#Chapter 187 – Safe Enough

Lila The village appeared just as the sun dipped low, lanterns flickering to life one by one like fireflies against the gathering dusk. My feet ached from the journey, every step heavier than the last, but the sight of rooftops rising beyond the fields pulled me forward all the same. Smoke curled from chimneys, carrying the faint smell of bread and stew. The smells of normal life. The kind of life that had once been mine in flashes, but now felt more foreign than ever. Ronan walked at my side, steady as ever, his presence both shield and shadow. He carried the larger pack, his hand never straying far from the hilt at his hip. To anyone watching, we probably looked like countless other travelers arriving with the turn of the season: worn, tired, and looking for a place to belong. A woman tending her doorway glanced up as we passed. Her eyes swept over me, then Ronan, then my rounded belly. A small smile softened her face. “Seems like a long road for the two of you. There