BeastKeeper

Chapter 10

A scream ripped through the silence of the night, raw and filled with terror. Maeve bolted through the twisting paths of the Royal Botanical Maze, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to navigate the labyrinthine hedges. The garden, usually her sanctuary, had become a place of nightmarish confusion. The once-familiar paths now seemed to close in around her, as if the very earth itself had turned hostile.

The air was heavy, thick with an unnatural stillness that set Maeve's nerves on edge. The usual chorus of crickets and rustling leaves had gone silent, leaving only the hollow sound of her own footsteps echoing in the darkness. Every shadow seemed to writhe, and the gentle breeze that normally carried the scent of flowers now felt icy, as if winter had crept in unnoticed.

A rustling sound, barely audible, reached her ears-like whispers carried on the wind. Maeve's heart pounded, and she whipped her head around, her eyes scanning the shadows that loomed, unnaturally large, in the corners of the garden. She could feel something watching her, something dark and malevolent.

She stumbled, her hands brushing against the cold, damp leaves of a hedge, and tried to steady her breath. Stay calm. It's just your imagination. But even as she thought it, the sense of dread grew stronger. The shadows felt alive, pulsating with a presence that pressed in on her from all sides.

Then she saw it-a flicker of movement, barely more than a ripple in the darkness. But it was enough to send a shiver down her spine. Maeve took a step back, her fingers digging into the earth beneath her feet as she tried to summon her power, to feel the comforting pulse of the earth responding to her will. But instead of the usual warmth and strength, she felt only cold, a numbness spreading through her limbs as if the very ground was rejecting her.

"No, please, not now," she whispered, her voice trembling as she tried again to connect with the earth, to draw strength from it. But the harder she tried, the more it slipped away, draining from her like water through her fingers. Her legs felt heavy, like lead, and a cold sweat broke out across her skin.

From the darkness, the creature emerged.

It was a formless shadow, its body shifting and undulating like a living void. The air around it seemed to shudder with its presence, and Maeve's breath caught in her throat as she saw the faint glow of two eyes-cold, unfeeling, and filled with hunger. The creature's form was both solid and ethereal, as if it existed just on the edge of reality, and its movements were unnervingly smooth, like oil sliding across glass.

The scent of decay clung to it, a sickly-sweet odor that made Maeve's stomach churn. She tried to step back, but her body refused to obey, her muscles locked in place by a fear that gripped her tighter than any physical force.

The creature watched her with those unsettling eyes, and as it moved closer, Maeve felt the coldness deepen, seeping into her bones, sapping the strength from her limbs. The numbness spread, and with it, a terrifying realization-this thing wasn't just draining her power. It was feeding on her fear, her very life force.

I have to get away, she thought desperately, but her body remained frozen, paralyzed by the creature's presence. She could feel her connection to the earth slipping further and further away, leaving her utterly powerless. The ground beneath her feet, once a source of strength, now felt like dead weight, cold and unyielding.

The creature advanced, and Maeve's breath came in short, panicked gasps. Her vision blurred with tears, and she tried to scream, but the sound caught in her throat, swallowed by the oppressive silence. She was alone, trapped in a garden that had turned against her, with no one to hear her cries.

As the creature loomed over her, its shadow engulfing her like a shroud, Maeve's thoughts turned to Aria and Finn. I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you like this. The tears flowed freely now, streaking down her face as she struggled in vain against the crushing weight of the darkness.