A flash of green light caught Anaya’s eye as she turned to escape the guard’s careful watch. Her mouth opened in surprise and even he froze as he watched the stream of light fly high overhead before bursting over the crowd.

There was a shriek from somewhere amid the mass of people, and suddenly bodies were pressing back-and-forth as everyone tried to escape the source of the magic. Anaya, however, searched the marketplace for any sign of the mage.

This was the moment she'd been waiting for. If there was a mage in Torg Uyen, she was going to find them. She twisted and turned, forcing her way through the press of bodies streaming against her. She was too short to see over many of their heads, but she knew where the light had come from, and she knew if she could get there in time she could find the culprit. What she didn't know, was what she intended to do when she found them. All this time she'd been waiting for a sign that the divining rods were close.

Ever since she was a young child, walking the Trail of Lost Hope with her people, she’d heard stories about a greedy mage hiding away all of the lost artifacts. She meant to take back what was hers by birthright.

By the time she reached the place where she thought the light had come from, she was alone. Most of the people had scattered, and there was nothing to show for what caused the stampede other than a small dark patch on the cobblestone street. Cursing under her breath, she looked around sure the mage could not have escaped so quickly. Then she spotted her target. A small form bobbing through the crowd, pushing and shoving frantically.

She couldn't see their face, but she recognized the hood of the mage’s cloak, lined with silver thread that sparkled strangely in the sunlight. And then there were the people parting ways as soon as they noticed the mage among them.

"There he is!"

"Guards, catch him!"

For all their cries, no one in the crowd seemed inclined to reach for the little mage themselves.

Anaya set off at a quick pace, starting along in the mage’s wake intently. The one thing she couldn't do was allow the guards to catch him.

As she ran, she noticed a guard moving in from her left flank, too close to the mage for comfort, and with a whispered word, one of the cobblestones in the street kicked up a tiny bit, just enough to send the guard tripping over his own feet and sprawling to the ground. Smirking, she picked up her pace.

As long as the mage was the target of the crowd’s animosity, nobody would notice the little bit of guiding she was doing in town.

As they approached the gates at the entrance to Torg Uyen, Anaya realized she wouldn't be able to catch the mage in time. Her stomach rumbled again, as if begging her not to leave behind the only known source of sustenance in the vicinity, but she ignored it. If she’d succeeded in the marketplace, she would’ve enjoyed a nice meal, the first in days, but she couldn't miss this chance. She grumbled back at her stomach, assuring it that she would take care of it when she had a chance.

She watched the two guards standing at the gate, waiting for them to make a move towards the mage. The mage, however, didn't seem to take any notice of the guards at all. His shoulders were hunched and he kept his head low as he barreled ahead, not seeing anything happening around him. It was a wonder he didn't trip or bump into any of the strangers coming and going from the city.

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Behind her, someone shouted and order and the gates started to swing closed as he approached. Anaya feared the guards would take him into custody before she could reach him. Thinking quickly, she paused just long enough to say another quiet suggestion. Reaching out with her mind, she gently advised the gates to remain open.

There was a horrid screech as the gates drew to a halt, grinding for a second before they stuck. Both guards turned to look at the gates in confusion and then turned their gaze back to the mage, scowling at him for this trickery.

In tandem, they began to close the distance, moving in on the mage from either side. However, they seemed more cautious than the first guard had in the marketplace, drawing their weapons and keeping a respectful distance and a watchful eye on his hands.

Just before the two guards reached their intended target, Anaya closed her eyes, calling upon the wind to create a sudden burst that sent dust spiraling up the road, blinding the two furious guardsmen. It ruffled the mage’s robe, and blew his hood back as he looked around in bewilderment.

Immediately, he seemed to understand that there was something else at work now. Scanning the road behind him, his eyes met hers for a split second before he turned and sprinted out of the gate and ran down the path toward the open wilds that surrounded Torg Uyen.

Anaya followed as close as she could, skipping out of the gate past the guards with nothing more than the cloak on her back.

Outside the gates of Torg Uyen, the world was a different place. It was rather quiet compared to the city, and it occurred to Anaya that she should've been more prepared. After all, she waited nearly a full year to catch sight of a mage, and she could've had a bag packed. Instead, she had to assure herself that whatever happened, the spirits of her ancestors would keep her safe.

"Hey!” She picked up the hem of her skirt and darted ahead, trying to catch up with the young mage. Now that they were out of the city, and she had gotten a better look at him, she assumed he was young based on his short stature and strange behavior. Surely no grown mage with any power would be so skittish about being followed.

He ignored her pointedly, keeping his head down, and she cursed him.

Anaya called out a second time, trying to get his attention. “Hey! I’m a friend! Come back!”

This time, he paused momentarily and turned to her, and then, realizing that he was, in fact, being followed, he vanished in the blink of an eye. Stunned, Anaya froze for a second, afraid that she had lost her chance entirely. But a moment later, the mage appeared further down the path and continued running away from her.

That was odd, she thought. It seemed that the young mage could teleport, but only short distances.

She redoubled her efforts to catch him, but each time she drew close, he would vanish and reappear. Soon, they were approaching a dark and ominous looking forest. Anaya looked on with despair, knowing that if he entered the forest she would never find him. Plus, she didn't have any weapons or any way to protect yourself in a forest teeming with dangerous creatures. To her surprise, the mage stopped abruptly and stood very still. Thanking her ancestors, she drew nearer, hoping she could catch him before he changed his mind and took off again.

For a brief moment, she thought he was afraid to enter the forest, and she definitely didn't want to enter it if she didn’t have to, herself. She was almost within reach of the mage when a dark portal opened up right in front of him.

She gasped and cried out one last bid to get him to stop and talk to her, but he only turned and glanced at her for a second before hopping through the portal, which closed with a little pop and vanished.

Now, she was even more hopeless that she had been. He hadn't just been afraid of the forest, he had avoided it all together. Even from where she stood, she knew there was something strange about the forest.

It seemed to call out to her, urging her to step inside. She was fairly certain she had never seen this particular forest before on her travels with the Makara. Nor had she ever heard of any forest outside of Torg Uyen in her year there.

Then there was the strange aura that surrounded her, like being pulled down in a warm blanket. Mustering her courage, she stepped past the tree line, allowing the force to envelop her. If she could not go around it, she would just have to go through it, and that seemed to be exactly what the forest wanted of her.