The moment Kael chose the shadowed path, the other two vanished like illusions popping out of existence. The golden glow fizzled into cinders that hissed in the damp air before dissolving. The shifting, unstable path buckled like a snake shedding its skin, and then collapsed into mist.
All that remained was the road of darkness, stretching into an endless tunnel beneath skeletal trees.
Kael adjusted Aaron's weight on his back and pushed forward, Elena at his right, Milo dragging his feet behind.
It was darker here—not pitch black, but the kind of suffocating twilight that turned the air thick. Every inhale coated Kael's throat like smoke. His heartbeat sounded louder than it should have, echoing in his ears as though the forest was listening.
And that was when he noticed it.
No shadows.
