It took Oriana almost four days to reach the North, which was two days longer compared to when she came to the South through the smugglers' wagons. Only then did she realize it was not that she misjudged the distance, but Ron and his group had access to a secret route which halved the travel time between the cities of Jerusha and Selve.
About an hour after sunrise, Oriana could be seen hurrying back to her village. She could not help but first check on her grandfather, wondering if she would be reprimanded for arriving later than her original two-week promise.
'I hope I can distract him with the souvenirs I bought…'
To her pleasant surprise, the old man was still sleeping soundly when she arrived home.
Oriana could finally breathe.
