The figure of Layla stopped smiling.
Her face slowly became expressionless.
Then all twelve women turned towards the window at exactly the same time.
The enormous shadow rose behind them.
The wooden door slammed shut.
The corridor shook.
And the fourteen doors at the other end began opening.
Not all at once.
One by one.
The first revealed a dark room filled with hanging branches.
The second revealed a river flowing upwards.
The third revealed an empty garden.
The fourth revealed a staircase descending into water.
The fifth revealed a room filled with hundreds of wooden birds.
The sixth revealed a forest beneath a moonless sky.
The seventh revealed a familiar beach.
The eighth revealed a field covered in white flowers.
The ninth revealed a room with no walls.
The tenth revealed a cabin hanging upside down from a tree.
The eleventh revealed a mountain covered in snow.
The twelfth revealed the central firepit of their village.
