When I finally reach the tavern on the far edge of the woods, I’m not surprised to find the building locked and the inside dark. Not many patrons at dawn, I suppose. All I can do is sit outside and wait for Ivan to unlock the door. Hopefully he wakes up early today.
My stomach is rumbling in pain. I don’t even remember the last time I ate. My dress is covered in blood and mud, my shoes torn to shreds. He’d be crazy to want to help me, but I don’t have anywhere else to turn at this point.
I find a large tree, curl up into a ball and hold my grumbling stomach as I drift off into a much needed rest.
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I’m jerked awake by a gruff voice. “Dru?” It says, “What are you doing here?”
I sit up with a start, backing myself against the tree as I blink my bleary eyes
