Runaway with Faye

Chapter 21

Faye ran on until she couldn't run anymore, and bent over, catching her breath. She looked over her shoulder, but no one had found her.

Yet.

They had to have discovered her escape by now. Her first thought was to find Jyri, but she had no idea where to begin. She didn't even know where she was. The woods were unfamiliar to her.

But she couldn't be too far from the escapee cellar. It would be safe there, at least. And maybe Jyri had the same idea. Taking deep breaths, she straightened and wandered deeper into the woods, in search for wooden doors in the ground. Leaves were scattered all around, making it a difficult task. She could pass it without even knowing.

Faye wasn't sure how long she spent meandering, but the sun began to set. Her eyes filled with tears. Not only was she unable to find the cellar, but she couldn't even find a way out of the endless maze of trees. Defeated, she slumped against one of the trees, burying her face in her knees. How long until she was found? Her stomach gnawed at her, and she opened her pack, digging through clothes in search for food.

There wasn't any food.

Frowning, she pulled out her spare shirt and her corset. She even had Jyri's spare clothes from when he transferred his things over to her so there'd be room in his pack for the blanket.

But no food.

At least when she was homeless in the city, she could resort to stealing. But here, in the wilderness, there were no shops. No people. She hadn't even come across a single animal. It had been over a day since she last ate.

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Faye took a few calming breaths, and considered her options. She could sit in one spot and risk being found by the wrong people. Or, she could continue wandering aimlessly and run into the wrong people. At least if she wandered aimlessly, she might find a way out of the forest. Or miraculously come upon Jyri. She examined the anti-magic cuffs. Maybe if she could get the cuffs off, she could use magic to do... something. She pulled her knife out of her pocket. Flipping it open, she pressed the tip to the key hole. Unfortunately, the key hole was too small for the tip of the knife to even fit.

A crow landed at her side, and cawed. Faye scooted away, but the crow stood in place, staring at her.

Food.

Faye held up her knife, but the crow flew off, and landed a few paces away, studying at her. Knife still in hand, she stood up and walked towards it. The crow took wing, and Faye, not knowing what else to do, put her knife away and followed.

Night had fallen by the time the crow landed. It pecked at the ground, then looked up at Faye. Faye stared. The crow pecked again, so she bent down to investigate. A handle stuck out from under the leaves. She brushed them aside, revealing a cellar door. She yanked the handle, but it was locked. She knocked, then pounded, but no one answered.

The crow cawed three times in succession, paused, and cawed twice. Then, it cawed three more times. The door opened, and Gren appeared, smiling. "Faye, come in."

Faye climbed in, and Gren shut the door behind them. "What brings you back?"

"I got captured and taken to Milthum, and managed to escape," Faye explained. "I tried coming back here but I got lost. A crow led me here."

Gren smiled. "That crow is Raven. We trained her to find lost magics, and lead them here. How else have refugees found us?"

A crow named Raven. In spite of everything, Faye smiled, putting her pack aside. "She saved my life."