Through the forest and the swamp.

"No roads," Katarina insisted, and when Ysdella joined them from her watch, the hunter's daughter agreed emphatically so Gilly backed down. They took turns to keep watch that night, and it was one of the most fearful nights Gilly had ever experienced. Every sound in the little forest startled her, she almost woke up her companions at least twice - and when Kata came to replace her, she fell into a restless sleep.

Ysdella woke them up when it was still dark outside. They ate some of the provisions stored in the hut and then started their journey to Ravenstone. Ysdella led them through the forest away from the hut. She knew the grounds, but she had never roamed further than the river. Gilly stayed mostly back and decided to let the other two girls decide. They both clearly had more leadership qualities then she.

At noon, they reached Danudon river and followed it to the end of the forest and further on north. Gilly's feet had started to hurt by now, and the too tight leather clothes stuck to her skin due to the sweat, but she tried not to complain. She did not want to slow the other two down.

After another one or two hours, the riverbank became treacherous. What had been hard earth and grass before slowly turned into mud. Ysdella stopped them and looked ahead, frowning.

"That's it, girls. Mist swamp. You were right. I didn't know it reached this far. Must be its borders anyway. If we just tread carefully, we should be fine."

"I heard people can sink and drown in swamps," Gilly objected hesitantly.

Ysdella shook her head. "Not here. If you go deep into a swamp, yes. But this is just the outskirts of the swamp. And we still have the river to guide us. We should be fine. In any case, there's no was turning back now, else we lose most of our progress. Ravenstone can't be more than a few hours from here."

Katarina nodded resolutely. "Let's go," she said. "Ysdella, you go first. You have the most experience in this sort of terrain."

Gilly sighed, but followed. She didn't feel food about this. But her friends turned out to be right: Once you got used to the mud, it was possible to navigate the swampy ground. They plodded along the river, sometimes detouring away because of little ponds and bogs but they always returned to the river quickly due to Ysdella's guidance. At least, the mists from which the swamp derived its name were nowhere to be seen. It was a sunny day. All was well.

Until Ysdella froze in her tracks and screamed.