The trees and brush were overgrown, hiding the entrance and keeping its secret, though she could see the moonlight peeking through the canopy. She gripped the torch more tightly in her hand. If she was going to enter the forest, she would have to abandon her torch here. The moon would be her only light, since fire was too likely to draw attention. She’d never been outside the castle walls, didn’t know who might live out here. Or what. “There could be bears…giant serpents…” She tightened her grip on her torch, fighting the insane urge to throw it down. No matter what horrors she thought of, no matter how she tried to frighten herself into whirling around and racing back to her room like a sensible woman, she couldn’t help but peer into the forest…and hope there was danger there. “No one ventures into the forest at night. There’s no one out here to see, no one out here to hurt.” A weight slid from her shoulder and she closed her eyes, tilting her face up to the moon.
