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“If there’s a path, we need to see where it leads.” Costas took off, the rest of us hurrying to fall in behind him.
The narrow width of the path through the undergrowth kept us in single file again, but the conversation continued regardless.
“The path just ends abruptly back there instead of connecting with the path by the stream,” he said, and for a moment I thought he was discounting my theory. But when I caught the look he threw Amara, I realized he had something else on his mind.
“You think they’re hiding themselves, then?” Nik asked. “Would they have reason to do that?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” Costas said in a tired voice, and Nik fell quiet.
“Are they hiding from us?” I asked, horrified.
The idea hadn’t even occurred to me, but now it seemed to fit all too well, given the newness of the paths. Had our arrival driven some of the islanders from their homes?
I glanced back at Nik, and he frowned at the expression on my face. I expected him to say something comforting—however meaningless given our lack of information—but instead he turned a speculative look northward.
“Hold on a moment,” he said, and we all stopped, everyone turning in his direction.
Plunging into the trees, he disappeared from view, only to call for us to follow him moments later. I had to wind my way around several dense bushes, but as soon as I was out of sight of the path, the undergrowth abruptly cut off, giving way to an unnatural clearing.
The trees had been cleared, as well as the undergrowth, replaced with neat rows of what looked like vegetables, and even a whole section of some sort of grain. I gaped at it, everyone else taking in the sight in equal silence.
“I thought I could sense something out of the ordinary through here,” Nik said at last. Looking at me, he continued. “Whatever is going on here, I don’t think it has anything to do with us.”
I nodded, relieved, although my curiosity was now burning out of control.
“Look!” Ida pointed at a spot to our right. “That looks like a more established path.”
“That makes sense,” Amara said. “The stream is quite new, so the paths to and along it are also new. But this clearing has obviously been here a long time.”
She led the way toward the second path, and we all followed. This track was much more obvious and had enough room for two people to walk side by side. From the look of the packed dirt beneath us, I suspected some sort of cart made regular use of it, as well as people on foot.
“How close are we?” Amara asked me.
“Very,” I said quietly. “There are five adults and the sick child. I suspect two of the adults might be older, but they’re not elderly enough for it to be obvious in their bodies from this distance.”
“Sounds like a family,” Nik murmured as he drifted closer to me. Despite his words, his hand strayed to his sword hilt.
Amara nodded. “Regardless of who they are, I feel confident we can handle the situation.”
It was a reasonable assumption given the nature of our group. With two powerful elements mages, not to mention a strong plants mage, there were few people who would pose a risk to us.
“Relax,” I whispered to Nik. “The last thing we need is more of that.” I nodded toward his sword but regretted it immediately when his face paled.
He drew away from me, and I immediately felt the distance. I didn’t need his protection, but I had appreciated his presence anyway. I bit my lip. How long would it be until the sight of Nik with a sword didn’t bring back unwanted images of that awful night? I hated the lingering effects of what had been a misunderstanding on my part.
And as usual since then, I couldn’t find the right words to bridge the gap that had sprung up between us. Nik had done nothing wrong—the horrible assumptions had all been mine, and it should be my responsibility to fix matters. If only I knew how.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, and he gave me a tight smile.
I wanted to say more, but it was hardly the time for a proper conversation.
“They’re just ahead,” I whispered, unsure if we were trying to hide our approach.
Amara nodded to show she’d heard but didn’t stop walking. Ahead of her, the trees thinned and then disappeared completely, revealing another clearing. This second one was smaller, but it looked well established.
My mouth fell open as I took in a log cabin with another, smaller garden spreading in all directions around it. Whatever I had been expecting, it hadn’t been this.
“How long have they been here?” I asked. “This isn’t a camp but a long-term house.”
