“Is this really okay?” Reyna asked hesitantly, staring at the taxi in front of her.
She still found it hard to believe that after one day, they would no longer be under surveillance and could go their separate ways to complete their separate tasks, not that she was hoping to stick together longer.
Her son needed her, and she couldn’t waste any more time than she already had.
It was just what if the people previously tailing them came looking for them again and saw that they were no longer together?
“Yes,” Brixton said, not adding anything else.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to budge on the topic, Reyna reluctantly got into the taxi.
As the driver drove away, she glanced back at Brixton, who was already walking away without looking back.
Reyna didn’t know why she bothered looking back.
However, Brixton had done a lot for her.
Getting her into the kingdom, paying for everything, he made sure she had everything she needed.
He had even paid the driver to take her outside the town walls to the edge of the town like she wanted, where she would be on her own from there.
If he didn’t have his own affairs to deal with, she felt that he would have joined her on her journey.
He did seem to care about her son deeply given his attitude the last few years.
When she could no longer see his figure, she sat properly in her seat and stared straight ahead.
She couldn’t waste any more thoughts on him.
Her son needed her to devote all her attention to rescuing him.
Throughout the trip, she had been trying to determine how to get to Harlow.
If she took the proper routes, it would be over two hundred miles and a several hour drive.
However, it would mean leaving a visible trail.
It was also a roundabout way to get to the town.
If she took a direct path to Harlow, it would only be forty miles.
On the flip side, it meant she had to go on foot and traverse through forests.
She grimaced at the thought, but she would rather use the direct method.
It would definitely be inconvenient, taking a lot longer to travel, but she would survive.
She wouldn’t have to constantly worry about her fake documents being discovered and being thrown into a cell.
However, she had to worry about the trip back.
Bringing her son back wouldn’t be easy.
Reyna shook her head.
She would save that for later.
First, she had to focus on finding her son first before worrying about how to get back.
When the driver reached their destination, she stepped out.
Once she was out of the car, it drove off, kicking up dust.
She coughed and fanned the dust out of her face before turning her gaze to the forest in front of her.
As she took a step towards it, someone said, “I wouldn’t suggest going that way if I were you.” She froze and turned to the sound of the voice.
A scrawny kid stared at her from a distance with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Her heart lurched at the sight as it reminded her of her son despite the obvious age difference.
“Why?” she asked, trying to put on a friendly look.
It clearly didn’t work as the kid’s expression grew uglier, and he said, “You’re clearly a tourist.
It’s dangerous to go out in the forest.
You’ll end up being eaten.” Eaten?
What did he mean by eaten?
She had never heard about a man eating forest before, but this was another town.
Maybe it really was true.
This idea caused cold sweat to form on her neck as she asked, “Eaten by what?” “By whatever is in there.
No one knows what it is,” the kid said.
That wasn’t comforting in the slightest, and she glanced at the forest with an uneasy look in her eyes.
Should she turn back and go with the other option?
While it meant worrying about being tracked down by the government and money, it was faster and meant she wouldn’t have to worry about being eaten in a forest.
Something must have shown on her face as the kid said, “If you’re really determined to go through the forest, I can show you a secret path.” In an instant, her worries were replaced with annoyance.
So that was how it was.
It wasn’t actually dangerous, or if it was, it wasn’t because there was some creature lurking in the forest preying on travelers.
This was actually a scam.
She sighed and said, “No thanks.
I’ll take my leave.” As she turned around, the kid anxiously asked, “Where are you going?
Didn’t you hear what I said?” “I heard you, but I don’t believe you,” she said, walking away.
The kid rushed after her as he said, “I’m serious.
It’s dangerous for you to go in there without my help.” Reyna stopped for a moment to stare down at the kid.
Unsettled by the look he was receiving, the kid fell silent and actually backed away.
She sighed and said, “I know you’re only doing this to make money, but I’m really in a hurry.
I can’t loiter.” The kid sputtered before saying, “I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Reyna nodded as she said, “Of course you don’t.” “I’m really telling the truth,” the kid said with tears in his eyes.
The sight tugged at her heartstrings, but she forced herself to remain firm and said, “Don’t follow me.” With that, she walked away.
She listened for any signs that the kid would chase after her, but she couldn’t hear any footsteps coming after her.
Reyna briefly considered looking back to check, but she ultimately chose to keep looking forward.
She entered the forest and made her way towards Harlow.
After traveling for some time, she paused to take a break.
She scanned her surroundings before looking down at the map Brixton had procured for her.
If she guessed right, she had managed to cover one fourth of the way and had another thirty miles to go.
Of course she might be off with her estimates, but it couldn’t be that far off.
Her thoughts drifted to her son, hoping he was doing okay.
He must be so scared while being among strangers in an unfamiliar land.
Once this was over, she intended to take leave from her work to accompany him everywhere.
When she was certain she had rested long enough, she got back on her feet and continued her trek.
It was only when she reached a wall that she realized she had made a grave error.