25
When I first starting running away from the hamlet, I was hyper-aware of everything I was sensing going on behind me. I didn't want to be caught off guard again if something started following me through the woods.
But once the sound of Frór's footsteps as he carried Mjolner back to the cabins faded away, I could hear nothing but my own breathing. The forest was quiet, but not unusually so.
And I felt nothing behind me, magical or otherwise. Nothing was setting off my danger sense.
But I definitely didn't have the energy for another long run. It was only a matter of minutes as what would only laughingly be called a sprint became more of a light jog. And then that jog was downgraded to a brisk walk.
Or I intended it to be brisk. But my muscles were aching, my lungs were on fire, and
