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Closing my eyes, I willed my visions to speak to me now. I needed to recall the maps, the view from the sky when I flew with Stella’s Dragon, and my vision. I could see the direction, so I just needed to explain it to Ason.
“We need to follow that path,” I stated, pointing to my right. “We will find a large pond and then we need to follow it to the swamps. The cave will be near the swamps,” I tell Ason.
“Ok, we need to keep our eyes out for any dangers. The Dark Magic Witch isn’t the only threat in here,” he said, causing a shiver to race down my spine.
“What should we worry about?” I ask, my voice shaking.
Ason continues walking as we push limbs away from our faces. In some areas, the brush is thick and difficult to get through. Large trees with Spanish moss hung low, draping the landscape, almost like a shield to protect the dark and eerie world inside. Moving the brush aside, we began walking through the underbrush. The crunching sounds of dead leaves added to the eerie sensations around us.
“Stay away from the water. The sirens love to swim up to the edge of the water and lure people into the water. Once they get you in, they will drown you,” he explains. Noted, stay away from the water. As he continues, I watch the forest as it buzzes with energy. “
“Come on, it’s only a little bit further until we reach the edge of the swamps on this side of the Parrish,” I began, as I turned right.
The wand glows as I allow it to lead the way.
A squawk resigned above and a black crow soared around, crying out to alert those inside the forest of our presence.
“We need to hurry, something doesn’t feel right,” Ason says, running faster along the path.
A howl to my left had Ason running even faster. I didn’t dare to ask what kind of monster that could be. As we passed by the large pond, I spotted a mermaid with a turquoise tail and light pink hair sitting on a rock, sunning herself. She smiled, ferocious fangs glinting in the moonlight as she waved us on.
“Don’t listen when she speaks,” Ason says, running past the stunning beauty.
I close my eyes until I think we are far enough away. Ason slows a little and I can hear his paws splashing against water. My eyes shoot open and I realize we are now in the swamp area. Tall trees are scattered throughout the area and the murky water has a sulfur odor that causes my stomach to rumble.
A splash was heard just ahead of us and Ason jumped. “What was that?” I ask.
“Probably an alligator or one of the hellhounds searching for its dinner.” Ason stops and I can tell that his wolf is listening to the sounds around us. “I need to shift back to human form,” Ason says.
I watch in a strange fascination as he stands on his hind legs, his body stretching tall and towering over me. Cracking and pulling sounds have me wincing as his body morphs back into the boy who I have grown to be extremely fond of.
His shirt and jeans are torn and tattered, but otherwise, he looks perfect.
“Which way is the cave?” he whispers.
“From what I recall, it is just a little ways around that bend,” I say, pointing ahead where the swamp water is deeper and covered in a hunter-green layer. Heavy Spanish Moss hangs low from the trees, brushing against our faces and causing tears to form in my eyes.
A thunderous roar resounds up ahead and Ason and I stop moving. My heart is drumming wildly in my chest as I hold onto Ason. We are both trembling. The blue gem around my neck buzzes and grows so warm, it almost burns my skin. The ground shakes beneath me and I stumble, but Ason catches me before I fall.
A loud, cackling echoes in the air and a voice fills my mind with dread.
“Come children. Let me show you the way.”
Ason and I exchange nervous glances as we stand together. The Dark Magic Witch is close by and as we start to slowly wade through thick water, I can see the stone formation of a cave up ahead. Something brushes against my leg and I cry out in fear.
Ason reaches for me, but as he does, something wraps around my leg and pulls me down into the cold water. I go to scream, but my voice is drowned out by the thrashing of water that takes place. I plunge down into the abyss, my arms flailing about as I struggle to break through the surface and find air.
The thing around my leg cuts into my skin and the pair sears me. Kicking, I hit something hard and solid and in my mind, I know that it must be an alligator. It is dragging me down to the bottom of the swamp. This can’t be how it ends for me. I didn’t come into the cursed forest to fight a Dark Magic Witch, to only die from an alligator attack. I refuse to let this be how my story ends.
A strong pair of hands grab hold of my arms and start pulling me back toward the surface. I feel like I’m being torn in half as the monster in the water continues to fight, trying to pull me back. The wand in my hand feels heavy and I know that I need to fight.
My lungs burn and I know that I only have seconds left before I fall into the heavyweight that is pressing down on me. I shake the wand, and press it down and just as I feel like I can’t hold another thought, I am released from the coil around my legs and I shoot up to the surface of the water.
A gasp screams out of me as air reaches my lungs. Ason pulls me onto a broken tree stump, and I cry out as I struggle to get out of the water.
“Farrah, look at me. Are you ok?” Ason takes my face in his hands and forces me to look at him.
Panic glows from his face and I can’t help but allow tears to pour down my cheeks. Above us, Stella lets out a loud growl that rivals thunder. Fire bellows into the night sky as her heavy wings flap, causing a large gust of wind to descend over us.
