FOUR
“I think you’re overreacting. They’ve got more important things to worry about than you being a Suriaxian.”
Marcy shrugged and looked out over the horizon. Thomas was right, of course. As soon as word of Candace and her experiences with the raiders spread through the town, the tone of the village changed. Anxiety turned to real fear. Preparations were made. Contingencies were discussed. There was even talk of evacuating to the Eastern Ridge, a strip of mountains separating Alerian and Suriaxian lands north of the Southern Plains. And Marcy couldn’t stop looking at the horizon. A sense of real fear lodged itself in her stomach and wouldn’t ease up. That was the real reason she wanted to leave. Something bad was about to happen. She could feel it.
“Everything will be fine,” Thomas co
