AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gives me a look, one that says I should know the answer to that question already, as he reaches out to slip the chain beneath the fabric of my shirt.
“You’re a mage. Partly, anyway, you should know stones are never just stones. This is where my father got the moonstone you were touching in my room. It amplifies emotions and covers the shoreline all the way around Neverland. To a normal person, you’d be so overwhelmed with emotion you’d likely never travel deeper into the island. Without your shadow, though, it makes you feel somewhat normal. I used to wear one, but stopped when I married you.”
The necklace he took off during the ceremony... He’d put it in his pocket before the priestess did the blood oath.
“Is that why I don’t feel much different? I still feel things now, but we’re also on the shoreline.”
“Yes. Since you don’t have shoes or pants, something has always been touching it. When you step off, you’ll start to really experience what it’s like to not have a shadow, but that should help.”
I touch the stones through the wet fabric of my shirt. “What about you?”
He picks another stone up and shoves it into his pocket. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been doing this for years. Even then, we’re still bonded. It won’t be as strong as before you lost your shadow, but I’ll still feel through you. It doesn’t hurt to have an extra though if we need it.”
I glance down at my feet again, hoping this is just a huge misunderstanding, but where my shadow should stretch across the ground is empty.
“Hey, look at me,” Sebastian says, and I reluctantly tear my eyes away from the ground. “It might not be gone. Your soul might just need time to recharge. You’ve just gotta have hope.”
“I don’t know if I can...”
He grips my hand, lifting it to brush his lips against the top of it. “Just try. Do it for me.” He tugs on my hand as he starts to walk toward the woods. “Come on. I know where we can go.”
38
Scarlet
AsSebastianandIstep into the forest, I can’t help but be swept away by its otherworldly beauty. The air itself seems to shimmer with magic. The vivid colors of the flora practically glow, casting a dreamy kaleidoscope of light on the forest floor. Trees stretch toward the sky, their leaves holding iridescent hues, while exotic flowers release intoxicating scents that dance in the breeze. It’s like it walked straight out of one of my books, or maybe my imagination.
“If we’re lucky, my father might’ve left a cuff here, and I hoping a key. I need to get this thing off,” Sebastian grumbles, glancing at the cuff around his wrist. Smee put it on him to keep him from using his shadows.
The irony isn’t lost on me, that it’s one of my father’s. He designed them and apparently forced them onto the people of our kingdom if what Sebastian and Smee have told me about the rebellion is true. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. They’re supposed to be impossible to remove, giving the king the ability to track them down or turn off their magic. They must’ve devised a way to get them off because no one on the Jolly Roger has one, or that I saw in the Luminaries.
If the Crocodile does come after us, we’re in no shape to fight him. My magic is gone unless my soul regenerates—if it ever does—and with Sebastian’s darkness rendered useless, our only form of protection is the sword sheathed at his hip, which, thankfully, he didn’t lose when he fell overboard. Sorry,jumpedoverboard.
It’s a small blessing, but it’s something.
“I take it this isn’t your first time here?” I ask, trying to step lightly. My feet don’t like the ground much, and my socks are doing little to keep the twigs and bark bits from poking at them as we walk.
He smirks. “What do you think? Yes, I’ve been here before. This was one of my father’s favorite places. I haven’t been here since he died, though, and never alone or without my gift.”
I bounce my eyebrows playfully. “That’s a lot of firsts.”
“Tell me about it.” His voice is both bitter and nostalgic, stirring a mix of emotions within me.
We walk deeper into the magical forest, each step revealing more of its breathtaking beauty and lurking dangers. A sense of awe washes over me as I drink in the sights and sounds around us, the symphony of nature playing alongside our footsteps.
I spot a massive flower, blooming low to the ground despite it being large enough for me and Sebastian to sit on if we wished it. I crouch down next to it, admiring the vibrant pink petals and the fuzzy circular middle. It’s beautiful. It looks so soft. Lifting my hand, I start to reach for it, to feel it, but Sebastian clears his throat, making me pause.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warns.
“It’s just a flower.” I glance at him over his shoulder. “What is it going to do? Bite me?”
Sebastian tosses a twig, making me duck out of the way. It lands onto the frilly middle and, in the same instant, the entire thing folds in half. The petals snap shut, and the entire thing warps in front of my eyes, turning into something round and dark, oozing green goo that singes to the ground as it drips from its mouth like saliva. The petals have become knife-like teeth. My heart lurches in my chest as I stumble back in horror.
Sebastian chuckles, offering me a hand. “It might be beautiful, but don’t be deceived, darling. Everything here wants to kill you.” I nod, swallowing hard, and stay close.
He tugs me along and it’s not until the flower is out of sight that I look forward again.
We trudge deeper into the woods. Each breath I draw in feels infused with magic, like the very essence of the forest is pulsating through the air. Soon, the ground becomes covered in moss, filled with tiny blue flowers. I’ve never been so thankful for something so simple before in my life. My feet need a break from the rough terrain.
