“You cannot take anything from me,” she mumbled, her voice a strained whisper against the weight of her suffering. “I will fight you even to the last of my breath.”
Her fingers grasped the reins weakly as she tried to mount the horse again, but the effort was futile. The horse which was spooked by her sudden collapse and the chaos of the chase, whinnied nervously, its hooves shifting uneasily.
Isabel grit her teeth against the pain as she forced herself off the horse, her movements slow and labored. She stumbled onto the ground with her hands dragging across the cool, damp earth as she attempted to rise. Her strength was nearly spent, but the fire of defiance burned brightly in her heart.
With a valiant effort, she took a few shaky steps toward the darkened forest, her eyes set on the s
