The transport cart rumbled along the forest road, wheels creaking over roots and stones.
I sat alone in the back, the only passenger, watching the Eastern Forest slip past through the open rear.
The driver was an Academy guard, middle-aged, scarred. He hadn't spoken since we'd left, and I was grateful for the silence. It gave me time to think.
Review everything you've learned this week.
Emma's mana circulation training.
The combat training with Kyle and Sira. Two modes of operation.
The equipment improvements.
Everything I need to survive is in my head. Just need to use it correctly.
The forest began to change.
The healthy oaks and pines gave way to twisted, gnarled trees with bare branches reaching toward the sky like skeletal fingers.
The underbrush grew sparse, then disappeared entirely. The birdsong that had accompanied us for the first hour faded to silence.
The air grew colder.
