The path had narrowed again, barely wide enough for two, and the looming trees overhead closed in like silent sentinels. Rhea’s boots pressed into the damp forest floor, each step weighed with aching muscles and a mind swirling with doubts. Her journey had already stretched several days past what Mira had estimated, and hunger clawed at her stomach with more persistence than fear ever could.
Her stolen cloak clung to her shoulders, frayed at the hem, stained by bramble and mud. Beneath it, the heavy clothing she’d layered to bulk out her frame was growing uncomfortable in the warmer lowlands. Her back throbbed, and she longed for a fire—just a small one—to ward off the cold biting at her bones. But it wasn’t safe. Fire attracted attention. Light was exposure.
Still, her resolve held.
Th
