Chapter 207: Hounds

The two women glanced at each other again, clearly buying time, though their voices took on an increasingly rambling quality, words tumbling out faster than their thoughts seemed to form.

"Well, you see," Lira said, clasping her hands together nervously.

"It's actually kind of… well, confusing. There's the west path, which leads around the cliffs, but… um, the western cliff can sometimes look like the northern one, especially when the mist rolls in. And if you don't go exactly as the shadows fall… well, you could end up doubling back…"

"Yes! And there's that forest where the howling winds come from," Mareen added, nodding rapidly.

"It messes with your sense of direction. One moment you think you're going south, then you're somehow… walking east! People have been known to get lost for days, and by the time they make it out, they're nowhere close to where they started."

Volk's patience was wearing thinner with every word they spoke.