Into the Hedge Ch 1

Knights of the Autumn Crown Book 1

Within a small wooded area. An ominous and titanic crescent moon glides through an early evening. Thick clouds and dense foliage allowed only sparse moonlight to seep through. Noises of nocturnal wildlife serenade the environment.

A young woman, in her late teens, awoke within this murky forest. Her vision slowly comes into focus. Groaning as she stood sucking in the air from the soreness of injury. Grass stains and wet dirt coated various parts of her jeans and jacket. Sharp thorns stung her fingers as she ran them through jet-back curls.

She examined her condition, muttering curses with exasperation. Signs of what led to this event confused her while trying to rationalize the outcome. She had tumbled down, but from where? The area was too dense with twisted trees and blade-like vines. The marks on the ground appeared to come from the barricade of woods. She shook her head. It wasn’t possible...

Soft, low whispers emanated from the shadows, with no discernible location but from the shifting shadows themselves.

"Josh? Mandy?" She called out "Anyone here?

Leaves quivered from as branches waved along with the wind. From the corner of her eye, a dark form moved into the tree line, staring at her. The young woman turned to face the stranger,

“Alex…?! Is that you?? It better not be!" An intense glare in her blue eyes. She reached for the first object within reach. Grabbing a stick from the ground, she pitched it at the unflinching figure. Leaves rustled as the stick flew away into the dark.

"Aes!" Strange, ephemeral whispers called out from the dark.

“Who? Who is there?” She asked, turning her head several times to find the source.

“Aes! Come her’eh.” They called again. It was stronger. Clearer this time. Save for an odd accent of words that gave it a nasally tone.

"Ch'yea.." She scoffed. Shining her phone's light upon the form, but there was no one there. Her breath quickened as she turned to face each beckoning. Shining her light upon the shadows.

For a quick moment, the moonlight blacked out completely. Something had flown overhead, just low enough to sway the tree and break several branches. An undercurrent whipped her off balance, falling back into the damp grass.

Aes!” The Whispers started again. “Aes! You must hide.”

“Who is 'Aes'?"

“You are Aes! My De’ah.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Quiet! He will hear you!!”

“Who? Who will hear me??”

Something appeared off in the distance, towering over the woods. An enormous silhouette in the dim light of the night sky. Its titanic revelation was a sinister image worn on her mind. She gasped, her breath catching in her throat. She practically ripped the jeans pocket, pulling free her rosary. Clasping them in her petite hand.

Sets of glowing green lights emerged from what seemed to be the head. Illuminating areas of the land like an alien spotlight as it exhausted several gusts of steam. All sorts of natural debris hung from the thing.

The foliage began to rustle with a light breeze before a forceful gust blew throughout the dense woods, accompanied by an otherworldly mix of dissonant screams, ghostly winds, and a disembodied roar. Foul swampy muck flew into the air as several branches cracked and fell.

“AES, HIDE!” The echoing whispers called out, “FOLLOW MY VOICE! HURR’EY!”

Stricken with the bitter cold of fear, ‘Aes’ frantically clawed along the ground, trying to rise up and run in the opposite direction. The ungodly spotlights turned in her direction. Focusing upon her clumsy movement, before unleashing some infernal sound that caused the foliage to rustle lightly, a forceful gust blew throughout the dense woods, accompanied by an otherworldly sound, as if it were a mix of dissonant screams, ghostly winds, and a disembodied roar. Shutting her ears in pain from the noise, Aes stumped from its dizzying effect.

The surrounding earth began to rip apart as roots and buried plants were torn from their burls. As the massive thing moved through the woodlands. Sounds of brush and robust thorny vines being ripped from underfoot. Rock, tree, or vine. Nothing could withstand its pure raw force. A sudden thundering of tremors shook the weird grove, several old and rotten logs breaking off to the ground.


Dashing through the uneven terrain. Aes sought refuge within the density of the forest. From one deformed tree to another, she moved. Thunderous sounds reverberated in the night. Piercing the natural canopy, the lights were the only thing that discerned the location of this titan. Closer and closer through the growing walls of twisted woods, it moved. Destruction paved in its wake.


