His Wicked Revenge

Chapter 7

With her mind preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming ball, Iris did not notice that they had ventured into the deeper parts of the forest. The thick smell of the raw earth roused Iris from her daze. On seeing the thick canopy of green surrounding her, Iris blinked.

Just, where am I?, Iris wondered as she slid down from the horse.

"Where did you bring me, eh?!" Rubbing whirlwind's nose, Iris questioned even though she knew that she would not get an answer. As expected, her horse snorted while kicking the ground with it's legs, his actions making Iris narrow her eyes as this is the signature action of her horse to gain her pity. Falling for the same trap of her horse, yet again, Iris sighed.

Turning her horse around, she surveyed along the woods only to no avail.

She was truly lost.

She had never ventured this deep into the woods and she had no idea about the way back. Expecting her horse to take her back was only a fool's errand as she knew her horse's excellent sense of direction. That was the only flaw of her whirlwind,but, she still loved it to death.

She could do nothing now, can she?

"Stay here and do not run around. Do you get me?" Placing her hands on her hips, Iris instructed her guilty yet naughty horse. The latter grunted in response. Satisfied with her horse's response, Iris ventured into the woods to find any roads or any living person who could tell her way out.

Her heavy riding boots crunched the dry leaves beneath them while her hands pushed away the vines brushing against her body, the soft rustling sound being particularly prominent in the eerily silent surroundings.

Iris knew that people hunted in these woods almost on a daily basis. If only she could find someone then her worries can finally come to an end.

About an hour had passed before she heard the sound of approaching hooves. A smile of relief spread across Iris's face but it was short lived as her ears caught the sound of the whistling of the air. Familiar to archery, Iris could easily tell that the arrow was coming towards her.

The sound was dangerously close, trusting her blind intuition Iris bent side wards to her right. Despite her sharp reflexes, the arrow had managed to graze the area connecting her neck and shoulder.

"Ah!" The pain following the abrasion on her neck was no where near to bearable threshold and Iris promptly let out an agonized whimper. Due to the sudden jerk of her body Iris unknowingly tripped over a large rock resulting in her body falling on to the ground with a thump.

The fall was no where near glorious and Iris could feel her butt hurt from the unprecedented fall. The wet feeling of her clothes near the injured area was enough to tell her that she was bleeding.

Damnation!

Which imbecile mistook me for a prey?

Iris could feel bile rise up her throat in anger. If only she can find the person, then she will definitely let him have a taste of his skills. Letting out a hiss of a pain, she pushed herself off the ground and dusted her clothes. Just as she turned to leave, she heard the sound of hooves getting closer. And, Iris was sure that it was a group of horses and not a single one.

Oh! So, the group of hunters are coming to check if their prey is alive or not?

Then, they are sure to be disappointed!

...

Edward Ainsworth's heart was thumping with anxiety as he rushed towards the direction of the falling sound. He was truly blaming himself for him getting all riled up by Jeremy Hunter. He was so mad about losing that he had shot at the first sound without even bothering to ascertain if it was a human or an animal.

And with his accurate aim, he was almost sure that the person might be dead.

He was not afraid of killing but he firmly abstained from killing the innocent.

Praying for the person to be alive or to be a criminal if dead, Edward Ainsworth tightened the reins on his horse, urging the animal to move faster.

As he strode forward while clearing the vines with his free hand, a sight which he would never forget in his life appeared before his eyes.

Standing before him was a woman dressed in robes which resembled that of a man's but were designed in a way that would suit a woman. While her cowboy hat cast a shadow on her face, he could still make out her tiny nose and full lips. Most importantly, he could sense the fury in her eyes, whose colour was hidden in the shadows.

Then his eyes trailed to her neck area where a wound lay in the open for all to see. It was a graze caused by an arrow. There was a flash of surprise in his eyes as they widened at the thought of how she escaped his arrow. Forgetting his intention of apologizing, Edward Ainsworth stared at the figure of Iris Ava Blackwood dumbly.

With her eyes trained on the handsome man who was staring at her with a lost expression on his face, Iris paid no heed as she waited for all the others to arrive. Though she had an inkling that the man before her was the one who shot her, she did not want to jump into conclusions like the one who had shot her.

So, she patiently waited as she looked behind Edward Ainsworth for the sight of others, the look in her eyes bone chilling to the core.

...

Feeling a shiver down his spine, Jeremy Hunter narrowed his eyes as he neared the still figure of Edward Ainsworth. After he paced forward, his eyes fell on the figure who was staring at him as if she wanted to drill holes in his entire body. Shaking away the feeling of terror, Jeremy Hunter approached Edward Ainsworth who seemed to be daydreaming all day long.

Stunned, he nudged Ainsworth "Man, why are frozen at the sight of a woman? Where is the body you shot?"

Jeremy's words were not said in a whisper and they clearly could not escape Iris's sharp hearing.

"So, I guessed right."

Her words made Edward Ainsworth wake up and Jeremy Hunter shift his attention towards her.

On seeing the men finally focus on her, Iris spoke as she removed her hat giving them a view of her visage which made all the men lose their sense of speech for quite a while.

Oblivious to the admiring looks of the men, Iris spoke, her scorn filled eyes fixed upon Edward Ainsworth alone "You are the one who shot me. Are you that dumb that you can't even distinguish the steps of a human?"

While Edward felt a rage fill his heart, Jeremy Hunter laughed out loud.