The thought of escape set her heart beating and her mind racing. If she wanted to take advantage of this chance, she had to act quickly. There wasn’t much she could take with her. A few pieces of leftover fruit, the clothes she wore, and a blanket. The fruit would only last her half a day, but she couldn’t be more than a day or two from the city, and she’d been hungry for longer periods of time than that. Perhaps she could use what she’d learned from Pashla to forage along the way. The thought of Pashla was the only thing that nagged at her. It felt wrong to leave without a word, but she saw little other choice.

Kyra didn’t know exactly where she was, but the city was roughly to the west, and hopefully she would be able to find a road along the way. She pointed herself away from the morning sun. The forest was changing for winter. She was surrounded by yellow-orange leaves, and some trees already sported naked branches. Her nerves carried her the first quarter hour, but then doubts began to surface. The Makvani, however dangerous they were, were the only link to her past. She still had so many questions and so much to learn. Would she ever get another chance? And once she got to Forge, what would she tell them about her time in the forest? Could she betray the Makvani, betray Pashla, after they had saved her life?

“Kyra, what are you doing?” Kyra jumped as Pashla stepped out through the trees. Had the clanswoman been at the gathering? Perhaps the Makvani were watching her more closely than she’d thought. Kyra forced herself to relax and smile, even as she took a frantic inventory of how she looked. She only had a little fruit on her, an amount that was more suitable for a short walk than for a multiple-day journey to the city. The blanket was more suspect, but she had it thrown around her shoulders like a cloak.

“I was feeling strong and decided to go for a walk, although I might have been too optimistic.” She put a hand to her bandaged middle.

Pashla’s face instantly clouded over with concern. “Are you unwell? I can help you back.”

“That would be good.” And it wasn’t even a lie. Her wound was throbbing and her limbs were weak. Even with Pashla’s help, she was exhausted by the time she made it back to the shelter. She’d been a fool to think she could make it all the way back by herself. She would give herself another week to heal. It should still be enough time, she hoped.

Yet as Kyra collapsed and drifted off into sleep, reflecting over her failure to escape, she had to admit that part of her felt relieved.