“Ov’ah The'ah!" The whispers alerted the girl.

Fate smiled. If only for this one moment of flickering hope, she spotted a rotted out tree. It lay on its side and might have been large enough to hide. She would have to time it just right to evade the shifting search lights as they aimed closer to her position. From under the cover of the heavy brush, the lights swung past the hiding spot.

Rising up, her unadjusted eyes lead her into a web of vines. Gripping her jacket, jeans, and tangling hair. The movement captured the attention of the seeker and traced the illuminated focus backwards to that point. Aes froze in place as the light lingered a painful moment before moving on. She took the chance.

She powered through webs of sharp hooks. Rending the fabric from her skin and breaking clumps of hair. Tiny streams of red ran down from open wounds. Aes ran as fast and as hard as she could. The pounding drum of her heartbeat in her ears. Panting hard with every demanding action. Trying desperately to move past both stationary and moving obstacles. She dodged, jumped, and dove through the dark forest, adrenaline pushing her forward.

The heavy sounds of this thing's movement thundered and echoed in the night. Tremors cracked the land. She dared not look back. Even so, the danger grew. She dashed under the hollowed tree. Though it was dark, glimmers of moonlight poured through the holes of the cracked bark as well as opening on the other side. Aes squatted down in the tiny alcove, red beads rolling between her fingers as she quietly whispered prayers. She could feel the steady shaking of the ground and the falling debris from within her haven.

Looking up, her eyes widened with fear. Several feet directly overhead, the sight of the huge jaws All sorts of natural debris hung down from or could have been a part of this thing. Sounding like the exhaust of a heavy machine, gusts of steam kicked up dust and debris, as if sniffing something, creating a humid condition. Aes went pale as a ghost. Strains of oozing slime dangled from protruding uneven teeth. She places both hands over her mouth while remaining still. Despite the goop landing on her arm.

“Aes, jump!” The whispers spoke again. The young woman glanced down. Several yards from her was an overlook. To what and were, wasn’t visibly discernible. The blinding pale green lights flourished once more. The illuminated beams inches away, Aes pulled her knees in tight.

A large chuck of rotten wood fell close by. The entire dead tree crumbled and rocked as the thing leaped from the top. The force of its weight shook the ground under her feet. It invoked horror in her eyes, watching as the ground gradually collapsed. Aes tried to find something, anything, to grab as she was sent tumbling down the decaying slope.

A heavy splash of stagnant swamp water flew into the air as Aes implemented within. The murky mud sucked in her feet and lower back. Holding her head with dazed motion, she struggled to sit up. Air sucked down the silt as she muscled herself free, trying to stand. Each step sank into the dark swamp, seeing no other means of moving onwards. She was visibly uncomfortable, but with gritted teeth, continued to push forward.

A large shadow blocked the light of a hauntingly giant moon. Aes looked back to see the giant monster, leaves, thorns, and vines still tangled up around its body. Sniffing the air in search of her. Its silhouette over the moon gave it a more terrifying image than before.

"This way..." the whispers started again. More discernible this time.

"Come this way, de'ah." Aes looked forward and whispered back.

"Who is there, who are you?" But there was no answer to her question, just a repeat of the instructions.

"Come this way, my de'ah Aes."

She moved through the shadowy water, damp and cold. The murky water lapped at her waist and chest, the wet fabric clinging to her curves as slime and algae stuck to her skin.

"Who are you?!" She demanded in a hushed tone.

"I can help you, de'ah, girl." The whispers replied

The thundering steps of the stalking beast came down to the swampy land. Its industrial breath coated the air as it sniffed. Leaping with great power, the thing landed its great weight on several large trees, their roots exposed over the marsh and mud. Slight cracking sounds from the trees as they adjusted for the creature's weight.

Aes watched the beast from hidden under the roots of a tree. It was just low enough that she could squad under it. The beast's eyes were like spot lights, beaming down on the marsh beneath itself. Pulling herself deeper under the tree, swampy marsh water rose to her thighs as she squatted down to hide. She watched as it searched the area with its burning gaze.

