The woman looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his polished boots and silk tie. "The county seat is far. You have entered the Mother’s Land. We do not see... outsiders often."
Horrified, Kaelen realizes this is not a sanctuary but a living ecosystem that consumes identity. Yet when they try to flee at the end of the chapter, the forest loops them back to the same hut. Yarrow smiles: "No one leaves the Mother." mother village ch 1 ch 2 v10 by shadow full
The chapter ends with Kaelen accepting the deal, hearing the village's heartbeat for the first time. The woman looked him up and down, her