Just A Taste | BOOK 1 The Night Lords Series

24. The Lake of Souls

For one split second, I'm under the impression I've merely stepped back outside. Perhaps the garage just had a back door. But, as I take in the evergreens that stand sentinel around me, I realize that this is not the same wooded area by the manor. For starters, the sky was an obsidian slate of night. Through the small gap in the canopy above, I could glimpse a handful of stars winking at me from between the tree limbs that appeared to me like spindly shadows clawing at the heavens. I'm pretty sure the sun had been up when I'd been running from Jack. I turn around, confused, and gape. The garage was gone. The door stood alone with nothing behind it, somehow standing upright without the support of a doorframe of any sort. My fingers itch to test the door to see if maybe I'd be back in that hallway or if I'd see the trees on the other side but the thought of Jack keeps my hand rooted to my side. I inhale shakily before taking a step. My bare foot sinks into something silky and soft and I look down to see that a moist blanket of moss cloaks the forest floor, a definite telltale sign I was no longer anywhere near Cassius or his manor. The woods there had had nothing but dried leaves and a hard, cold ground of dirt induced by the coming winter. Here, the floor hummed with a slumbering, peaceful warmth, the air like a gentle embrace accompanied by the occasional cool kiss from a passing breeze that came from somewhere to my right. Without any particular hope or goal in mind, I follow my first instinct which is to head in the direction the wind is coming from. I walk for however long, time seeming to have no meaning here, and stop only when a series of chirps sound from somewhere above. I gasp as I look up, unable to see the creature that cried out but I'm no less amazed to hear its sweet song.

Where am I? Back home, earth, assuming I'm still on the same planet, the birds no longer sang. This place must be really well cut off from everything that's happened or I've somehow passed out or died. The thought wasn't too unthinkable given this whole situation seemed like a dream- or nightmare. I quivered, inwardly chastising myself for thinking such harsh things. I am alive, I am breathing, and let's just hope it stays that way.

The unseen bird chimes out another pleasant melody. This time, an answering tune flutters through the air to intertwine with the first before fading into a handful of mingling chirrups that quickly lapse into silence once more. A faint smile touches my lips and I shake my head in awe before proceeding down my stray path. It's strange, this place. As I walk, my worries and fears seem to be stripped from my mind in order to be replaced by an invisible veil of calm. My heart slows, as do my steps, and my eyelids begin to droop. The forest embraces my stumbling form until I find myself sinking to my knees. I frown, my mind struggling to maintain focus and remember all that was burdening it not a moment ago but it's like the forest wouldn't let me. The soft, fuzzy moss calls to me and I curl up, laying down on my side as my lids flutter shut. For the first time in a long time, I feel safe again. I just know that if I close my eyes and sleep, I won't have any nightmares. But then, the ground shifts beneath me and I startle awake as cold, jagged rocks replace the comforting moss and I bolt upright to see that I'm somewhere else now. Well.. actually...

I turn my head. The same forest lay behind me, the tree line skirting what appears to be a rocky shoreline. To my left and right, the said shore is infinite. Nothing but rocks. But, when I face forward, I can't help but gasp softly as I look out at what I can only describe as the edge of the world. It was the ocean, I think, except a still, smooth version of it that stretched farther than the eye could see, no waves, its glass-like surface becoming one with the inky horizon that's lit from within by the silvery light of stars. So many stars. It's like someone took a handful, no, a bucket of glitter and dumped it all out. That's how the stars looked. Clustered, spread out, bright, small, twinkling, beautiful and creating a gentle glow despite the fact that there were so many of them. With so many blazing dots in the sky, one might expect it to be as bright as day right now.