the shadows have eyes

The child’s heart sinks like a rock, falling to the darkest depths of the ocean. The intruder's words strike as a knife, carving a clean wound through the mask which is her courage; her feeble confidence and her soul. The eyes, before glinting and alive, full of challenge; the mouth stiffened with resolve and good intention, both begin to bend beneath the weight of her reality. The pointlessness. Gravity pulls her from the pedestal she had so foolishly positioned herself upon. The other is right. There is nothing Hazel can do to prevent the other’s invasion of this sacred village. She can’t run for help. Cannot block or fight. The tongue beneath her teeth lies paralysed by fear… The child-Fae is more than helpless, there, standing in the path of the towering, night-cloaked figure, and trembling, startled, vulnerable, she stumbles aside to safety. As the crushing wave of self-pity begins to smooth, however, a new thought emerges; a very bold idea. Perhaps it was finally time to find favour with the gods.