Nara rounded a corner and the scent of freshly baked bread made her stomach ache for food. It had been two days since she’d filled her belly, punishment for making a jest about the headmistress at the orphanage.

“Watch it, boy,” an old man said as Nara accidentally bumped him in passing.

“Sorry, sir.” Her heart skipped as she kept her head down and adjusted the woven hat to hide her face. Please don’t look at me. Please.

The last thing she wanted was someone to notice her as an orphan, and especially as an orphan girl. She hoped the stolen the tunic and trousers she wore now disguised her. Her breasts barely had a swell to them, easy to hide under the thick fabric. Her disguise had worked so far, but she had a long way to go.

Better to keep away from everyone in the streets. If the Mallan authorities found her, they would send her back to that bloody orphanage. After her last beating, just days ago, she’d promised herself an escape. Many times, mothers threatened misbehaving children with life in the orphanage. Even poor beggars looked down on a child with no home. And when girls reached their bleeding years, well, coin could buy them for more than just servant duties.

She passed a woman with a small child on her hip and forced herself not to stare. The child looked happy. Nara longed for such an ordinary life, and she’d come up with a plan. It had come to her just after her eleventh birthday as she wept in her sleep. Get to the sorceress. She swallowed hard at that thought but she needed to get away from here, wanted to get away. She knew how to clean dishes, pluck chickens, wash clothes and scrub floors, everyday chores for an orphan girl in Malla, and she hoped the sorceress needed a servant.

She kept to the side of the street to avoid passing carts and curious eyes. The clip-clop of horses’ hooves seemed to give her strength, and the two full moons were visible now. She glanced up at them, pale against the morning haze. They comforted her, like two watchful eyes keeping her safe. With a hand on her aching stomach, she sidled up to the nearest building. She pushed her water pouch aside and pulled the map from the smaller pouch, which hung at her frayed belt. She’d stolen this map and memorized it, fully intending to return it to the headmistress’s office. But the crude drawing stared back at her like a friendly face, and she found she couldn’t part with it.

It would take several days to reach the valley where the sorceress lived, less if she could catch a ride on some wagon or other. Many people were afraid of the valley woman, afraid to venture there. Not Nara. She’d had her share of beatings. She was anxious to meet this mysterious woman who struck fear in the biggest of men, and wondered what it was like to have such power.

Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood on end. Someone watched her. She tugged her hat down and peered around. At first, she didn’t see anyone. Finally, she noticed a girl standing near a dress shop across the street. The girl wore a long, blue dress with a high bodice. Jewels sparkled around her neck and lace decorated her cuffs and collar. Her dark hair hung in deliberate curls around her shoulders, creating quite a contrast to her pale skin. She smiled in Nara’s direction.

Nara slipped into the adjacent alley and flattened herself against the wall. She swallowed hard and cursed. This girl would surely tell someone about her. High ladies were like that, always putting their noses in a stranger’s business.

She wanted to bolt but something about the rich girl kept her curious and she peered around the corner. A man pulled up in a twin-horse carriage, hiding the girl from Nara’s view. He stepped down from the driver’s seat and a moment later climbed back up. When the carriage rolled away, the girl was gone.