Jingyao didn't slow until the shouts and the clang of steel faded behind them, muffled by the dense canopy of the abandoned forest. He ran with the reckless speed of a man who knew he couldn't afford to fall, pulling Qingxue along a barely visible deer path. The air grew cold, smelling of pine needles and damp earth.
"Stop," Qingxue gasped, pulling back on his hand. "Your shoulder. You're losing too much blood."
Jingyao stumbled, leaning against the rough bark of a towering tree. His face was slick with sweat, and the stain on his tunic had spread, darkening his entire left side. "It's a flesh wound. We need a better hiding spot. They'll circle back to the carriage."
He scanned the immediate area, his eyes narrowed against the pain. "There. A cave."
Tucked into a jagged rock face a few yards away was a narrow, shadowed opening. Jingyao pushed Qingxue toward it, giving her a gentle shove, then followed her in.
