With a gasp of relief, she reached a clear space behind the crowd and searched for a way to get a better viewpoint.
The crowd was growing louder and louder and more people were rushing to join the crowd. There was no way she could find Amanda in the crown.
There had to be somewhere safer to get a better view.
"There," she grinned and hurried towards the tall tree just beyond the crowd.
She hiked her skirt and tucked it loosely into her belt before climbing up to the overhanging branch.
Carefully, she crawled onto it and sat.
The view was perfect. She could see to the edge of town just as the soldiers were reaching the edge of town.
Their silver armor, though battered, still gleamed in the sun beneath their black cloaks bearing the Imperial crest. Her stomach clenched with apprehension but she pushed that away and tried to scan the soldiers hoping to see her father despite the distance.
