Chapter 11: Mourning

"Then we have to leave now,” Scarlett said. "It won’t take them more than two or three days to get there, and once they cross, we will never be able to find them again.”

As she turned to leave, Luca grabbed her by the arm.

“Wait. You can’t go alone. Wait until the women have mourned their dead and regroup. Talk to your friends. Maybe we can help you, too,” he said.

“I think you’ve done enough for us. Under normal circumstances, we can take care of our own,” Scarlett said, analyzing Luca’s face.

She could tell he was being sincere about wanting to help. And there was truth to his words. Tomorrow they’d figure out how to get the girls back. If she went alone, she'd probably get captured along with the rest of the girls.

Voty returned with the kids who had run out into the forest about an hour later. Their mothers and family members were so grateful to see the young ones return, that th