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.
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!"
CHAPTER 10
The days came and went. Because the shadow world had no sun, they instead counted their days by the cycles of the purple moon. They rested together each day on an old flannel blanket from the suitcase and spent their days chatting with each other. They worried little about the ship going off track while asleep, for the water remained still. Though the sky was starless, the sea had constellations of lights in it. Beatrix and Arthur watched them as they swirled below the surface.
“I wonder what is down there,” said Beatrix as she gazed into the deep green waters. While Beatrix was mesmerized with the sea, Arthur was mesmerized with Beatrix. He couldn’t believe he had her in his life and could think of no one else he would rather be with on this journey. Once again, Arthur reached into his pocket and felt the gold ring. He longed to propose to her but knew he should wait.
A scraping noise rang out into the night air from behind them. It sounded like a dog trying to get let in. Beatrix looked across the ship but saw nothing. The noise subsided.
“Wh…what was that?” she asked in a worried voice.
“I’m not sure,” said Arthur. He walked over to the other side of the ship to investigate. Claw marks covered the mast. “Were these here before?”
“I don’t remember,” said Beatrix with a bewildered look on her face.
That night, they both struggled to fall asleep, unsure what the scraping sound was.
Seven days went by and the scraping noise hadn’t reoccurred. Beatrix and Arthur put the incident out of their minds. The days really didn’t seem long, for they had each other to converse with. The board games and plethora of reading material in the suitcase helped pass the time too. Beatrix read up on the many gadgets and curious items in the Tome of Magical Instruments: Illustrated Edition. Arthur studied the book of spells, testing a few of them out on occasion.
The purple moon ascended in the sky once more. Beatrix set down her book and gestured for Arthur to join her on the blanket. Arthur lay down beside her and inched his hand nearer to hers. She grasped his hand and moved closer to him. He moved his head close to hers and kissed her on the forehead. “Good night.”
Beatrix smiled back at him and said, “Good night.”
Her mind wandered through a variety of topics, including the dream of Arthur’s proposal, her journey ahead, and the various gadgets she had studied. Her thoughts slowly faded as she began to fall asleep.
Beatrix dreamed about Arthur that night. She was consumed with her dream when suddenly she felt a hand rest softly on her shoulder. Beatrix smiled and slowly opened her eyes, looking straight up at the dark sky. She turned and saw Arthur standing by the mast, looking through the Spells and Enchantments book. She felt the weight of the hand still resting on her shoulder. Beatrix screamed and darted over to Arthur.
“S-Something t-touched me!” she said, terrified.
Arthur looked over at the blanket that lay on the ship’s deck but saw nothing there.
“I felt a hand on my shoulder,” she said. “At first I thought it was you, but you were over here.”
Arthur held Beatrix tightly. They walked around the ship together.
“Hello?” Arthur asked. “Who’s there?”
His calls into the darkness were left unanswered. Beatrix had an unsettling feeling about it. First the claw marks, and now this.
“Remember when my father’s spirit visited us?” asked Beatrix. “Didn’t he say this sea is also called the Sea of the Dead?”
“Yes, but you don’t think…” Arthur paused and thought whether he should finish his sentence. “You don’t think it’s h-haunted…do you?”
A chill ran down her spine. Goosebumps formed on her skin as she thought about the possibility. It wasn’t logical reasoning but would give explanation to the events that had occurred.
That night was the first of many sleepless nights. Beatrix and Arthur stayed close, just in case something else were to happen, but the days were uneventful once again.
Beatrix brought the suitcase over to the mast and sat down on the cool wooden deck beside Arthur. She opened it and looked at all of the contents. Her eyes met a small metallic object. It was a hand mirror. Beatrix lifted the mirror out of the suitcase and said “Petiollah avecktrium!” The hand mirror grew to regular size. Beatrix looked at it in fascination. It was gold and had a curious intricate design that scrolled up the handle and around the circle of glass. Beatrix held it up in front of her and looked at herself. She combed her hair with her fingers and smiled.
“I see you found something beautiful,” said Arthur with a warm smile. “The mirror is nice too.”
Beatrix blushed. Her smile inside grew until it spread across her face as well. She wanted to say something back to him but found herself without words. Instead, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
More days past, but they saw no land in sight. They both continued to read books from the suitcase. Arthur found a particularly useful chapter in the Spells and Enchantments book titled “The Magic of Illusions.” He read the chapter aloud:
Illusions are useful for many reasons, but can be tricky if encountered. An illusion is a false object, place, or being. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between an illusion and reality. Each illusion, by design, will have a different tell. In this chapter, you will gain the necessary knowledge to give your best guess as to whether an object, being, or place is real or not. Because each illusion is different, not all signs and tests will show true. Deciphering between illusion and reality is a calculation but at best is simply an educated guess.
Beatrix looked up at Arthur with uncertainty in her eyes. She recalled Berdakon’s warning of the illusion the dark creature spelled upon its castle to mirror it. They needed to be able to tell what was real and what was an illusion. The journey seemed to grow in complexity with each step they took. She did not like the sound of “guessing.” That was one thing she liked about math. If you knew what you were doing and did the calculations correctly, you had one absolute answer.
Arthur’s eyes met hers, and, with a reassuring glance, he said, “We can do this.”
More Chapters will be published soon!
Thanks for reading! :)