Shadow Rift (A Hat in Time)

Darker Dive, Darker Times

The answer to getting over the ravine, apparently, was simply walking over it.

Elliot had wordlessly taken Hat Kid's hand and led her toward the gap. Cautious but reluctantly trusting, she came with him.

He put one foot out over the endless drop, and a platform of pebbles formed under his feet. The rock melted together to create a small floating island. Another step came with another platform. They dropped away once he lifted his feet, but they always shot up to support him.

Hat Kid followed, and the rock pooled together under her feet too. She picked up the pace so Elliot wouldn't just be dragging her along.

They headed through the room in relative silence. Hattie was too uncomfortable to pester the prince with more questions, and he didn't seem interested in striking up a conversation.

Not like she wanted to talk to him anyway. Her mischievous hopes of learning Snatcher's secrets had fizzled out by now. Elliot was simply too unsettling. If she had to learn secrets by talking to him, she'd rather keep her mouth shut. Hopefully, the new storybook she collected would be sufficient.

She found Rift Pons and storybook pages in the houses surrounding the manor. The huts were decrepit and slick with ice when she entered. But as she and Elliot continued toward the looming mansion, she risked a glance over her shoulder back at the houses. They were intact again, with no sign of destruction in sight.

She glanced back at Elliot, and her eyes trailed to the flowers growing in his wake. Were those strange magical effects connected somehow?

The hatch out of the rift was conspicuously placed in front of the manor, unprotected in the field. Hattie hesitated. Compared to the puzzling twists and turns of the rest of the rift, it was too conspicuous. If this rift was as "labyrinthine" as Elliot suggested, would that make the hatch a trap...?

But no, Elliot made a direct beeline for the hatch and propped it open for Hat Kid. Huh. I guess I'm overthinking things, she thought, hopping into the hatch's open mouth. Overthinking was more common than she'd like to admit.

It was why she was in this stupid situation in the first place. If she hadn't been so scared of dying, then maybe she wouldn't have messed around with her soul-!

Her heart stopped as she dropped into the next layer of the rift. The hatch had transported her directly to the doors of the manor. Just staring at the intimidating double doors and remembering what lurked inside made her shudder. The large snow barricade had either melted or disappeared. If Hattie wanted to, she could throw those doors open and loudly announce her presence to the entire mansion.

Hat Kid glanced back at Elliot, dropping from nowhere and landing neatly. Didn't he die in there? Surely he was at least as, if not more, uncomfortable as Hat Kid was?

They made eye contact for a brief moment. She noticed that the yellow in his eyes had receded again.

They both shifted away uncomfortably.

Hat Kid lowered her gaze to the ground, unwilling to look at either Elliot or the estate before her. Even if this was just a rift, the sight of the manor brought back... unpleasant memories, to say the least.

Her brow furrowed. Snatcher sent me in there, she remembered. With his stupid contracts. He wanted to scare me, didn't he? Her finger tapped the handle of her umbrella, restless as her thoughts. Ugh, if only I didn't have to get rid of the rift. I'd leave him here forever! Hattie mentally declared. It serves him right.

"Are you okay?" Hat Kid suddenly jolted at Elliot's voice. The only time he'd ever shown concern for her dragged her out of her hateful thoughts and back to her surroundings.