LYRA

Hours passed as I navigated deeper into the Shadow Woods, the torch I'd been given burning steadily but providing less comfort than I'd hoped.

Every tree looked identical in the darkness, twisted bark and grasping branches that seemed to reach for me as I passed. I started marking trees with my knife to avoid walking in circles, small cuts that caught the torchlight and told me where I'd already been.

Kael's compass became my anchor, I pulled it out regularly to check my direction and ...