Ragnar had only shown her the lake once, and yet now, as she wove her way through the tall canopies of trees and thick curtains of shrubbery toward that ethereal place he had brought her to weeks ago, she relied on memory alone.
The trek seemed longer than she remembered. Every bend in the narrow path felt unfamiliar, every pocket of greenery looked like one she had already passed. Still, she pressed forward, taking mental note of each turn she made, just in case she needed to retrace her steps and find her way back.
After what felt like an eternity of almost aimless wandering, a string of doubt wound itself around her thoughts. Perhaps she had taken a wrong turn. Perhaps she had missed some subtle landmark, some crooked stone or fallen logs she was meant to recognize from before. If that was the case, she would have to turn around before she lost herself deeper in a part of the wood she did not know.
