The Rise Of The Unwanted Girl (Athena) novel Chapter 519

Athena forced herself not to dwell on the assassins‘ connection to Michael. All she cared about now was reaching Wendral Mountain as tax of 60

Athena didn’t know if Michael had managed to hold off the assassins or if she was just lucky, but two hours later, no one was trailing the cardage

At the foot of Wendral Mountain, Athena and Jessa gazed up at the towering peaks, both frowning

Finding a single dry well on a mountain this vast was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

in concern.

“Just the two of us searching, we could spend two weeks and still come up empty,” Jessa said matter-of–factly, not meaning to discourage Athena, just stating the truth.

The odds were stacked against them.

Then, Athena calmly pulled a map from within her clothes. “Searching blindly will get us nowhere,” she said. “But with a clear objective, we’ll achieve twice as much with half the effort.”

She traced several marked spots on the map with her finger and explained to Jessa, “Chief Rogers’s hometown is in Halewick. He must have sensed danger, so he bypassed the official road and took smaller, more discreet routes. Wendral Mountain would be his wisest choice.*

Athena’s finger landed firmly on a fork in the road on the map. “Here,” she said, “there are two roads, left leads to Jewel Temple on Wendral Mountain, right is the only way to Halewick. Which do you think he would choose?”

Jessa was impressed by Athena’s sharp mind. After a brief pause, she ventured, “The right one?”

Athena shook her head slightly. “If you had pursuers at your back, would you still run deeper into the mountains?”

Her words struck Jessa like a revelation. She shook her head. “No, I’d head toward populated areas.”

“Chief Rogers must have fled to Jewel Temple, with his wife and daughter in tow,” Athena affirmed.

Jessa’s eyes lit up. “Right!” she exclaimed. “Where there’s a temple, there must be a well. Athena, you’re truly brilliant!”

Athena smiled as she folded up the map. “It’s not really about being smart. Wendral Mountain’s boxed in on three sides, and only Jewel Temple has a decent water supply. Everywhere else is too steep, digging a well there would’ve been next to impossible.”

As she spoke, Athena tucked a dagger into her sash.

Then, with a sharp crack of the whip, she sent the horses and carriage thundering away.

Jessa followed behind Athena, marveling at how someone so small could have such immense strength inside her.

A bitter smile touched her lips. “Afraid?” she echoed. “I used to be terrified of pain, a complete coward. But after three years of brutal suffering in the military camp, no hardship scares me anymore.”

“What was the military camp like?” Jessa asked gently, though she hesitated to reopen Athena’s old wounds. Still, she believed Athena needed

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify