Stellar

Chapter 18

Petra's vision was filled with an endless sea of black. A shadow covered her eyes as soon as they left sight of Hendry's cabin. She had no idea where she was.

All Petra knew was that they had walked for a fair while. She thought she was in the town somewhere, judging from what she heard. Footsteps on cobblestones, clicking of locks from the doors. But she couldn't tell for certain.

Blu placed her down, being as gentle as he could. Petra felt the wooden slats that covered the ground on impact. The shadow rope loosened around her middle.

Petra could hear Blu's footsteps back away from her and then the clunk of a heavy door shutting. Her arms were completely freed, and her hands instantly went to relieve her eyes from the blindfold. Pulling at the shadow covering her eyes, it dispersed into the air like smoke from a bonfire. The last of the shadow from the blindfold and rope melted into the air and Petra blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dingy light.

There was no mistaking it, she was in the dungeon. Wood-clad walls had green moss growing out of the cracks. The stale stench of damp mud and rotting food scraps filled her nose. The only things occupying the space was thin mattress with a thick woollen blanket on top in one corner and 2 buckets in the other. One empty and one full of water.

Petra looked around for any means of escape but was only met with the door she assumed they came through. It was old and thick and, like everything else in the room, it was made of wood. Big black hinges kept it in place and the small window in the centre produced the only light available in the room.

A guard peered into the window, causing the room to darken. Petra sat on the cold floor, staring at him. He gave her a quick nod and then went back to his station outside of the door.

Petra put a hand on one of the walls to see if there was something she could use her powers on. Anything that could help free her from this prison. But there was something blocking her. She could feel the presence of an energy preventing her ability to cast onto anything outside of the walls. This was a dead end too.

They were told that this would happen if they carried on. The Elder's warned them, Hendry warned them, but Petra didn't think that she would get caught. Especially when she was an Astral. How could she be so stupid?

A tear rolled down her cheek and her thoughts soon turned to her friends and Ruby. She had no idea what had happened to them, and she started to regret everything. They could be in danger and Petra thought it was all her fault. She wished she had listened to Hendry and the Elders and that she had never trusted Blu.

She sat on the floor shivering as the chill filtered up her still damp clothes. There was no comfort here.

***

image of the dungeon faded away. She was somewhere else. The feeling of the damp ground was still present but visions of the seaside filled her mind. She was sat on the beach. The light breeze in the air carrying the scent of the salty sea. Bright blue waves crashing on the picture-perfect sand.

Her mum was laid out on the towel next to her, book in hand and completely unaware of her surroundings. A giant sandcastle being worked on by her dad and sister stood a few feet away. Ruby searching the sand to find a perfect shell for the top.