The eastern path was dark.
The lanterns from the village had long since faded behind me, swallowed by the trees and the growing shadows. The moon was hidden behind a curtain of clouds, and the only light came from the occasional firefly drifting between the branches.
The air was cool and damp, thick with the smell of earth and old leaves. It was the kind of darkness that made you feel like you were the only person left in the world.
I did not know exactly where I was going.
Roran had said Mia went this way, but he had not said where. Just past the eastern gate, toward the old willow. That was all.
So I walked.
The path twisted and turned, narrowing until it was barely more than a deer trail. The trees pressed in close, their branches forming a canopy that blocked out what little light remained. I kept walking, my boots sinking into the soft earth, my hand resting on Tempest out of habit more than need.
...And then I found her.
