She didn’t hurry. She didn’t want to lose her footing on the sometimes-slick stones, but also she did not want to come up to the temple too suddenly, to startle whoever was hiding there. Bandits might have taken the place, but a solitary priestess might not welcome an unknown visitor in such an isolated spot. The woods were quiet, far quieter than the roads. On the road, there was the constant clomp and snort of the horses, and the obligation to chatter with her fellow travelers from time to time. It was hard to let her thoughts settle, even in Nolerin’s easy company.
On that forest trail, it felt as if no person ever crossed the path of another, as if she might be entirely alone in the world. She enjoyed the solitude. No one was watching her. She adjusted her gait so that it felt more co
