"Oh, that's terrible," Piper said. She felt her blood rush, as usual with anything mysterious that always had that effect on her. "Can you explain it to me?"
The woman looked Piper up and down, taking in her light blue dress and her adorable bunny coin pouch, then said, "You're a young girl traveling alone without protection. You'd better leave this town soon. The sun is about to set."
The woman left immediately after finishing the transaction. Piper packed up her goods and loaded them into her caravan. As the day darkened, her heartbeat grew faster. She preferred avoiding danger, as anyone with a sense of self-preservation would.
Piper finished attaching her horses to their reins shortly after. She climbed onto her cushioned driver's seat, disappointed to see her biscuit tin empty. She should have considered that her bazaar would take a long time and bought food before opening her shop.
"Well, that's because I was too excited. What's wrong with that? Maybe I'll find a store run by a brave owner willing to open despite the killers wandering around town. Ah, I'll visit Rule's Kitchen," Piper said, patting her stomach.
She started her caravan. From any angle, the town looked safe and peaceful. Piper had long learned that day and night were the same, with night simply lacking sunlight. She didn't let herself drown in fear, though she stayed cautious.
When Piper stopped her caravan in front of Rule's Kitchen, the owner was just closing his shop.
"Sorry, we're already closed," the man said, avoiding Piper's eyes as if afraid the sweet girl before him would plead for something impossible. Opening a shop at night in Fernwick was like inviting criminals into your home.
Piper climbed back into her caravan. She hadn't even had the chance to ask about accommodations in Fernwick. She drove her caravan again, the rattling sound louder than usual in the eerie silence around her.
"What on earth is going on?" Piper wondered as she leaned back. "What a shame for such a beautiful town to turn into a ghost town at night."
She devoured a piece of bread she had kept. It tasted more delicious thanks to her hunger. After finishing the bread, she felt her mind clear.
Piper looked up at the starless sky. It was still too early for her. Usually, she would spend this time in other towns visiting cafes and bookstores, if they were open. But here, not a single shop was lit along the street.
Piper opened her map and rechecked Fernwick. "If I keep going, I should reach the forest and then a village. Well, let's see if it's the same as this town or not. Ah, I could just stop my caravan in this meadow and start replying to my friends' piled-up letters. But I don't want my enjoyable writing time interrupted by... 'them.' Whoever 'they' are that woman mentioned earlier?"
Then Piper saw it.
A line of people walking at the edge of the forest. The lack of light made them look like ghostly shadows from children's horror novels, the kind that turned them into scared teenagers. Whether they heard her or not, they kept walking.
Piper waited until they passed and disappeared from sight. She wanted to urge her horses forward, but she felt something approach.
A gleaming knife could have been the last thing she saw in her life if Piper hadn't been sharp enough to grab the shadow's arm. She couldn't hold on for long, confirming her assailant was a man. But she quickly slid off her seat, grabbed her biscuit tin, and slammed it into the man's head.
"The townsfolk's fear is justified," Piper thought, her heart pounding as she felt her caravan shaking. The man's friends must have come to ambush her.
Regrets were useless. Piper quickly thought of a plan and ducked just as a bullet whizzed past her face. Moments later, she heard a man grunt in front of her.
"Nice, Bluebell!" Piper shouted. One of her horses had kicked the man down.
Piper pressed a button in front of her, hearing cries from several men around her caravan. One even seemed to fall painfully onto the ground. The silver spikes she had installed around her caravan must have hurt them. When they were momentarily distracted, Piper threw something from her pocket, creating thick smoke around her.
"Run, runners!" Piper shouted. She faintly heard the groans of a man being trampled by her horses and winced.
Her hair came loose from its tie and flew around her face as her horses galloped at full speed. Another gunshot rang out, and Piper hoped they wouldn't aim at her caravan.
"Goodness. I haven't faced danger in a while, and now I'm panicking," Piper thought, gripping the reins tightly. She screamed loudly to release her nerves until she finally felt calmer. "How do they even have guns? Aren't they illegal in Irelia?" she wondered again.
Piper didn't dare slow her horses while passing through the forest. She kept going until she reached a village. The houses were more sparse than in Fernwick, and the roadside lacked the luxurious corridors of that town. But at least this small village seemed lively enough for her to rest.
Piper decided to calm herself at an open tavern. She stopped her caravan beside it. When she learned the tavern also had an inn, she called an employee to bring her horses to the stable so they could rest.
The inn was simple but clean. A girl with an apron greeted her warmly. "Hello, miss. How can I help you?"
Piper scanned the menu for a while before placing her order. "I'd like a glass of milk and beef soup. Oh, and I'd also like to stay the night. Are there any rooms available?"
"Of course. Please have a seat while I prepare your order."
Piper sat down, thinking. Who were the people who attacked her earlier? Tomorrow, she had to return to Fernwick to discuss it with someone responsible for the town's safety.
They really weren't doing their job well! How could they let a sweet girl like her nearly die when she hadn't even explored the entire country yet?