Mora sat by herself at the edge of the river, cracking open sunflower seeds between her teeth, her small red feet dipped into the water.

  It was one of the ways she could relax when she just got too angry and frustrated at everyone.

  I should just leave this place. She cracked open another and spat the shell angrily into the water.

  After all, what did she have to stay in Windust for? Nik? He passed her on to another like it was nothing. Petyr? It wasn’t like he ever gave a damn about her despite all that she’d done for him.

  It wouldn’t be that hard to leave, thought Mora, her eyes surveying the other shore as if she could see past it to the long road that led to the border—to the river that separated Windust from the rest of the kingdom.

  There was always lot of talk at the tavern about how brutal the gatehouse there could be, and how the guards were unyieldying even if bribed. But these were farmers and badits who wanted to get across with wagons crammed full of stuff, to get up to the big markets in the capital.

  What did she care about a gatehouse or guards? I’ll just swim across. Or make a raft. I can do it.

  Of course, it wasn’t the first time she’d considered running away, and it wouldn’t be the last. Even at her tender age of eleven, Mora was mature enough to realize she’d probably be spending the rest of her days in Windust, still dreaming of taking off even when she’d get mad fifty years later.

  But the hard truth was, she had nowhere to go. For better or worse, she was the only oni here. That meant there was no one she could truly connect to and call family; but it also meant that she could control her reputation to an extent, and that she wouldn’t wake up dead one day because of something another oni had done.

  Mora hadn’t learned much about the crimes committed by her race; but the hatred they inspired couldn’t just be for no reason. Mora herself would be scared to bump into another oni at night.

  Besides, if they weren’t all that bad, then why would her own family and people have abandoned her? There was no way her parents weren’t out there, and there was no way they didn’t know she was missing.

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  No one decent could’ve surrendered their daughter to the fates. No good parents would’ve ever stopped looking.

  No, there was nowhere for her to go because there was no one to get to. The people in Windust were generally awful; but at least they tolerated her. They might’ve given her bad looks, accused her of things she was innocent of, or spit in her general direction…

  But was anyone here actually going to kill her? Probably not.

  There was no such guarantee beyond the border.

  Who could believably state what Weston proper and the world beyond it were like?—how an oni would be treated there? From what Mora knew, all oni outside of Windust were slaves, which told her everything she needed to know. I’ll never be a slave. Windust—even death—was better.

  As she sat there eating sunflower seeds and pondering where life would take her by the end, she suddenly heard a loud cry of, ”There! There she is!”

  Mora glanced behind her at the grassy slope that led up towards the main road.

  There, she could make out several figures—all bad.

  The first one she noticed was Kay, as he was the one who cried out. His brown arm pointed right at her. Next to him were Dewey and Daven, looking half-frightened, shielding their eyes from the sun.

  Towering over all three was a massive woman, tan and fat, blonde, with a broad nose and wild eyebrows. “You!” she bellowed as she trudged down the slope like a monster, the mounds of fat jiggling all across her body. “Don’t you move, hornhead!!” she threatened, deep voice rumbling with the weight of the world. “Don’t you dare fucking move!”

  What the hell! Mora took one long look at them and began to run.

  She’d forgotten about Lunis and the fact that Vares’ monkey had either bitten off or severely mangled his ear the day before.

  But why exactly were they chasing after her? She hadn’t done anything. It wasn’t her monkey. She didn’t even know that stupid pirate at the time! This isn’t my fault!

  The fat woman chased her after a while, but soon fell back, panting breathlessly. “You’re not going anywhere!”

  The boys came on after her, attempting to catch up.

  Mora could hope to outrun the younger two, since Dewey and Daven very both too little to really compete with her. Kay, though, was older and faster, and his strong legs were bringing him closer and closer with each step.

  “Stop running!” he snarled. “My mom wants to talk to you! I said stop running, hornie! I’ll break your legs for this! We’re going to kick your ass for what you’ve done! Teach you how to act human!”

  “I didn’t do anything! Why are you coming after me? It’s that guy you want!”

  “We’ll get to your friend after, don’t you worry!”

  “He’s not my friend!”

  A few more breaths and Kay would be within range of grabbing her.

  At this point, there was only one choice to make: fight back and risk real damage, or surrender and take the lesser beating.

  Mora gritted her teeth as she weighed the options. To hell with them all. They started this!

  She glanced back again—he was nearly on her.

  Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

  What could she do?