She flung a dark violet cape over her shoulders and stepped out into the night. She had to leave before they got there. It was about two hours before dawn, but she still couldn't risk waiting until the hazy light raised over the purple mountains. She took the leather pouch off her door step, sliding a packet of rosy colored dust into it. She would keep it there if she needed it.
She had only just began to head down the dusty path when she heard the faint sound of trampling feet in the distance. Like a wild animal, her ears seemed to perk with alarm. She ducked back into the shrubs and crept lightly through the tall grass. It was wet with dew and stuck to her pale cheeks. A throng of villagers passed by, carrying torches. She plastered her slender body to the rich soil as they passed. She breathed with relief when they passed.
She stood up and raced off, bolting this way and
that, desperate and breathing raggedly. "There she is!!" One man bellowed.
She froze for only a moment before surging ahead. "Get her!!" They were
coming fast now, she could hear their shouts coming closer. She tripped
on an upraised tree limb. She gathered her bags again and continued. A
few minutes later she stumbled onto a cobblestoned street. Town. She ducked
into a dim-lit building and huddled in a shadowy corner. When they had
passed by she left again and slowly, to remain inconspicious, she headed
down a road leading about a mile to another town where no one
knew her. "Witch-hunters!" She muttered angrily. "Who needs them?!"