Shadows In The Forest

“If you defy me once again I shall throw you in the dungeon–and we both know what happens down there, don’t we?” Victor Starkbaum raised a full black eyebrow as he grinned.

“I refuse to marry someone I don’t even know, father! Judging by your character, I’d hate to see who you’ve chosen.”

Princess Mayweather sat in her black velvet chair, glaring at her father’s reflection in the mirror as her maidservant, Willow, brushed her fiery red hair.

“You will marry whomever I choose. If Willow is quite finished untangling that mess on top of that brick-head, you’re to come downstairs and meet him.”

Mayweather saw the cold look in his eyes and knew the conversation was over. She felt him watching her with distaste. The force with which she rose caused her chair to topple over with a loud thud. She hurried past him with her electric blue eyes cast downward.

When they reached the bottom of the marble staircase Mayweather saw a dashing man holding a cane topped with a platinum crescent moon. He was extraordinarily tall with a physique that rivaled the gods. His long black hair shone eerily blue as he turned to greet her with black eyes blazing.

“Ah, this must be the rebellious redhead of the Wood Realm.” He kissed her hand gently, causing her to blush.

“And you must be…?”

“Prince Xavier Bonewhittle, of the Dark Realm.”

“…. whom I’ve heard so little about.” She glanced at her father.

Her father’s eyes barely squinted, in fact, if you hadn’t been watching him intently you might’ve missed it. The fingers on his right hand twitched ever so slightly before he flexed them. He shot a glance at the prince, who seemed unimpressed by her comment.

“She is more exquisite than you mentioned. I’m sure she’ll please me well.”

Her fragile hope transformed into rage. She scoffed as she studied the haughty prince.

“Perhaps it’s me you should be worrying about pleasing.”

Her father scowled as she turned to leave. A strong hand grabbed her wrist tightly and spun her around. Her face was instantly buried in someone’s chest. Down was the only direction she could look now and she recognized a shiny black boot. She stomped on Xavier’s foot, causing him to curse but he wouldn’t let her go. He grabbed her chin with such force his fingers made indentations in her otherwise full cheeks. She squirmed as he planted a harsh kiss on her stiffened lips.

The smack she bestowed upon him resounded throughout the great hall. She stormed outside to the trees of the Wood Realm. As she looked back she could see the danger in her father’s glare as he stood in the doorway of their castle obviously trying to appease the prince. It didn’t seem to be working as a dark aura surrounded Xavier.

Within the shade of her wooden friends she relaxed and breathed in the crisp air. While she walked through the forest surrounding the Starkbaum castle she thought she saw Xavier standing ten yards away. Stopping in her tracks she noticed that he seemed darker than before. He seemed to be staring past her until she noticed his unnerving smile. Before she could yell at him for his intrusion, he disappeared. Mayweather froze as the breath caught in her throat. She hiked up the long emerald green train of her gown and ran in the opposite direction, too afraid to go near what she had witnessed.

“What are you running for child?” a voice boomed around her.

Immediately she stopped as her tension started to melt away. “Lothor! I need to talk to you, old friend.”

A creak sounded near her causing her to turn. The branches of a thick sycamore swayed gently. She was comforted by leaning against his trunk.

“It’s father again. He wants me to marry some prince of the Dark Realm just because he’s going to be king soon. My father is too power-hungry. I’m nothing more than a pawn to him. I miss…”

Mayweather averted her eyes, afraid the pain of rejection and neglect was evident in them. Lothor’s swaying brought her back to reality. She blinked.

“That man…there’s something off about him. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he turned out to be like that, after all, my father chose him.” She looked up to Lothor’s branches, “Hope is a horrible, desolate act.” She sighed. “But he has a darkness to him I can’t understand. This is the last straw Lothor, hope is too dangerous. All these years without mother have been an absolute hell. I need to get out.”

“What do you mean, ‘get out’?”

“I mean renounce my title and escape my father’s abuse.”

Mayweather reached around her side and massaged the thick scar on her back. One of too many she thought as Lothor stressed his swaying.

“There is something you could do, but . . .”

“But?” Mayweather wondered if she should hope again.

“It’s an old magic the elders call Synthebaum. It’s a way to travel through us.”

“You mean through the forest?”Lothor chuckled. “No, it’s a way to unite oneself with a tree’s essence and travel from tree to tree through our roots. Our magnificent forest is so dense that it’s easy to travel this way since our roots interlock.”

Mayweather glowed.

“However, it can be quite painful because your soul binds your physical body to the tree’s essence for the trip and you must practice constantly. But you have a head start, since you’re a descendent of the trees, my princess.”

