The early morning calm was broken by the distant shouts of angry voices as the carriage rolled onto the main road out of town. Irina leaned out slightly to catch a glimpse of the commotion. Her face paled when she saw a group of townsfolk, led by a burly man with a ruddy complexion, moving through the streets.

"There's a missing girl!" one of the men shouted. "Fifteen years old, brown hair, answers to the name Katalin!"

Mila and Leo froze. Katalin, sitting between them, immediately ducked lower in her seat, her face paling. "That's me," she whispered, her voice tight with fear. "It's them. The farmhands."

Irina groaned, pulling her head back inside the carriage. "Of course, it is. Why am I not surprised?"

"We have to hide her," Leo said urgently. "They'll stop anyone leaving town."

"Under the blankets!" Mila whispered, reaching behind her for the pile of cloth they'd brought to shield themselves from the evening chill. Katalin hesitated for a moment, clearly unnerved, before Leo helped guide her down onto the floor of the carriage. Mila and Irina worked quickly, piling the blankets and a few bags over her. Irina added a sack of grain on top for good measure.

"Try not to move," Irina said in a clipped tone. "If they see even a strand of hair, it's over."

Katalin's muffled voice came from beneath the pile. "Comforting."

The carriage rattled forward, but soon enough, the voices grew louder. A pair of men stood blocking the road ahead, waving for them to stop. Leo slowed the horses, his grip tightening on the reins. Mila tried to keep her expression neutral, though her heart was racing. Irina sat back, her head held high in an air of aristocratic disdain.

"What's the meaning of this?" Irina called out, her tone haughty. "We're on a schedule."

The burly man leading the group narrowed his eyes, stepping closer. "We're looking for a runaway girl. Young, brown hair. She worked at the farm outside town."

Mila clenched her hands in her lap, fighting the urge to glance at the blankets. Leo, to his credit, remained calm. "We've just been passing through," he said smoothly. "Haven't seen anyone matching that description."

The man's eyes roved over the carriage, his suspicion growing. "What's under the blankets?"

"Supplies," Irina said, rolling her eyes. "Do you think we're hiding some runaway child in there? Really, the nerve."

The man grunted, stepping closer to the edge of the carriage. Mila's pulse quickened as he reached out, lifting one of the bags. Beneath the pile, she could feel Katalin's terror as though it were her own.

"Let him look," Leo said nonchalantly, surprising both Mila and Irina. "We have nothing to hide."

The man hesitated, clearly thrown off by Leo's confidence. After another moment, he dropped the bag back onto the pile and stepped away. "Fine. Move along."

As the carriage started rolling again, Mila let out a shaky breath. "That was too close."

"Don't thank me all at once," Katalin muttered from under the blankets.

Irina sighed, adjusting her hat and then brushing off some dirt and dust that was on her dress now. "Let's just hope this girl doesn't cause any more trouble."

Mila shot her a look but said nothing. For now, they were safe, and that was all that mattered. She would try to get some sense into Irina soon if she kept up this attitude towards Katalin. They all have to work together.