"This way." I tug him after me.

I can't help but think the lighted hallways are leading us somewhere we may not want to be instead of guiding us out. Is it the work of the Shadow Knight I know I can trust or the battle queen's spell that's grown out of control since it was first cast? Salvation or trap?

"Do you hear that?" Westley whispers.

"What?"

"Someone following us."

I turn around and see nothing in the brightly lit hallway. "There's no one there."

"But I can hear him."

We stop walking and I listen hard without hearing anything. "C'mon. Maybe we can find a window or exit sign or something."

"Nay, witch. He is almost upon us!" Westley pulls free of my hand and whirls, brandishing his sword.

"No! Don't let go!" I cry too late.

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He vanishes.

I stare into the vacant hallway, unable to see or hear him or the man he thought was following.

"Shit!" I start back the way we came.

A loud creak makes me stop, and seconds later, the stone at the tip of my toes collapses. Blackness yawns open, the hole too wide for me to jump.

"Okay. Someone clearly wants me to go the other way." There are no cameras in this world, but I look for them anyway in the corners of the rafters far above. Focused on breathing steadily, I face the direction the castle is herding me and start forward once more. "If you can hear me, please don't hurt Westley. He helped me. He's not your enemy." Except for the whole conspiracy issue. It seems rather minor right now, given my current situation.

It's quiet and bright yet still creepy, the fog hanging in the shadows of the ceiling as if waiting for the chance to pounce.

I don't move for a long moment, thoughts in turmoil. I don't want Westley to die here, but how do I help him if he's invisible, trapped somewhere in this creepy castle? I'm supposed to face the curse and help the Shadow Knight defeat it.

"Maybe I am supposed to be here now," I say, the sound of my voice helping me focus. "Find Atreyu, stop the curse, save the world." With what magic? asks my self-doubt. "One thing at a time," I reply.

I start forward again, scared of what I'll find and terrified of screwing up. My shallow breathing is the only sound in the hall.

The torches lead me through several more hallways and up a set of stairs, followed by another confusing maze of halls. The torches start to flicker off and I freeze, watching. The fires go out ahead of me as well as behind me, until the light of one room is all that there is. With some reticence, I approach the doorway and pause, afraid of what I'll find.




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