The long trek back to the campsite was tiring but it was fun all the same. We didn’t have horses, they all- fortunately- had been released through the front gate when the volcano started to erupt, before I had moved the people out of the path of destruction. It was fun, walking out in the open, holding hands with Jem. I didn’t have to worry about who was watching, and I didn’t have to care about my future. For once, I was allowed to think of my happiness, of what I want, and who I will become. It was silly, how a week ago I walked on this very path with my heart in my throat, riding away from the people I loved the most in the world as a scared little witch, and now, I was walking happily and confidently to them, like a Queen.
We were still cautious, of course. Danny told us exactly what
