When the horn blew loudly in the air, Ruelle didn't think twice before digging her heels into the horse's sides. She clung to the reins while the animal surged forward.

"Go, Ruelle!" She heard Dane cheer for her loudly.

Behind her, some humans managed to spur their horses into motion, but two helplessly struggled, kicking and panicking, as they had never ridden before.

"Tch, looks like we know who is not taking part in the game," Renard clicked his tongue, wearing a smug smile on his lips.

One of the vampiress, whose human hadn't moved yet, took a nearby whip and smacked it on the horse's back. This was enough to have the horse surge forward and disappear into the forest.

"Not anymore," the vampiress turned to look at Renard with a half smile.

Ruelle, on the other hand, couldn't hear the vampires talking anymore as the forest swallowed her whole.

The ground thundered beneath her horse's hooves, each stride carrying her deeper into the woods. The thicket closed around her like a tightening fist. The vampires had given the humans five minutes to hide before they would begin to hunt them.

She was at a disadvantage, as she wasn't familiar with these grounds. She tugged the reins, slowing her horse until the pounding hooves softened into a cautious trot. She pulled the pocket watch from her dress, its ticking unnervingly loud.

There were two more minutes before the vampires would tear through the forest. Her hands slightly slipped on the reins, trembling as she turned the horse, eyes darting through the dense trees.

"I need to survive this," Ruelle breathed. Water, her mind whispered.

If she could find running water, it would muffle the sound of her heartbeat and breathing. To a vampire a human's pulse was as loud as a ticking clock, which would be impossible to hide.

Leaning forward, she whispered to the horse, "Do you know where the stream is?" But the creature merely flicked its ear.

From what she had learned in her village, water always sought the lower ground. Exhaling, she urged the horse forward. The trees blurred past her as she continued to gallop. She was aware that the two minutes must have passed and the hunt for humans had begun.

"If I had known I would end up as a vampire's carrot, I would never have climbed into the carriage," she thought grimly.

Suddenly, a scream filled with pain tore through the forest, and it raised the hair at the back of Ruelle's neck. She quickly yanked the reins and steered sharply to the right.

After a few seconds, the air cooled, carrying a faint dampness that pricked her skin. Water. She guided the horse to move, and the chill deepened as they moved ahead. Finally, she caught sight of the narrow stream.

Ruelle exhaled in relief. Standing and waiting here still meant offering herself on a silver platter. She swung off the horse, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth and she drew the crossbow from her back. Pulling an arrow, she looked around.

If only she knew where the vampires had scattered in the forest. If she could only track Dane's location, she could slip closer to him and use his presence as a shield. But the woods stretched endlessly around her and every shadow felt like a vampire ready to jump out and attack her.

The same time, the horse decided it was done with the game and bolted out of there.

Ruelle's mouth fell open. A shout clawed its way up her throat, but she swallowed it down quickly. Calling after the animal would only announce her location. As dread filled her chest, she pressed her forehead against the wooden bow.

She stood no chance against a vampire in her current state. Also this wasn't Sexton, where the hunters-in-training still fumbled with their strengths. These were efficient night creatures who knew how to hunt.

"What am I going to do now?" she whispered in panic.

Her mind raced as she tried to think of the next strategy. Her gaze then landed on a tree beside her whose trunk was thick, its lower branches stretching high above her head.

There was no time to waste, she thought to herself. She quickly rushed towards the tree and jumped to catch the closest branch. But she fell two inches short. She bit back a curse, scanning the ground until she spotted a decently sized stone. She rolled it close to the tree and stepped onto it.

Catching hold of the branch, she hung for a breathless second before pulling herself up with all the strength she had. She made sure that her foot was steady before she climbed further, not wanting to fall on the ground and break any bones.

Ruelle climbed upwards until the branches thinned. She then settled on a thick branch with plenty of leaves that hid her.

As she sat there, her thoughts drifted towards her family back home. She missed them.

She didn't know how long she had remained on the branch, but after a while, she heard a hurried rustle of leaves pulling her attention downwards.

A young woman burst through the trees, panting and her face streaked with sweat. The woman's horse was nowhere in sight. The sight made Ruelle's stomach twist. Had all the horses been spooked intentionally? No, if that were true, Dane would have said so. Wouldn't he?

Before she could think further, the woman let out a strangled cry and collapsed, clutching her side. For a breath or two, no vampire followed, and whoever had shot her must have moved on to hunt the next human.

After a couple of seconds a man's voice appeared, "Are you alright??" It was a human, who quickly came to the wounded woman's aid.

Ruelle, who was stunned, finally decided to head down the tree to help the woman. She lowered one foot cautiously onto a lower branch, steadying herself as the man inspected the injured woman.

"We should take out the arrow—wait—where is it?" Confusion seemed to mar his features. "Y–you aren't bleeding."

The young woman's trembling faded into an eerily calm smile. "No," she replied sweetly and whispered, "But you are."

"What?" the man asked perplexed.

An instant later, a painful scream ripped through the air and Ruelle paused, startled. When she looked down, she noticed the woman had driven a stake straight into the man's thigh. The man fell on the ground as blood dripped down his leg.

Ruelle's breath caught, her mind racing. Why was a fellow human attacking another human?!

A light laugh escaped the young woman's lips. She asked, "Did I do well, Master Renard?"

At her words, Ruelle's blood ran cold. The next moment, from the shadows between the trees, Renard emerged with leisurely steps, his expression holding amusement.

"Yes," he drawled. "Seven down out of nine. And I struck only three of them. Three belonged to Dane and one by Angelina. Tch."

"With this trick, the humans will fall quickly. But… how did you know we'd find one here?" the young woman asked the vampire.

"I expected at least two to wander into this stretch but it seems they aren't as clever as I thought." Renard looked displeased and he turned to the injured man. He walked forward and stepped on the wooden stake. With deliberate pressure, he forced the stake deeper. The human screamed in agony. "There's two more left. The Ravencroft slave and the Slater's guest."

The servant's eyes swept the forest floor, turning left and right. When her gaze tilted upward, Ruelle quickly drew back at once and felt a muscle in her leg slowly beginning to cramp.

"I wonder where she is hiding," the young woman murmured. "She must have been told the best places to hide. Shall I try to lure her out?"

"It may work," Renard replied, but then he shook his head, "but you will draw every hunter in this forest upon your head. Stay out of sight. If you find another, you know what to do."

"Yes, Master Renard." The woman bowed deeply, and the vampire disappeared from sight.

Ruelle held herself as still as she could, her body pressed against the rough trunk. She kept her breathing shallow behind her hand. Just a little longer, she told herself. But the branch beneath her heel was weak. When she shifted her weight the slightest fraction to ease the cramp, the wood gave a cracking sound.

Her eyes widened and her heart thudded hard against her ribs.

Below, the woman's head snapped toward the sound.

Before Ruelle could secure herself, the branch broke beneath her foot. She slipped, bark scraping her palms as her hand flailed. Her hand caught another branch for an instant but her shoulder ached under the sudden pull and she finally lost her grip.

She fell with a soft thud on the ground and winced. The woman's eyes lit with triumph as she spotted Ruelle.

"She's here! Master—she's here!" the woman shouted eagerly.