Part 7 (1/2)

Someone was playing games with me.

I sifted through the length of the red fabric and my breath caught in my throat. Inside of the hood, a dark symbol was etched. In this particular case, there could only be one reason for a rune.

I walked into a trap.

Even as I think it, the rune in the hood glows, and the entire cloak starts to disintegrate in my hands.

Faerie Fudge...

I didn't even wait before tossing the cloak aside and scooping up every last piece of the remaining clothes. I ran to the edge of the cave with my hands full, taking one glance back at the imposter cloak to see only the hood was left.

I didn't know what would happen when the rune was consumed and I didn't have to, to know I just needed to run; far away from it.

I yanked a s.h.i.+rt from the clothes in my arms, juggling them around as I threw it in front of me. It didn't freeze so I moved forward and picked the s.h.i.+rt up with my toes.

My eyes shot back to the hood, seeing only a sliver of it left as I threw the s.h.i.+rt with my foot.

The tunic froze in the air and I pressed against the wall away from that area before throwing a bra.s.siere from my fingers and moving forward while picking it up with my toes again.

Two more tosses got me by with the bra before it got stuck in a frozen state and I adjusted again.

I knew it was already too late. I was moving too slow.

My eyes fell back to the cloak to see only the glowing sigil left.

My heart wouldn't stop pounding as I tossed another piece of clothing and moved along.

I finally make it to the meadow, leading to the giant flowers, before looking back again to see a glow of humming darkness pulsing from behind the waterfall.

I was so dead.

A few more pieces of fabric hung over the gra.s.s as my bare feet padded next to the flowers. I dropped the clothing in front of them and s.n.a.t.c.hed up a set to wear for myself before glancing around for Kit and the fox.

”There.” The red flower pointed with a vine near the storm of plume that the frozen birds caused. Among the feathers emerged the little custard fox with a limp to his step.

I rushed forward, but stopped when I realized this area was littered with time distortions. My eyes shot between the fox and the glow emanating from the waterfall.

”Come on!” I roared with all my voice.

The fox didn't move any faster though.

I could feel each beat of my heart radiating through my body and my breath hitch as the fox looked like he was slowing down and not moving faster.

I wanted to keep yelling, but my voice caught on my tongue. My mouth felt so dry it was sticking together and closing up. Even breathing was harder.

But why?

My eyes widened as I looked back to the glowing sigil. It wasn't behind the waterfall anymore.

There was no waterfall. There wasn't even ground past where the tall flowers were. It all disintegrated in invisible flames, just like how the water had been cras.h.i.+ng against invisible rocks.

My hands were shaking as I turned back and reached out for the fox just as he limped close enough.

My arms scooped around him and pulled him against my chest, with the small collection of clothes in my other hand.

I shot down the stairs, just as I heard the horrible hacking howls of the talking flowers being consumed or erased or whatever was happening to them.

I didn't even want to imagine what it was. I just ran.

I tried to glance around for Kit, even attempted calling for the spirit, but my throat grated any words away before they could reach my lips.

Where was that fey-blasted spirit?

I couldn't wait around. Steps were disappearing rapidly behind me. It was like this world was just... unraveling...

Like the cloak! Of course...

I would have been admiring an unraveling spell of this magnitude, if I hadn't been in the direct path of it.

My heart pattered like a hummingbird as I turned on the last step of the stairs and saw nothing but four steps behind me. I dove backwards while I scanned for Kit one last time.

Nothing but scarlet. The color of distortion and change.

My color.

But it didn't seem inviting now, as I watched the last steps disappear into grains so small they might as well have been nothing.

My heart jumped again as the breath gushed out of me and my face crashed into the cold stone floor of the mirror tower.

Despite the aches, I stumbled to my feet and rushed through the looking gla.s.s without even turning back to look at how close the unraveling was to me.

I fell to my knees on the other side, from the sheer agony I was wallowing in.

I would have pa.s.sed out right there.

I would have.

If it wasn't for the voice I heard, that made my heart soar with such firm happiness that my eyes were tearing up.

”Dori! We made it!”

Six.

Bread Crumbs Walking has to be the most wonderful thing in the world. Well, as long as you aren't being chased by an unraveling spell. I like it though, because it gives me time to think; normally.

Instead, every time I started to have some kind of train of thought on my situation at hand, I would get interrupted by Kit chatting away with borrowed fox lips.