“Will you please teach me, Lothor?”

“Of course.” She sensed his smile.

Mayweather smiled as she headed back to the Starkbaum castle to use the library. The hallways darkened as she walked, careful to avoid making any sound. Suddenly something silky brushed past her face and she was slammed onto her back. Glowing eyes stared down at her.

“You shouldn’t have hurt my feelings, princess.”

“Who are you?”

“Princess Mayweather!”

Willow was holding back what looked to be Xavier. There was something different about him. Mayweather didn’t think Willow would do such a dangerous thing but her usual meekness seemed to have disappeared. Quickly, Mayweather took this chance to stand but Willow was slammed to the ground as Xavier flipped her over his shoulder. Mayweather made to grab his shirt, but she was seized by someone else. She turned quickly, glaring at her new adversary, Xavier? But . . . Mayweather managed a double take before being grounded by a rough smack from her father.

“Since it’s your fault Xavier’s shadow came out she will have to pay the price.” Victor sneered as he watched the other Xavier emerge from the darkness, clutching Willow and smiling.

“Xavier’s . . . shadow?”

Mayweather looked dumbfounded as Willow was dragged away while the true Xavier followed, the heels of his thigh boots receding into the dark hall.

Her father sighed, his lips tight.

“Honestly, I thought you’d be smarter than this. Everyone from the Dark Realm is born with a shadow. It’s a survival mechanism. Rarely, there are some that don’t work properly and act on an emotional instinct instead of a survival one–like Xavier’s. When a person’s emotions are severely hurt the shadow comes out to eliminate the source.”

“Eliminate the source….” Mayweather’s glistening eyes widened as she looked up to her father.

“It’s your problem now. Actually, I’m rather interested in how these series of events will unfold.” Her father stroked her cheek almost lovingly before running a finger over her bottom lip. She found herself trembling as he drew his face close to hers, “You are such a disappointment.”

Mayweather spent the rest of the night and most of the morning reading about Synthebaum and the Dark Realm. The next afternoon, tired from little sleep, she began to practice.

“OH GODS!” Mayweather’s face and right arm were the only things sticking out of a beech. “You didn’t tell me I could get stuck inside the tree!”

“You know, it’s not only you who hurts but the tree you travel in as well. Have some respect. You need to focus.”

Feeling thoroughly chastened, she resolved to take greater care and practiced all day, not taking a break save for a drink of water from the hidden stream. When the time came, would she be able to muster the courage to flee? Running away was easy but being on her own was something she’d never tried. But as she practiced, flashes of what she was running away from flooded her mind. It was well into the night when they both finally took a proper break. She leaned against Lothor as he swayed in the darkness.

A twig snapped nearby and Mayweather was knocked to the ground by a shadowy figure. She heard the sounds of metal on wood as she recovered and crouched behind a bush. It was Xavier’s shadow again, this time with a sword slashing at Lothor’s mighty branches. Mayweather didn’t have time to think before she found herself running while Lothor distracted him. She ducked behind an elm to catch her breath as she watched Lothor swipe at the shadow with his lower branches. The shadow laughed as it backed up.

“Come out my princess…I only want to…. ravage you…then…kill you.”

His laugh was harsh. Running out from behind the tree she made sure he could see her as she raced for the edge of the Wood Realm’s vast forest. Even though she had barely practiced, her life depended on it now so she took a chance and dove toward the nearest tree silently begging it to let her enter. Picturing a tree that stood near the edge of her Wood Realm, she focused her thoughts on communicating it to the tree she hoped would accept her sync. She felt a sharp but quick pain as she landed harshly on the ground. Looking around quickly, she actually recognized where she was. It had worked, well . . . almost. It wasn’t the exact tree she was hoping for but she spied sunlight in the distance peeking through the trees that guarded the edge of her realm.

Not only had she travelled successfully but the sun was rising! She remembered what the book had said–that a shadow couldn’t exist in absolute sunlight. It also said that the people from the Dark Realm could travel through shadows as she did through trees, so he wouldn’t be far behind. Scanning the forest for a moment she spotted him almost too late. He was barreling toward her furiously kicking up dirt and leaves as he ran. She raced toward the border without looking back.

As he tackled her into the far-reaching meadow that separated the Wood Realm from the Water Realm, she smiled at his arrogance. They barely cleared the forest before his face twisted in agony and he screamed like a spoiled brat as he dissipated into the air.

Mayweather caught her breath, stood resolutely, covered herself with a black hooded cloak and disappeared into a tree never to return.