The sun had started to set —and Mae finally started gaining consciousness.
Her eyes fluttered open groggily, only to realize they weren't moving anymore. The cart had stopped. Her throat was raw. Her stomach gnawed at itself from hunger and fear, and the anxiety clawing inside her chest only made it worse. She tried to make a sound through the cloth stuffed in her mouth, but it came out as nothing more than a hoarse breath.
In the distance, she could hear voices. Men talking casually.
'What are they going to do to me?'
'Why would anyone kidnap me?'
Her thoughts spiraled as she fought against the ropes tied tight around her limbs. She twisted her head, her mouth working against the fabric, trying to move it—even a little.
And then… a familiar voice cut through.
"She needs to eat. She hasn't had lunch or dinner. She'll die of starvation before we even arrive."
It was Lora.
Mae's eyes widened. Lora? Her heartbeat thundered. Did they kidnap her too? But if she was just another victim, why was she sounding so calm?
Before she could gather more thoughts, someone grabbed the sack she was in and ripped it open. A harsh tug pulled at her hair, and light poured in like a slap. Mae blinked rapidly, momentarily blinded.
When her vision adjusted, she saw Lora crouching in front of her.
Her face looked tense. Guilty.
Mae let out a muffled cry.
"Lonnmmmf—"
Lora leaned in, gently pulling the cloth out of Mae's mouth.
"What are you doing here? What happened? Where is this place?" Mae's voice cracked into panic as she looked around.
They were outside. Trees surrounded them, sparse enough to see the sky. Short grass swayed under the warm breeze. White wildflowers bloomed quietly in the distance, and she could hear a river running nearby. The air was heavy with dirt, bark, and betrayal.
Mae's chest rose and fell in erratic, shallow breaths.
"Hurry up. Feed her before she starts screaming," one of the men grunted.
Mae's head whipped toward Lora. Her voice was sharp. "What does that mean? You're with them?"
Lora said nothing. Her eyes fell to the ground. Slowly, she pulled out a piece of dry barley bread and held it up to Mae's lips.
"Miss… please eat something. You haven't had anything since yesterday."
Mae stared at the bread like it was poison. How could she have trusted her? Even for a moment. Even considered Lora a decent person. She turned her head away, her jaw tight with disbelief and disgust.
"Where are you taking me? What do you want from me?" she snapped. "Is it money? I can get you money. But killing me—what's the point? I'm nobody! No one would pay a dime to save me."
Her voice grew louder, more cracked.
"So just TELL me what the goal is! Because this—this doesn't make sense!" Mae shouted, her voice cracking from thirst and desperation.
Her wrists throbbed where the ropes bit into her skin, already scraped raw. Every time she moved, it burned like fire under her flesh. But still, she kept struggling, twisting against the binds, her body fighting even though her mind was losing hope.
"What the hell do you people want from me?!"
"Silence her!" one of the men snapped. "We don't want to attract bandits."
Lora flinched at his tone, then looked back at Mae, her voice softer. "Please, miss… calm down. I promise—they won't hurt you if you just cooperate."
Her eyes looked almost sorry. That wide-eyed, guilt-laced look that Mae had seen before—puppy-eyed and pathetic. And as much as Mae wanted to scream in her face, she had no choice. She was tied, trapped, and exhausted.
With her jaw clenched, she turned back and reluctantly took a bite of the barley bread Lora was holding up. It was dry as chalk, making her gag immediately. Her mouth went even drier, and she coughed, violently choking on it.
"Water!" she rasped between coughs.
Lora rushed to grab the leather water satchel and pressed it to Mae's lips. Mae drank greedily, water spilling down her chin and neck, but she didn't care. Lora used her sleeve to gently wipe her face, soaking up the droplets like she was trying not to make a mess.
Breathless, Mae leaned back against the tree trunk and glared up at her. "Let my hands loose. They're killing me," she said, voice low and teeth clenched.
Lora turned to the men, who were now busy inspecting the broken wooden wheel of the carriage. "She's right. Let her go. There's no need for this anymore."
The men hesitated, but when they met Lora's eyes, something changed. They no longer looked like they saw her as just a tag-along. One of them grumbled and stepped over to untie Mae.
As the ropes fell from her wrists, she gasped quietly, wincing as the blood rushed back into her limbs, sending sharp pins and needles through her arms. She stood up slowly, brushing dirt from her tattered clothes, her hair a wild mess, frizzed from being in the sack.
She looked down at her wrists—red, raw, angry lines marked her skin. "You know," she said dryly, "you could've tied me up without trying to rip my hands off."
Lora looked down, shame clear in her face. "I'm sorry."
Mae turned to her, eyes narrowing. "Why did you do it, Lora? Was it about money?"
She wanted to believe—still—that Lora had been forced, maybe tricked into helping them.
But Lora shook her head slowly. "No… someone told me to keep an eye on you." She paused, licking her lips. "And now… they want you brought to them."
Mae's brow shot up. "To who? Why me? I'm not important."
Lora looked helpless. "I don't know. I really don't. They just told me to do it. That's all I know."
Mae stared at her for a long moment, disappointment etched into every inch of her face. She turned away, looking toward the forest, eyes catching the soft flutter of white flowers in the distance. Her stomach still twisted from hunger, but the barley bread sat untouched in her hand.
"If you want," Lora offered hesitantly, "I can get you some berries from the woods. We'll be here for a while… the wheel broke. One of the men went to the village to get supplies."
Mae gave a small nod. Lora, relieved, turned and headed into the trees like she was going for a casual walk in her backyard—not skipping through a forest after kidnapping someone.
Left alone, Mae felt the heavy stares of the two burly men standing nearby. She dared not run. Not yet. Instead, she looked around—and spotted her bag by a tree trunk. Her bag.
She moved toward it slowly, cautiously, kneeling beside it. It hadn't even been opened. Everything inside was still untouched—her coins, her eyepiece, her notes.
She exhaled, a chill spreading through her chest. They weren't after her money.
They wanted her.
Someone—someone important—wanted to meet her. And suddenly, Mae wasn't sure whether that made her safer… or put her in far more danger than she'd imagined.
....