The woods stretched on for what felt like miles, and at every turn, I had the eerie sensation of running through a maze. I felt like Theseus in the Labyrinth, running from the Minotaur instead of slaying it. With Sayah holding my hand, it was easy to feel brave. But with each step that coaxed exhaustion into my limbs like a spell, she seemed to be unearthly and indefatigable. And shouldn’t we have reached the garages already?
“Sayah, are we going in the right direction?” I ask, panting as we kept dashing through trees and darkness.
“It only feels far because I’ve charmed the woods.”
I almost choke on my own spit. “What?” I ask in disbelief, taking a glance at her face and risking tripping over a broken branch or a gnarled root. “You cast a spell on the whole forest?”
“Yes, and it’s har
