Chapter 25: Secrets

Oliver, Odeile, and Vamira returned to the burnt wreckage within the gully, staying only long enough for the women to collect as many supplies as were not destroyed. Oliver stood nearby, waiting, trying not to look at any of the bodies littering the ground around him. It was with great relief that he left the scene of battle behind, following after the two women.

The three of them proceeded on their way, cutting a path west. The sun was already high in the sky by the time they were moving. Oliver could hardly believe it had taken as long as it had to bury Crane. It felt like the makeshift funeral had passed in the blink of an eye.

Odeile led the way, her long legs effortlessly eating up the distance from hillside to hillside. She was following no path that Oliver could see, yet she seemed sure of where they were going. Vamira, even accounting for her dress, moved just as quickly. It was all Oliver could do to keep up with them.