Run and Hide
Lia was quick on her feet to run and hide among the trees. The previous nights, she felt that someone seemed to be following her trails, making her extra careful in leaving traces. She kept an eye over her shoulder and was alert on any sound around her. Sometimes the quiet surroundings were even more dangerous than the noisy ones.

She made it a habit to stay above trees, just the low hanging branches, but sturdy enough to carry her weight. When she was living in the forest, she urged Tamara to teach her to climb trees. She had always wanted to try that in her previous life. Though, despite all of her mother’s effort, Lia only managed to climb the lowest branch. Now, she was thankful that she at least learned that. It was a skill that might save her life now.

She hugged her drawstring bag closer as she strapped herself to the tree, enough that she would not fall easily to her death but not too tight to allow her to get away quickly. That way, she could take a look in her surroundings and to anyone who would approach the vicinity.

When morning came, she was back to her feet again, continuing the path to the riverside. She looked over her shoulder to check if anyone was following. To her relief, she only saw nothing but plants.

‘Just a few more,’ she thought, encouraging herself to move farther. Her body felt heavy, her legs felt like lead. She needed a proper rest tonight or she would not be able to go on tomorrow. Supporting herself upright on the tree tonight would be impossible. After days of doing that, in addition to the heat and constant moving, her body was at its limit.

In her estimation, she was almost near the river by now. Once she reached her destination, she would stay in the thicket, wait until the moon was up before going to the river. She could not risk being out in the open when the sun was high above her. She could not even fish during this time.

She found the path and the thicket near the river. She could almost smell the waft of freshwater. Then she heard laughter.

Not so far from her, to her right, she heard voices. She crept closer but not too close. They might have set traps to alarm them for intruders and Lia was not trained to spot those. She only saw their caravan and horses. On the other side of the caravan, she saw legs and feet belonging to the men.

‘Not good.’ She could not risk being seen especially in the middle of nowhere. A lone individual wandering around was too suspicious. While they did not seem to be someone from the Unseen and appeared to be regular merchants, it would be better safe than sorry.

Lia did not let her guard down as she moved back quietly and even picked a place farther from the caravan. Now, she really had to wait till they were all asleep.

“And here I thought I could finally take a sip from the river,” she scratched her parched throat.

It was almost midnight when she woke up with a jolt. She scanned her surroundings first, making sure that no blades or men surrounded her before moving her body from the tree she was leaning on. She listened from any unusual sounds as usual but could only hear the rustle of the wind and the incessant buzz of insects.

She walked towards the river, taking a full breath of the night breeze when she heard a splash of water. She dived and hid behind the closest tree. There seemed to be someone else taking a bath in the river.

Lia winced, her mind calculating her chances if she runs.

“Who’s there?” the person called out.

Lia stiffened.