[Suggested song for this chapter – Lost Without You, Freya Ridings]
The dog was barking and jumping on strangers who dared to push up against his mistress.
Manni and Meili were being buffeted in the crush. Bai Li could just see their little heads in the depths of the crowd. Meili easily recognisable to him by the unusual hints of auburn in her long black hair, and the bunny hairpin he had gifted her yesterday.
He flicked his chin at Ju Rong and the man followed him into the crowd, which magically parted for the Commander and his First Lieutenant on their war horses.
A little clearing opened up, and at its centre stood Meili, Manni and Tricky.
The two women looked around, wide-eyed and frightened, wondering why so much space had suddenly appeared around them. Tricky rushed about the growing empty circle, glaring at the strangers who had been pushing them moments earlier.
