The voices overlapped, each one calling him in a different direction. Some were gentle, others urgent, some pleading, others commanding.
His pulse quickened. He clenched his fists.
"This is a trick," he muttered under his breath.
He had faced illusions before. This was no different. If he let the whispers sway him, he would never find his way out. He closed his eyes, shutting out the voices, the pulsing light, the twisting paths. He took a slow, deep breath.
And then he stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the ground, the whispers stopped. The mist pulled back, revealing a single path stretching ahead. Jude's eyes snapped open, and for the first time since entering this cursed forest, he saw something in the distance. A structure.
It was massive, its shape obscured by the lingering fog, but he could see the faint glow of torches lining its exterior. A fortress? A temple? He couldn't tell. But whatever it was, he knew that was where he needed to go.
