First Quarter

Chapter Sixty: Western Terrain

The morning came creeping in without anyone noticing. They were all exhausted from the settling they had done yesterday, from building the tents, building campfires, make-shift chairs and tables, cleaning the surroundings out of weeds and insects, and snakes.

Everyone was snoring away except for the guards on shift.

Mallory woke up earlier than she had expected. When she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar ceiling brought her defenses up until she remembered that she was outside the forest. She stared at it before standing up.

As she stirred, Oddny, who she made to sleep on a bed inside her tent, also stirred. Mallory paused...