No matter how well Lila Thornhill knew her own town, she had no idea what the rest of Evira was like. She had only ever explored the forest between Fernsworth and ValLyera with Taegan, where he had taught her to throw daggers amongst the trees, to shoot down squirrels for dinner, to track bearowls and stay away from them. He taught her what she needed to know to survive.

And survive she did.

Taegan should have survived, too. 

The forest she had found herself in was nothing like the one she had gotten used to. This one was full of trees with leaves bigger than she was, bushes with thousands of shades of blues and pinks, small fireflies brightening the air around her. Birds flew overhead, almost mocking her. “You’re lost! You’re lost!” 

So Lila rose her middle finger to them, grinning at the subtle wordplay the birds couldn’t understand. 

The path she had found herself next to was clearly well-traveled. She had been following it since she had woken up in Evira, through the night into the morning, unsure if she was traveling towards Holn or away from it. It felt like no matter how much she walked, she never actually got anywhere. 

One day turned into two, into three, into a week. Lila was getting frustrated - the help… spirit… thing… had given her food, yes, and she had grown good at rationing it, but what was meant to last maybe three days was dwindling to almost nothing on her eighth day of walking. She could have sworn her stomach was mocking her just as much as the birds had been once she reached day nine. 

And on the evening of that day, she wasn’t sure if the city she saw in the distance was the one she was hoping to reach, or if it was an illusion. 

Unsure if it was out of exhaustion, relief or weakness, Lila conceded to fall to the floor, leaning against a too-tall tree. The city of Holn was still far out on the horizon; she wasn’t sure if she could make it in one piece. 

Unless… maybe if she slept? 

Lila curled up on herself, hoping that sleep would be enough to get the energy she needed to walk the day's walk to the city.

She could have killed the ones who woke her from her nap. 

“I think she’s okay.” 

“Is she healthy?” 

“She looks thin… her flask and bag are empty. Her footsteps come from the forest, maybe she was going towards the city?” 

Lila groaned. “Wow, genius…” 

The guy whose hand was on her shoulder chuckled. “Yeah she'll be fine.” She heard a backpack fall next to her and some shuffling around. “Here, sit up and drink.” 

Lila struggled to sit up and sipped on the oddly-sweet water the stranger provided. Poison was usually more bitter; the concoction tasted like nectar and flowers. In fact, the people around her smelled like flowers as well. 

“Where the hell do you guys come from?” 

“We are from Astrazalinor,” the girl with pink hair said in a thick, unpracticed accent. Pink hair? A mask? Who did she think she was, some kind of protagonist?

Lila finished the drink given to her, feeling better already. “Astra-where?” 

The man gave her some bread. “The capital of the summer court. Calixa is the queen. I’m Ezra, her guard.” 

Lila raised her eyebrows and snorted. “You’re like… fairies?” 

“Yes?” 

“I thought those were tiny and had like… sparkly wings and stuff.” 

“Those are pixies,” the ‘queen’ said. She didn’t look fancy, she looked like she could punch her guard into the ground. 

“Well, some fae-”

“Nobody likes a nerd, flower boy.” Lila rolled her eyes when she noticed jasmine blossoms literally blooming around him. 

The guy groaned. “It’s a nervous habit. We’re heading to Holn, too. Do you need help or should we leave you here with your sarcasm to accompany you?” 

Lila bit the inside of her cheek. Of course she could use the help… she stood up, brushing dirt from her cloak. 

“... Sorry about that. Thanks for the food and water. And yeah, I guess I’m going to Holn. I have questions about some gods. I’m Lila.” 

“Ezra.”

“Yeah, you aid, but honestly, you look like a James, or like a Todd.” 

“How did you- I mean, James is my second name.” 

Lila shrugged. “You look basic, I chose a basic name.” She couldn't help but feel proud of herself when the queen-lady chuckled at that. 

Ezra rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll accompany you to Holn. We’re also looking for some information about a god.” 

“Oh yeah? Which one?” 

“You probably haven’t heard of them. The Arima.” 

Lila laughed out then, pulling her shirt down just enough to display the three new scars on her chest, the Arima’s symbol. “Well, this is going to be fun, isn’t it?”