*Saoirse*
The rhythmic clacking of the train had lulled me into a daze. As it slowed, my heart quickened with the promise of freedom, although that was brief. When the announcement chimed through the air, I stood with purpose.
Egoren was still hours away, but the layover was a gift. It was a chance to feel the ground beneath my feet without the weight of Hunter’s Glen bearing down on me.
"Next stop, Layton's Hollow," the conductor's voice crackled over the intercom. "Layover for two hours."
I shuffled off the train alongside a few other passengers, feeling the cool kiss of the open air on my skin. The platform was alive with the bustle of travelers and vendors calling out their wares. I drank in the sights—the quaint shops lining the cobblestone street just beyond the station, the vivid tapestries hanging from stalls, and the array of unfamiliar faces that passed in a blur.
This town was twice the size of Hunter's Glen.
