James in the Real World by Owen Todhunter

Author:Owen Todhunter [Todhunter, Owen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-19T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17: Alone in the Woods

Once the smell of meatballs disappears, James and Von return to Navoeth. She hates being called that, but it rolls off his tongue so nicely. They do not return to the castle, and instead find themselves back inside the cave; James’ birthplace into the new world. He breathes a sigh of relief from the damp, stagnant air around them.

“Where was that?” Von asks.

“My house,” he answers.

“And how exactly did we get here then James?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can we call out?” Von says as she feels around the cave walls. “We need to get back home,” she hurriedly adds.

“Eryr can’t hear us. Something is blocking us out,” James says in a resigned tone.

“We shouldn’t be here James. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Though James cannot see her, her shaky fingers feel around and finally latch onto his. She attempts to pull him but he resists. Accepting she does not have the strength, nor the sense of direction to get them to safety, she decides the best course of action is to talk their way out.

“Answer me this then James, why did you bring us here?”

“I didn’t mean to. I’m not controlling this.”

Deeper within the recesses of the cave, they hear a low growl. Ahead of them a set of red eyes pierce the veil. She starts to panic.

“It’s here James. We need to get to go.”

“No, it’s not that,” James assures her. “It’s something else.”

“How do you know that James?”

“Because I just do. Wait here.”

“Dammit James. That’s not an answer. Please don’t go!”

“Everything will be okay Von. I promise.”

She reaches for his hand. Again, he softly deflects it. He walks up the stream, until he is waist deep in water. The eyes turn away, leading him further into the darkness. The growl bounces around the narrow walls and back towards Von.

“Be careful James!”

“I’ll be fine.”

The water gets shallower to the point of James tiptoeing over the moss-laded rocks. He grips the wall for support and lowers his head as the cave walls become narrow. The distant growl fades until it is barely above a whimper. The red eyes open wide, now only a few feet from James. Then they stop and merge into one as he reaches the point where he entered Navoeth. This time the constellations are gone. In their place is a lone red marker. As James reaches it, he stumbles on the slippery rocks. His entire body is submerged in a pool of water that only seconds ago was ankle deep. He kicks out his legs and reaches for a rock to hold onto. His efforts only force him down deeper. His lungs fill with water as he screams for help.

The water turns black, bubbling up until his senses are numbed. Then he shifts again. He wakes up on the ground, his body completely in the middle of a forest. A thick barrier of Pine Trees surrounds him, blocking out the late-afternoon sun. The dead leaves at his feet rustle about. He looks around to see squirrels as they forage about the undergrowth.

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