A shadow stole across the countryside, gasping for breath and trying to make as little noise as possible. The form of a woman clutching a bundle materialized from behind a tree and dashed across a small clearing before disappearing behind another tree. The moon was full, harshly illuminating any open space. It couldn't have been a worse night to escape. She paused and listened hard for the sounds of her pursuers behind her. She was grateful for the toddler in her arms who was sleeping silently. She didn't know what to do. All of her options were exhausted. The Sect had traced her friends and relatives, rooting out any safe homes. The forests were crawling with spies. She knew that her only chance for survival lay in The Shift, where everything was shadow. Her precious Nimh was still too young to make that journey, though, and she knew that the child wouldn't survive it. She heard a crash behind her and swiftly moved to a different cover.
Just beyond the next few trees she could see a bare hill, save for grass, that sloped down into a village. A few chimneys boasted smoke, but otherwise the lights had been extinguished. Everyone was asleep at this hour, unless they were at the tavern. She would have to make a dash in the open for the village, and find a place where she could safely leave her daughter. She settled Nimh onto the ground in the dip of a root before stepping into the shadow of the tree and entering The Shift. The instant that she willed, she stepped further into the cast shadow and through a viscous yet smoky material, into a pitch black realm. There was no apparent floor, and no visible others like herself. She imagined a large rock that she had passed a hundred yards back and stepped out of The Shift and into its shadow. Perfect, her followers were still around here. She noisily broke into a run, drawing them in the opposite direction of the village. She heard their shouts and the branches that they snapped in their chase. They had no idea what she was really capable of, though. She dodged back into another shadow, using The Shift to return to the root that she had left Nimh under. The girl stirred but remained asleep as the woman scooped her back up into her arms. Hopefully she had bought them enough time. Without looking back, she ran down the moonlit hill and into the village.
It was almost over, she knew. All she had to do was find a home for Nimh, and then they'd both be safe. She just hoped that she found the right home, and that her daughter would be treated well as she grew up.