out...” I muttered before letting out a sigh.
“Did you honestly think that you could escape from this place?” he asked with a shake of his head.
He must have thought that I was so stupid for even trying. But what other choice did I have if he wouldn’t let me go outside no matter how many times, I’ve begged him for it?
“No, but I didn’t exactly see that I had another choice,” I argued defensively.
“Listen well, my dear wife. People die when they try to escape this place. No escapee has managed to reach the wall before let alone climb it. Also, people get punished when they break the rules in this place,” he stated as if reading the rules from an invisible.
I gulped when I realized that he was telling me that because the time for my punishment had arrived. Of course, I did consider that he would punish me if he ever caught me trying to escape. That didn’t mean that I was completely prepared to face whatever punishment it was that he had in mind.
“Fair enough...” I muttered begrudgingly.
“You’re surprisingly understanding. Then, shall we get started?” he said as he stared down into my face.
His grip on my wrist tightened slightly and I started to fear the true meaning behind his words. I wasn’t sure if we were on the same wavelength at all regarding this matter of my ‘punishment’.
“Umm...start what exactly?” I asked with widened eyes.
“Your punishment,” he stated emotionlessly.
“Could you just kind of forget about that?” I asked with a hopeful smile.
“Hmm...I wish that I could...” he replied with that dangerously beautiful smile of his again.
He placed his hands on my shoulders before slowly turning me around until I had my back toward him. While I wondered what kind of games, he was going to play with me this time, I felt him push me forward a little without letting go of me completely.
“Umm...” I murmured in my confusion.
“Put your hand against that big tree there,” he instructed in a whisper very close to my ear.
The feeling of his breath stirring the small hair close to my ear made my body shiver slightly. Whatever he had in mind was certainly not good for me.
“Please, let’s just go back to the mansion...” I pleaded.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll definitely take you back after we’re done here,” he replied smoothly.
“Wait...” I whispered.
“Don’t try to negotiate with me, Dahlia...” he warned coldly.
“Bradon...” I whimpered his name as my mind raced to figure out how to get myself out of the big mess that I was in.
“Your punishment will be much lighter if you let me do it here. However, if we go back and everyone finds out that you tried to run away from me, I won’t have the luxury of going easy on you...” he explained slowly and patiently before drifting off and showing me a smile that was sweet yet threatening.
--To be continued...