Chapter 30: This Betrayal Was Planned Long Before I Even Met Them...

I've been staring at this stupid compass for three hours straight, and my eyes are starting to cross.

The needle keeps pointing in the same unwavering direction (southwest) but what exactly am I walking toward?

"Any change?" Jay asks, returning from his perimeter check with leaves in his hair and tension in his shoulders.

"Nope. Still pointing to... somewhere." I sigh, rubbing my temples.

The headache that's been building since we left Bastian's cabin pulses behind my eyes. "This would be a lot easier if the damn thing came with instructions."

The ancient book Bastian gave me sits open on my lap, its pages filled with almost useless symbols and diagrams that only seem to shift when I'm not looking directly at them.

I've been trying to make sense of it all morning, but the more I read, the more questions I have.