Chapter 5: The Valley of Echoes
As Rohan and Pip descended into the valley, the air grew thick and heavy. The whispering from before returned, but this time, the voices sounded like people Rohan knew.
"Rohan... come back... it's tea time," he heard his mother's voice clearly from the left.
He almost turned around, but Pip bit his ear sharply. "Don't look back! It's an illusion. The Valley of Echoes uses your own heart against you. If you answer them, you stay here forever."
Rohan squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the weight of the silver key in his pocket. It was vibrating now, almost like a heartbeat. He kept his head down, looking only at Pip's glowing blue tail.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to feel soft, like quicksand. He looked down and saw that he wasn't stepping on mud—he was stepping on shadows. The black mist was rising to his knees.
"The key, Rohan! Hold it up!" Pip screamed.
Rohan pulled out the silver key and held it high above his head. A brilliant flash of white light exploded from the key, clearing the mist for a few meters. In that brief moment of light, Rohan saw it—the Great Oak was right in front of them, its massive roots forming a natural staircase.
"Run!" Pip yelled. Together, they leaped onto the ancient roots just as the shadows slammed shut behind them like a giant mouth.