CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY - THE EDGE OF CIVILIZATION

That opportunity came sooner than expected. As night fell, dark clouds rolled in, bringing with them howling winds and sheets of rain. The camp descended into chaos as men rushed to secure loose items and reinforce structures. Mara saw her chance. In the confusion, she managed to snag a small knife that had been carelessly left near their makeshift prison. As lightning illuminated the sky, she cut through their bonds. "Now," she hissed to the others. "We need to create a distraction." Using the knife and a piece of flint she had kept hidden, Mara struck a spark onto a pile of dry kindling she had been slowly accumulating. Within moments, flames began to lick at the side of the nearest tent. "Fire!" she shouted, her voice lost in the storm but the spreading flames unmistakable. As bandits rushed to combat the blaze, Mara and the others slipped away into the darkness. They ran blindly through the forest, the rain lashing at their faces, branches whipping at their arms and legs. Beh