They turned to see a man standing a short distance away. He wore simple clothes and a straw hat, his expression a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. He was sturdily built and looked young, probably in his mid-twenties, but his skin was dark and weathered from constant exposure to the sun and rain.


    After a quick assessment, the three of them determined he posed no immediate threat. Clinging to him like a lifeline, they quickly exined their situation.


    "You''re lucky to be alive," the man said.


    He went on to exin that the maic fields in this forest were all messed up, renderingpasses useless. Most people who wandered in got lost, even experienced explorers.


    Fortunately, the man lived nearby, knew the terrain, and knew the way out.


    "Can you lead us out of here?" Evangeline asked anxiously.


    The man nced at her, then up at the sky. "We''re still a ways off from the edge of the forest. It''ll take another day or two of walking."


    "You can stay at my ce for the night," he offered.


    Evangeline couldn''t shake the feeling whether it was her imagination or not—that his eyes kept lingering on her face, as if he were trying to ce her.


    Finn and Soren noticed it too. When they spoke again, they subtly shifted their positions, blocking her from the man''s view. It was clear to them both that he was focused on Evangeline.


    Soren had never considered Evangeline particrly beautiful before. But after spending these days with her, his gaze fell on her more and more, and he found that


    the woman he saw was a world away from the one he''d imagined.


    He''d always believed her to be maniptive and calcting, but these past few days had shown him a different side-she was intelligent and kind She bad a yful streak, bantering with Finn, a far cry from the submissive, uninteresting woman he''d pictured.


    He used to be baffled as to why Finn would ever be with Evangeline, assuming it was just a way to provoke him. But now, he was beginning to understand that being drawn to her was surprisingly easy.


    So, it didn''t surprise him that this stranger''s attention was fixed on her now.


    rm bells went off in Soren''s head. But as Evangeline and Finn began to follow the man, he had no choice but to tag along. They were out of options. Besides, he reasoned, with him and Finn both there, two men against one, things should be fine.


    If the man had aplices, however, things could getplicated.


    Evangeline shared the same worry. She stayed alert, memorizing the path and


    listening to the sporadic conversation between Finn and the stranger.


    After some time, the man slowed his


    pace. In the distance, Evangeline


    spotted a red house nestled in a clearing in front of it was a tilled garden patch with neat rows of green seedlings. Beside it stood a simple thatched shed, and from it, she could hear the faint chirping of chicks. Awisp of smoke curled from the chimney, creating an unreal, idyllic scene, like something out of a fairy tale.


    It seemed the man really did live here.


    Just as she had that thought, the slim, graceful figure of a woman emerged from the house. She was dressed simply, carrying a small pile of what looked like freshly washed clothes in her arms, ready to be hung out to dry.


    Sensing their approach, the woman looked up.


    Her face came into view, and in that instant, Evangeline felt the blood rush in her veins.


    "Tessa?!"