To The Right

***Hazel***

*Clop, clop, clop.*

That was the first thing I heard that morning.

Hooves. Heavy and mighty ones. Striking the earth again and again in a sharp, rhythmic pattern that echoed through the walls of the manor.

The sound tore me out of sleep immediately.

I jolted upright, heart slamming hard against my ribs, breath coming too fast. For a moment, I didn’t even know where I was. The unfamil