"Time is almost up" Valia whispered as she looked at the sky.

The seventh night was the final test, the last hurdle before freedom. Valia knew this as she stumbled through the forest, her body pushed to its limits. She had survived almost all assassination attempts, but the final challenge was yet to come.

As the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees, the forest stirred. Not with birdsong, but with the deliberate thud of approaching footsteps. Branches snapped, leaves ...