The walk back to Oakridge was slow and painful. Mara leaned heavily on Diana's shoulder, her wound still not fully healed. Grace's muscles screamed with every step, and even Alia had stopped chattering, her usual boundless energy depleted.
Funny enough, only Zephyr seemed relatively unchanged, though her normally immaculate appearance was thoroughly ruined by dirt, sweat, and demon ichor.
And the whole way back, Grace tried and failed to wipe that smile off her face.
[I did it,] she reiterated for the hundredth time. [Me. The turnip farmer. Hehe.]
"I can see the village," Diana announced as they crested a small hill.
Grace squinted. In the distance, she could make out the wooden palisade surrounding Oakridge. Smoke rose from a few buildings, remnants of the earlier chaos, not fresh fires.
"Do you think they're okay?" Grace asked.
"They better be," Diana muttered. "Or those two are in serious trouble." She glared at Alia and Zephyr.
Alia managed a weak grin.
