The World of Shadows - Chapter 3 (Dark Paranormal Fantasy Story)

This is the third story of the BP series. If you haven't read the first story yet, you can find it here :)

Find chapters 1 - 20 of Retribution (the second story) on my Steemit Blog.

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About The World of Shadows
"In a world full of sinister creatures and treacherous terrain, Beatrix and Arthur must find their way to the castle where the dark creature resides.

Beatrix Percival fans can expect answers to many questions, many conclusions, and explosive battles of epic proportions!

Eerie beyond belief, and passionately romantic like never before, this third book in the series won't disappoint!"

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CHAPTER 3

Beatrix and Arthur began walking through the woods in the direction her father had pointed. Sharp, thorny vines climbed the trees to the very tops. The forest was dense with branches and shrubs. A patch of strange little purple plants with gray flowers scurried out of their way as they walked. Up ahead of them, Beatrix saw a beautiful flower. Hundreds of pure white petals burst from the top of a silver stem. The center housed a mysterious sparkling gold dust. Beatrix ran ahead to get a closer look.
“Hey, wait up!” said Arthur as Beatrix ran past him.

She got close to the curious white flower and raised her hand to touch it. Her fingertip grazed the edge of one of the white petals, which sliced a small cut in her finger.

“Ouch!” said Beatrix, shocked.

“Are you ok?” asked Arthur as he hurried over to her.

“I’m ok,” she said as she cast the healing spell on her finger. The cut slowly faded away. How could something so beautiful be so dangerous?

Beatrix and Arthur continued their journey through the woods.

They began walking down a hill into a little valley. The air grew cooler the farther down the valley they walked. Beatrix paused for a moment to shake out a little rock that had gotten in her shoe. Arthur continued up ahead, not noticing Beatrix had stopped.

A branch snapped behind her. Beatrix abruptly turned around to see what it was. An old woman wearing a tattered red dress wandered through the woods toward Arthur. Beatrix looked at the old woman, and for a moment their eyes met. The woman waved her arm, sending waves of red light at Beatrix, knocking her to the ground. Beatrix watched in horror as the old woman grew closer to Arthur. Beatrix opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She stood up and pointed her hands at the old witch.

She thought of the spell tranfolorus as she aimed at the old woman. A flash of green lightning erupted from her, striking a tree near the old woman, sending wood shards into the air.

“Beatrix?” asked Arthur as he looked around, confused. Arthur saw the old woman racing toward him. Beatrix ran down the side of the valley toward Arthur. She tried to scream but no sound came out. Arthur saw a stream of sparks fly through the air from the old woman as she waved her hand, sending Beatrix to the ground once more. Arthur began running toward Beatrix. The old woman screamed, casting ember droplets of light that rained down to the ground all around them. Black vines rose out of the ground and across the dark earth toward them. Beatrix stood up. A black vine wrapped tightly around her ankle. She watched as the vines caught up to Arthur. They grabbed his legs, sending him down to the cold, hard earth. He fought to get away, but the vines continued to wrap around him. Beatrix’s heart pounded fast as the woman slowly approached Arthur.

Hatred brewed in Beatrix’s heart. Rage consumed her. She stared down at the black vines around her. The vines burst into flames, and Beatrix rose into the night air. With a deafening blast, an iridescent light burst around her, throwing branches and rocks into the woods. The old woman was knocked to the ground. Beatrix flew down to Arthur’s side. The vines unwrapped from him fast and scurried away, disappearing back into the soil.

The old woman stood up and raised her hands to the sky. Clouds of wispy red smoke swirled through the trees around them. Branches crashed against each other as the trees clawed at the ground where Arthur and Beatrix huddled. The woman let out a wicked laugh that echoed through the woods. Beatrix held Arthur close to her, and they shot through the crashing trees up into the night sky. Beatrix let out a scream, sending a wave of energy from her. Arthur looked below him and watched in horror as the wave knocked down hundreds of trees below.

They hovered silently in the air for a moment.

“B-Beatrix,” said Arthur with concern in his voice.

He turned her head toward him with his hands. A blank expression covered her face. It scared him.

“Beatrix!” Arthur yelled.

Arthur saw the world come back into her eyes. Beatrix looked all around herself.

“What…wh—” she looked at the toppled trees below her. Suddenly, they began to fall from the sky. She let go of Arthur and the world spun wildly around her. The air rushed past her fiercely as she fell. Beatrix screamed in horror. She heard Arthur’s voice in her head.

“It’s ok. It’s ok—remember how we drifted across the river? Imagine yourself floating just above the ground.”

Beatrix’s heart raced. She saw the ground racing around her and growing closer. “Imagine myself hovering over the ground,” she thought. “Hovering…hovering…”

Gravity pulled at her as she slowed just above the surface. Her feet slowly touched the ground. Arthur stumbled over the massive fallen trees toward her. He rushed to her and gave her a big hug.

“I’m so glad you are all right!” he said. Beatrix could feel Arthur shaking lightly.

“What happened?” Beatrix asked, looking around at all the fallen trees.

“We were attacked by another witch…and you…you saved us,” said Arthur.

Beatrix hugged Arthur tightly. The last thing she remembered was the old woman casting some sort of silencing spell on her.

Beatrix looked around at the clearing of fallen trees.

“I’m s-sorry,” said Beatrix. “I try to control my powers…I really do.”

“I know you do,” said Arthur as he hugged her tightly. Seeing the amount of destruction Beatrix caused from this little encounter worried him. What was going to happen when she reached the shadow creature?

“Come on. Let’s keep walking,” said Beatrix. Arthur grasped her hand, and they walked carefully as they made their way through the vast circle of fallen trees.

They continued through the dark forest. Beatrix found it hard to keep track of time in this world, for it was always dark. She felt her eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute.

“Arthur…I think we should rest,” she said, fighting the urge to yawn.

Arthur stopped and looked around them. “I don’t see any shelter near us,” he said. “I guess we will have to make something.”

Arthur raised his hands into the air. Streams of sparks flew out into the dark woods, collecting large branches and setting them in a pile on the ground in front of them. Another round of sparks flew from him, collecting long strands of vines.

“Let’s see,” he said. He stared at the branches and vines for a moment, then raised his hands into the air. The branches and vines rose off the ground and started stacking and tying themselves together in sections. The process continued for a few minutes. Beatrix watched in awe as a little cottage materialized in front of her. She looked at Arthur, impressed by his craftsmanship.

“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Beatrix. She walked up to the little cottage and ran her hands across the outer walls.

“I used to build forts in the woods as a kid,” he said. He smiled. “This is a little more advanced than what I used to make.”

Arthur walked up to the little cottage, opened the door, and gestured for Beatrix to go inside. She walked through the doorway into the little cottage. She sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. Arthur studied the cottage around him, looking impressed himself by what he had created. Arthur walked over to Beatrix and sat beside her. Beatrix turned to look at him. She was impressed with Arthur, and, more than that, she was in love with him. He always found a way to add a bright light to the darkness of her world.

Arthur scooted closer and put his arm around Beatrix. She rested her head against his. Being close to him made her happy. Moments like these she enjoyed immensely, for she could escape the horrors that surrounded her—even if only for a short while.

Beatrix felt the weight of the day growing heavier and heavier. She closed her eyes.

“Beatrix?” Arthur whispered.

He could feel her breathing slow into a soft rhythm. He smiled, closed his eyes, and said, “I love you.”

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More Chapters will be published soon!

Thanks for reading! :)

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