Chapter 55
Cold Voices, Cold Faces
"Nova! Nova I'm down here! Please help me!" a faint voice from below me called.
"Shadow?" I asked hopefully.
After a moments pause the voice called up again, "Down here!"
Shadow was down there, I had to get her out, but how?
Suddenly the charm started to glow and the ground beneath my feet started shifting. I jumped off of it and landed on still ground.
The necklace stopped glowing and there was now a huge hole in the floor. I heard something I've never heard before, Shadow's sobbing. She was scared.
Her cries got louder as I neared the edge of the hole. I looked over the side and saw her curled into a ball some 10 feet from the forest floor.
"Shadow, it's okay, I'm here, I got you." I soothed as I laid on the floor and reached down to her, "Take my hand."
She slowly gained control of herself and struggled to sit up and grab my hand, I could tell she was weak from hunger and exhaustion.
I pulled her up with ease and held her on my lap as she cried into my shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe now, I'm here."
"How sweet." a cold voice said, the sound of it sent shivers down my spine. "Though I wouldn't be so sure about the safe part if I was you."
Me and Shadow both froze. I held her close to me as she gave a shuddered gasp.
"It was easy to get you both here at once." the voice laughed. It was strangely familiar. "Shadows, bring them to the cave of darkness, it is time."
Dark figures walked slowly out of the surrounding trees, wicked smiles on their faces.
The one that looked like the ring leader walked up to us with one other. The bigger one reached out to me and when his ghost of a hand reached my skin, it all went black.
(end of chapter 55)