The clop-clop of the horse's hooves filled the air as they left the village behind, the dirt road stretching out before them like an endless ribbon of dust.
Lidia shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, her legs already aching from hours of riding.
She let out a slow breath, trying to focus on something other than the constant, relentless discomfort that came with horseback riding.
Like, for example—
The very annoying fact that she had found absolutely nothing in that village.
She scowled, staring at the road ahead, her mood souring further.
It was a shame, really.
If this had been the original story, then the heroine would have stumbled across a hidden artifact here.
Something powerful. Something important.
Something that might save her life in the long run.
Lidia had been hoping, praying, that she had be able to find it first.
But alas.
