"I can give you the sword," she finally said. "But I can't make your guide follow you."
The dark woman who had been silent for a long while nodded with hesitation in her eyes. "No, I can't follow you with that sword in your hand. It would put my life in danger. You will find your way to the City if you walk straight ahead until you come to a pond. From there, you should follow the direction where the big dead tree trunk points with its roots. You'll be fine."
Suddenly Mariana felt more alone than she had ever felt before. The anxiety came in an overwhelming wave over her. She would have rather stayed here, but that would have meant never finding Daniel again.
Then again, the sword was also tempting enough that she was willing to go against the constricting feeling of fear around her heart and take a jump into the great unknown.