"Come Aes! Come this way, my de'ah." The whispers had more clarity of direction now. She didn't like the idea of leaving the spot. Aes stayed as low and as quiet as possible. Looking up every other step, she watched the thing from below.

It leapt again, changing vantage points in an effort to spot the night's prey. Aes took the opportunity to move quicker in the voice's direction.

"Up he'ah, up he'ah!" The voice called from an elevated position of its own. A natural arch way within one of the trees, just large enough for her to enter. She climbed up the roots and looked inside.

Suspended from a weatherworn rope. A bent frame of a metal lantern gently rocked back and forth.

"Hello, my de'ah, Aes." The lantern spoke, a slight radiant pulse as it spoke with a conniving, high-pitched tone of a greasy trickster. An outline of a wide, grinning face. A predominately pointed chin and beak-like nose. It’s hollow, beady yellow eyes stared directly at her from within. The lantern’s glow revealed her features with more clarity. She had a soft, delicate beauty, slightly decorated with freckles. Wide, upturned blue eyes, full lips, and a button nose in the center of expressive features. Thick black curls cascaded past her shoulders.

"Who..WHAT..are you?" She demanded.

"I can help ya, Aes," the object answered.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"That is ya name, my de'ah childe."

"No, it is not!"

"It is! Git in, he'ah,” it said more firmly.

"How are... ’you’ supposed to help me?” Aes demanded. Seeking shelter within the willow’s cavity.

“All ya gotta do is let me out!" The lantern answered with an eerie grin.

Aes squinted in suspicion at the diabolical features she could discern.

“I dunno…” She answered.

"The'ah, ain’t much time! I think the Cu has your scent again! Hurr’ey!”

Aes gestured with the sign of the cross. Touching her head and shoulders before inspecting the metal work. The glow within allowed just enough light to study this little prison.

“It's too weird... I can’t figure it out.” She informed the glowing face.

A booming voice broke the quiet from behind her. The thing had returned. Aes snapped back just in time to see the blazing infernal stare of a great beast. Two sets of eyes on its head blinded her with such intensity. She turned away just as the beast’s maw seized her by the ankle. Tearing the young woman from the knotted archway. She screamed in horror. Holding the lantern hopelessly to secure her. The rotted rope snapped with ease as she was carried out. Reflexively, Aes swung the lantern viciously at the mouth. The thick matted foliage on the thing absorbed the blows.

“Rise the lantern!” The spirit within ordered

“What?” Aes shouted

“DO IT!”

Aes did so. The light inside grew brighter until it released a blinding flash. The thing jumped back, releasing the human to fall, making a large splash into the swampy water below. Ripples in the air, from the effect, slowly dissipated. Kicking and flailing. Aes waded through the marsh as hard and as fast as possible, desperate to get out of the water fast. Fighting and forcing her legs to move as the swamp seemed to suck each foot in until she could make it to a spot of solid ground. The light from the lamp led her.

Her left foot sank deeply into the mud, freezing the fragile mortal in place. She looked back only for a moment before the spirit spoke again.

“Don’t be look’n at it!”

Regaining its sense, the giant beast looked directly at her again. It snarled several times. Clawing the ground like a bull with lion-like paws, about to charge. The wild plant growth from its face was like barbed wire, with its thick thorns.

“I'M STUCK!” She cried out, attempting to pry her foot loose.

The whispering voice muttered some odd words to her. Followed by “Say it!” Confused, but with no time to debate, Aes shouted the strange phrase.

The giant beast rammed her, snapping and biting. Aes shrieked as a massive thorn plunged deep into her left shoulder, breaking off from the vine it sprouted from. Dire moments before a burst of black smoke sucked the human inside.

The beast emerged through the black wisps. Its truck-sized head slammed into a dying tree, shattering rotten wood into splinters. blindly crushing the hollow tree with its massive jaws. Aes was nowhere to be seen.

"Good, good…" The whispering voice cackled.