The Sun began to set in the west when the carriage slowed down. Sylvia looked outside to see they were standing on a roadside in some town.
The coachman opened the small window behind him and announced
"We have reached Greenfield, miss."
Sylvia smiled upon hearing that. At last, she reached her destination. She began gathering her stuff to get ready to step down the carriage. She didn't realise that a set of blue eyes were watching her silently.
She slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder while the coachman get her luggage. When she finally looked up, her smile faltered behind her scarf.
She stared at Corbin for a few moments, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she wanted to ignore him and leave.
But something changed her mind at the last minute.
"So... erm... thank you for sharing this ride with me!" She was sincere with her words
If he wasn't considerate enough and allowed her to share the ride, then she might not have left that place unharmed.
Corbin nodded his head, putting up a smile on his face.
"It was nice to meet you, Sylvia! Are you sure you can find your way from here? Or do you want me to help you reach your exact location?"
Sylvia was again touched by the genuine concern in his voice. Maybe she had misunderstood him. He was not that bad of a person.
But it was all fruitless now. They might never cross paths again.
"No, thank you! I will manage on my own. You must be getting late to reach your destination. I don't want to take more of your time."
"So it's a goodbye then."
'I guess so.', she wanted to say.
"Yes, it is." She replied emotionlessly.
She couldn't expose her emotional side to that stranger. Why should she?
Corbin's lips pursed. Sylvia felt like he wanted to say more, but she didn't want to prolong this conversation.
With a last nod of her head, she opened the door and stepped down the carriage. She paid the coachman's remaining fare before taking her leave.
Corbin watched her retreating back and wished they would cross paths again.
Not two minutes later, Sylvia heard the sound of the carriage running away. She wanted to turn her head to take a last glance at it, but she refrained herself from doing that and continued on her road.
She had a detailed address given by Roma. With the help of some guidance from a couple of people around, she managed to reach the doorstep of Roma's uncle.
The sun had already set behind the horizon, and the darkness had swollen the world.
Sylvia felt jittery. She didn't know who that man was and if he would welcome her to his home. But he was her only hope.
She raised her hand to knock on the door when her eyes fell on the lock. Worry began to settle in her chest as she looked around the small house.
There were no lamps burning inside or any sound coming out of that house. She looked around to find a young girl passing by.
She quickly rushed toward the girl and asked, "Excuse me?"
"Yes?" The girl stopped to take a look at the woman approaching her.
She instantly recognised that she was a stranger and not a local resident of the small town.
"Erm... do you know where is the owner of this house?" Sylvia pointed at the house to her left.
The girl glanced at the house before she asked. "Are you his guest?"
"Yes."
"Well... he is out of the town for some days. He left two days ago and will come back after two more days." The girl informed.
Sylvia's face fell. She didn't know what to do now or where to go. Where she should live in these two days?
"Do you perhaps know the places around where I can stay until he comes back?"
The girl thought about it for a minute before she said, "You can come to my house."
Sylvia gave a once-over to the girl. She was wearing a simple dress which had a few stains and dust on it. She must be returning to her home after spending her day working somewhere.
Sylvia didn't feel like burdening her and her family. Besides, she couldn't just trust these people.
She smiled and shook her head. "Thank you for your generosity! But I would like to stay somewhere else like a shrine or something?"
"But the local church is under renovation right now. There is no other safe place for your stay."
Sylvia wanted to scream in irritation. Why things couldn't be easier for her?
"Oh okay! I will find something for myself. Thank you!"
The girl was in a hurry yet she stopped Sylvia and advised. "Don't linger in the town. The open spaces are not safe for women at night. Hurry up and find some shelter for yourself before... before any evil reaches you."
With that said, the girl turned on her heels and left quickly. Sylvia stood there staring at her. She was dumbfounded at first, but then reality began to sink in. She had to leave.
She picked up her pace and took the road that took her out of the town. She couldn't deal with the humans, but the forest was something she was used to.
She could handle wild animals than humans.
With that thought on her mind, she reached the forest at some distance from the town. She decided to take shelter there for two days and then try again to reach Roma's uncle.
Sylvia wasn't scared of forest or forest life. On the Warthford Island that was her refuge. She was used to those tall and intimidating green trees, the rocks and boulders, the river and the animal life.
As expected, Sylvia found a small river in the forest. She cleaned her face and hands before drinking some water.
She found a comfortable spot around the river and settled herself there. The night was turning chillier with every passing hour. She didn't have enough warm clothes to protect herself from that coldness.
She looked around once. She was all alone there. She took her wand and moved it in the air while chanting a spell.
The very next moment, she had a fire burning in front of her, giving her warmth. Sylvia smiled. How easy life was with magic!
And once she will attain more power to become the strongest, she will have the whole world at her feet.
The only problem was she didn't know how to attain such great power. She was ready to do anything to fulfil her goal. She was ready to sacrifice anything it would demand.
But she first had to find a way to get that immense power.
Her plan was simple. Once she finds herself a safe place, she would also find how she could attain her goal.
Sylvia searched through her bag to realise she had eaten whatever little snacks Roma had given her on her way. And now her stomach was growling in hunger.
Times like these made her realise that even magic had its constraints.
She sighed dejectedly and hoped for the morning. She leaned back against the tree she was sitting under, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
The coldness kept growing as the hours passed, and soon it started to drizzle. The raindrops that fell on her face woke her up. The fire Sylvia had created was extinguished with water.
She was about to use her magic to protect herself from the rain when she heard a few voices coming from the forest.
Her senses were on alert instantly. She realised there was a group of men, who came to the forest for drinking. They were somewhere around her, taking shelter under the trees.
There went her chance of using her magic. If any of them noticed her presence or saw her using magic, then she would be in great trouble.
Clenching her jaw tightly, Sylvia sat right where she was, her arms wrapped around herself. The presence of a river right next to her worsened the situation for her as the water kept rising in the river.
With that rate, Sylvia would need to find some other place to stay or else she would be drawn into the flood.
But how could she find another place when those men were right there?
Sylvia didn't know how long she stayed there and when she lost consciousness.
But when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a strange place. She wasn't in the forest anymore.
Then where was she?