215 Papa Nocs

Raiya and I managed to leave the forest by midday. The witch had almost died on me more than once. She lost too much blood and couldn't concentrate enough to walk straight. I kept encouraging her to move, one step at a time.

"Come on, I didn't risk everything to see you die on me here," I said after she fell for the umpteenth time.

"You should have taken the beast's offer," she retorted. "I'm only slowing you down."

She was a stubborn one. It felt like she had made up her mind to die. If I didn't know better, I'd say she hated me for saving her life back there. We were walking beside a worn out path that no one seemed to take anymore. Old traces of cart wheels began to fade away due to years of neglect.