Though they had been with the caravan an entire week, Kiara still only felt sad to say goodbye to the children she spent every attack with. It was always entertaining to see them tell the stories of her heroics, even if no one ever believed them. Kiara had laughed when the two of them had left because the parents had finally seen the bow and quiver that she carried with her. The expression on their faces was priceless.

Her greatest disappointment, though, was having to leave her beautiful mare behind. During the trip she'd taken to calling her Lola, but never in public where anyone could hear her. The horse kept every secret, every worry that she had ever had, and these had been growing within the past week. Each step closer to Berinike was another step closer to a fate she could not run from. It was suffocating. When she had left Lola behind, it had taken everything Kiara had to keep a straight face. If it was possible, the horse would be the first thing she asked for, long before clothing, jewelry, or anything else.

Unlike with the caravan, Kiara kept her weapon with her at all times. She had never been this far, but she was also not as stupid as Ostus once thought. She knew exactly how much danger they were in, and without the rest to protect her, she'd need to keep on guard. A small smirk formed up on her lips as she thought this. If he knew that she was counting on herself rather than him, Ostus would probably be furious. She'd noticed that he took his job of protecting her very seriously despite his only accepting it because of the pay.

His words snapped her out of her reminiscing and Kiara nodded, letting him know she understood before digging through her bag. With a glare towards him added to a, "Don't look," she moved out of the light and began to change into what she had been wearing when they first met. She was pulling the tunic over her head when their fears were realized and an arrow knicked her arm.

The cry that escaped her was mostly out of surprise, though it did hurt quite a bit. The trees were thick, and this sent her into a panic. Even with an arrow notched, Kiara could not see where the attack was coming from, and therefore could not hide nor shoot. Soon enough, a figure ran from the cover of the trees with a large sword and came right at her.

She'd barely moved out of the way in time, but that was on purpose. Kiara had been trying to get a good look at the man to figure out where he was from. The colors he wore, and the symbol on his shirt were supposed to make them think he was Beriniken, but she knew better. "Callum. He's from Callum!" she shouted to Ostus. 

Another arrow came flying.