"Stay on the path, Astrea!" The Duke shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the thunder of the hooves. "Don't move from this trail!"
It was a warning he needed Julian to heed right away. But it all happened so fast, and the others had encroached on their space, making it hard for Julian to navigate anything.
Julian wanted to follow, he really did, but the surge of riders cut him off, their horses forcing his horse to retreat into a narrower, overgrown thicket.
He couldn't let them run him over. Lucius was with him, and that could cost them their lives. So he chose safety first,
By the time the noise died down, the main trail was gone, shrouded in mists and suddenly having a thick density of trees that made it hard to tell where was where.
Julian gripped the reins tight, knowing he had to follow the trial. He couldn't lose the Duke. And so, he went straight on the path he was sure was the right path. But… was it?
