Winter's Child

Chapter Ten~A Strong Heart

As Elodie raced around the field with her new power, she felt airborne. It was as if nothing could touch her. She and Jack had had many lessons where she had learned to cryokinetic surf better than ever. Each day, she improved and it soon became her passion. Her dream as a child had always been to fly. This was as close as she had ever come.

Jack sped behind her, smiling as he watched her truly grasp her freedom. Elodie smiled as she flew at the speed of strong winds. She allowed her arms to outstretch as she felt the wind in her hair and the cold air on her face. The cold was comforting somehow. She never thought cold could be.

Eventually, the two needed to stop and catch their breath. They planted themselves under a nearby tree and watched the birds as they flew through the air. What a beautiful day it was.

"That...never get's old," Elodie said between breaths. Jack nodded and smiled.

"Sure doesn't. We should do that more often. You've gotten pretty good at it too." Elodie glanced at him and smiled, fatiqued from surfing for most of the morning. "So, what should we do with the rest of the day?"

"I was thinking about doing some reading today. Maybe, this evening, we could go for a walk or something." Jack smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good. Do you need me to take you back?" Elodie shook her head and gave him an assuring smirk.

"I think I'll be okay. Thanks though. You can come and get me around seven." Jack nodded and pulled himself to his feet. He placed his hands in the pocket on his hoodie, like he always did. He gave Elodie a smile and nodded in farewell.

"See you tonight, then," he said, his smile fading as he turned and disappeared into the woods, heading back to the village. Elodie sighed and glanced around the empty field. Time to head back.

Elodie slowly walked back to the palace, gathering her thoughts and contemplating over each one. As she passed through the forest, along the paths she now knew well, she came to the last fork in the road before the palace. She could already see the palace, standing tall, proud and regal as usual. Something in her wanted to know where she would end up if she followed the opposite path. Where would the path take her? The curiosity was too much. She needed to see what was down that path.

She slowly turned from the path leading to the castle and wandered down the darker, slightly ominous path. As she kept walking, the trees began to change. Everything changed. Everything around her became darker and lifeless. Before long, she couldn't see anything that wasn't dead. She began to rethink her decision. She turned around to find the path from which she came blocked with thick, sharp branches. They wove themselves together in an impossible mess of vines and branches. She would never be able to get through.

Elodie's eyes widened with fear as she took a step back from the branches. She focused her vision above her, on the little bit of sunlight that leaked through the trees. She let her breath out in horror as the trees meshed themselves together before her eyes, blocking any light from seeping in. It was dark now. Other than the eerie glow of evil around her. She could sense it. There was someone there besides herself.

She turned around, fearful and panicked by this point, and scanned the forest for ways to escape. Nothing. She was completely closed in. The branches and trees seemed to be slowly migrating towards her, like they would trap her in their mess of dead leaves, branches, twigs and roots. She was seeing things now. She had to be. Dark figures appeared before her, rising up from the ground with smoke billowing under them. They wore long robes with hoods that covered their faces.

Elodie began to lose her hearing ability. The only thing that she could hear was a pulsing ringing that faded and gained strength again over and over. Her vision became fuzzy and it would only focus on the terrifying things that materialized before her eyes. She saw bats come flying straight out of a tree. They flew towards her but she couldn't feel them as she blindly swatted at her head and body, trying to get them off her. She saw more dark figures step out from tree trunks and come towards her. She glanced this way and that as a piercing scream rose up within her and escaped. She tried to run, but her feet were held to the ground by thick vines that refused to let go. It was too much. She cowered on the ground and closed her eyes while covering her ears and screaming. She screamed until her voice failed her, praying that the spiders she felt crawling into her open mouth weren't real either. What if this all was real. She was doomed. She was unable to get back and she was sure that if her fate didn't change, she would die here.