It had been easy enough to find the waymark stones on the high road. Now she was on the lesser byways, she had to search the leafy shadows for their pale gleam. Each one marked a league closer to Carluse, but she couldn't worry about that. She couldn't fret about beggars or footpads or worry that some scum from Wynald's Warband might stumble across her. This was her only chance. She had to take it. Sooner than she expected, she saw the stone marking twenty-eight leagues from Carluse Town on this road. Weak with relief, she urged the horse down a track branching north. Finally, she turned down a narrow rutted lane. The horse snorted and baulked. Despite her frustration, Failla let the weary beast pick its own path in the half-light. She'd be hard put to explain to Nath how the animal had lamed itself overnight in a stable. The last thing she needed was him challenging the ostler and learning she'd ridden out alone. As the lane cut across a shallow crest, she could see the little farm nestling in the side of the valley.
