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My southern route was an obvious direction, but I didn’t plan toI hoped the soldiers would assuht for the border The castle complex was in Military District 6 and quite close to the southern lands, wedged between MD–7 to the west and MD–5 to the east The dead King, who had built the co between jogging and walking, it wasn’t long before I entered Snake Forest, avoiding Castletown While studying soht, I had noticed that the forest surrounded Castletown on three sides The northern district of the town faced the castle Snake Forest also spread out to the east and west like a thin belt of green

At the official southern border, Commander Ambrose’s soldiers had cleared a hundred-foot-wide swath from the Soul Mountains in the east all the way to the Sunset Ocean in the west Since the takeover it was a cried through the forest,footprints in the dirt, I remained southbound until I reached a small stream My hour head start was almost up I knelt by the strea out a handful of ers I hunched over the stream and smeared the wet sediment on my face and neck Since I had pulled my hair into a bun, I rubbed mud on uess I had knelt here for a drink After sta footprints near the strea I had walked into the water, I traced my route back until I found a perfect tree

About six feet froh into the air The first sturdy branch off thenot to disturb the ground surrounding my scent path, I removed my backpack and pulled out one of the iterappling hook I tied it to the end of a long thin rope coiled inside uards and dogs exploding froh my mind Hastily I threw the hook up to the branch It ht it on the way down Frantic, I threw the hook again Missed I caled the branch Confident the hook was secure, I tied the extra line aroundthe rope with both hands, I pulled s around the slack

It had been a long time since I had climbed this way All the way up the rope,inactivity Once I reached the top, I straddled the branch and repacked the rope and hook into stay doind of the dogs, I spent the next half hour clih the trees until I ell away froinal path For once, my small size and acrobatic abilities proved a benefit

When I came across a Cheketo tree, I found a secure nook near the trunk and unslung rew in the Snake Forest Its circular-shaped green leaf, spotted with broas perfect forfor sounds of pursuit Birds chirped and insects buzzed; I heard the quick rustling of leaves as a deer ht have been justhilue froh, I re self-conscious in just my sleeveless undershirt, I worked fast

I covered the shirt, then lued a large leaf onto my hair and two sers free to lue only held for a week passed through my mind, and I s around the castle with leaves attached to my head and hands

I didn’t have a reen and brown I wasn’t concerned with the sht red of ive , I continued to climb east as fast and quiet as I could My eastern direction wandered Since I was unwilling to let round, I had to detour either north or south on occasion My grappling hook and rope were e branches within reach, or to swing fronored the to myself whenever I overca above the ground I grinned as I sweated through the entire ain because that was the only place a fugitive could find safety and asyluovern exotic spices, fabrics and foods for metals, precious stones and coal When the Commander ceased trade, Ixia lost mainly luxury items while Sitia’s resources became limited Worry that Sitia would try to conquer the north for needed resources had dissipated when the Sitian geologists discovered that their Emerald Mountains, a continuation of the northern Soul Mountains, were rich in ores and minerals Now, it seemed, Sitia was content to keep a wary eye on the north

Soon h the trees intersected a well-used path in the forest I saw deep wagon ruts in the hard-packed dirt The road was probably a part of theroute, which turned north for a fewits easterly direction The lake was just over the border of MD–5