"Search over there! She couldn't have gone far!" the grating voice disturbed the relative quiet of the deep forest. Footsteps and hoofbeats swished through the fallen leaves.
Devis held her throbbing breath as the sounds moved further away. Her wounds were pounding two beats faster than her heart, but she didn't dare make a whimper.
"Blasted slave! See I don't whip her within an inch of her life before letting the master have his way with her!" the disgusting voice faded off into the distance.
Dragging her battered body upright, Devis stood up from the hollow where she had been hiding and limped away, clutching her bleeding arm by her side. Although she had covered the wound with dirt to staunch the blood, she knew she was still leaving a slight trail which could give her away. However, there was nothing more she could do. She was reaching the limit of her endurance. As her head swam, she suddenly heard hoofbeats returning. Distracted, she stepped forward while looking in the direction of the sound. And felt nothing but air.
Devis plummeted off the hidden ledge and into the water, just before the riders came close enough to hear the splash. Thus, after looking about, and overlooking the hidden pool, her pursuers missed the signs of her passage. Grumbling at their hardships, they galloped away to continue their search.
Is this how I die? flew through Devis' head as she sank deeper into the cool darkness. At first, she felt nothing. Then sadness, and some bitterness. Of course, she was not aware she had fallen into the mythical Pond of Potential. And, as a mere slave, she did not realize what her true potential was.
Hatred. Beneath the sadness, beneath the bitterness, a small flame burned. In the water, it grew larger and hotter.
How dare they...how dare they...HOW DARE THEY!!
Deep below, a body contorted and reformed under the influence of the bewitched spring. And then, something dark, monstrous, and not quite human crawled from the water's edge.