The prison wagon carrying the Rusty Keys thieves rolled slowly along the damp path by Gray Mist Lake, its wheels crushing through the mud with dull, heavy sounds.
Alice sat in the driver's seat, unconsciously rubbing the silver longsword pendant at her chest as though lost in thought.
Her adjutant, Karen, sat beside her, pulling his collar tighter as he muttered, "This damned place—such heavy fog in the middle of summer. The damp seeps into your bones."
"Let's just hope a wild boar or some other damn thing doesn't suddenly come charging out of the woods..."
"The Swamp Forest has always been like this. Heavy fog is the norm..."
Alice replied casually, but before she could finish, her gaze sharpened and she jerked the reins tight.
"Whoa—!"
The wagon came to an abrupt stop, and the horses snorted uneasily.
Alice's sharp gaze pierced into the dense shadows of the woods to the left of the road. The light there was dim, but she could clearly sense a pair of eyes watching her from within.
"Who's there?!"
She demanded coldly, her voice slicing through the silence of the forest.
The figure in the shadows seemed to sway slightly. It gave no answer, merely turned and slipped soundlessly into the deeper darkness.
As Alice stared at that blurred outline, an inexplicable palpitation and a strange sense of familiarity rose within her.
Always rational, she made an uncharacteristic decision.
"Karen, watch the wagon and the prisoners. I'll be right back."
Before her words had even faded, she had leapt down from the wagon and charged without hesitation into the dark forest.
Alice darted through the dim woods, following the figure's trail as she forced her way through a banyan grove where the light had all but been cut off.
She did not know