Masika whirled on her heels, eyes skating over to where the other boy was looking, and something in her chest surged. The others saw it too. A glowing path had appeared in front of Emilio, like speckles of starlight glittering upon the dirt floor. It was leading them northeast, deeper into the woods.
Analisa walked over to Emilio and bent down. She dug her fingernails into the dirt, the glittering starlight twinkling in herpalm.
“Fascinating,” she muttered. “It feels…warm.”
“Should we follow it?” Olivier asked, tentatively approaching the glowing path.
Dina shook her head. “We should follow the map. We have the map for a reason.”
“Hold on.” Catherine glanced down at the map and then back up to Emilio. She furrowed her brows, clearly piecing something together in her mind. “How did…I don’t understand…”
“What is it?” Masika asked, approaching Catherine.
The other girl shook her head in disbelief. “I swear this wasn’t here before.”
Catherine angled the map toward her, and Masika saw what the other girl must be referring to. A glowing yellow light now emanated from the map, the same trail that Emilio had discovered reflected upon the map’s illustration.
“It wants us to follow the path,” Masika whispered. She looked up to find Catherine staring at her intently.
“I think so.”
“Well.” Dina let out a weighted sigh. “Following a mysterious glowing path would not be my first choice—butscrew it.”
Catherine continued to stare at Masika, as if weighing her options.
Masika shrugged.
“Screw it?”
Catherine sighed.
“Screw it.”
They followed the path for what felt like hours. And given the darkening sky stretching out before them, Masika assumed it truly had been hours. She watched as the familiar silver glow of Blackwood washed over the horizon, thin ribbons of mist gliding beneath her feet. Theyhadto be close to Blackwood. Dangerously close. Masika nervously drummed her fingers at her sides, willing her body to ignore the strange pull that seemed to be coming from the north, guiding her back toward Blackwood.
Luckily, it was at that same moment that something in the path began to change. The glowing speckles of light widened, veering suddenly right. Catherine’s eyes narrowed as she picked up speed and followed the path’s new direction, while the others struggled to keep up.
“What’s happening?” Emilio asked, scurrying forward.
“Something in the path is changing,” Analisa muttered, inspecting the path with wide, curious eyes.
“Hurry!” Dina exclaimed, ushering the rest of the group forward.
They trailed the glowing speckles of light, practically running as the path widened and widened—until finally…
The group came to a sudden halt.
Emilio cocked his head. “A door.”
The glowing path had abruptly stopped. What lay before them now was a door embedded in the ground, almost like the entrance to a cellar. Without hesitating, Catherine placed her hand upon the doorknob and twisted, opening it with a flourish. There were stairs inside, steps descending into darkness.
Catherine lit a small flame at the base of her palm, igniting the air in a faint orange glow, and turned to face the group. “Stay close.”
They ventured forward, slow and cautious. There was no telling what was waiting for them below in the darkness. Each key had come with its fair share of danger, and Masika could only imagine that the final key would be no different. If anything, a part of her feared that the final key might pose an extra challenge—one that, perhaps, they would fail.
But as they reached the bottom of the stairs, entering a small circular room comprised of stone walls and nothing else, confusion settled upon Masika. Because what waited for them at the bottom was no monster or beast or terrifying test. It was far simpler—and far more confusing.
Standing on the other side of the room, a third key tucked in its mouth, was a fox.
