Storm of Shadows

Chapter 12

Gray was right about the trees; even in the daylight she couldn't see the tops of them no matter how hard she tried. Sunlight from above was trickling through the leaves, casting beautiful shadows onto the forest floor littered with twigs and toadstools. Moss covered the trunks of the trees, a shade of green, so dark it almost looked blue. A breeze flowed through the trees, tickling the leaves. Gray stopped, she heard something just then, it sounded like-

"Gray, do you smell that?"

Gray glances at her brother temporarily forgetting the sound she just heard, she sniffs the air. "What is that?" Gray wonders out loud, she sniffs again, the sweet smell filling her nose. 

"I don't know," Luca responds, "The air feels thicker too."

"It's magic." Jackson says, coming up from behind them. "You didn't notice it before because your abilities were blocked."

"It smells like.. honey." Gray smiled. She could see Jackson looking at her out of the corner of her eye but she didn't care. She lifted her head towards the sky, inhaling deeply.

"Where is the castle?" Luca asked breaking the silence.

"Just through those trees," Jackson points to their right, "Would you like to see it?"

Gray watched as Jackson started to lead Luca away through the trees. "Gray?" Jackson said turning back, "are you coming?"

Still mad at him for earlier Gray glared in his direction.

"I'll take that as a no then."

Gray waited until their footsteps faded before turning her attention back to her surroundings. Just because she wasn't going with them doesn't mean she can't explore. Picking a different direction Gray set off, determined to figure out what that sound she heard earlier was.

She made her way past the pixie village; the parents did laundry or tended to their gardens while the children played, their laughter like little bells.

The forest seemed to get thicker the further in she went. Gray had been walking for maybe five minutes and she still hadn't heard that sound again, not that she minded; each step took her further and further into the closest thing to paradise she had ever encountered. One thing she had noticed that seemed a little weird was the lack of animal noises. There were no birds chirping, no scurrying sounds across the forest floor, only the occasional whizzing sound made by the pixies wings as they flew by.

Eventually as time passed Gray stopped listening for sounds and just started mindlessly wandering. It wasn't until she approached a steam that she wondered how far she had traveled. She stood there for a while, listening to the water making its way gently over the rocks. It was then, focusing on the water that Gray found herself thinking of Jackson. His wavy dark brown hair, the way he would smile when he thought no one was looking, his eyes pale blue like the shallow waters of a tropical paradise, cold and refreshing. The way his muscles dances when-

The sound of laughter brought Gray out of her daze.

What the hell was that, why was I think of that asshole.

Turning her head to the right, where the sound of laughter could still be heard, Gray searched for the source. Not seeing anything she turned and started making her way towards the noise, following the stream. She peeked her head around a tree and saw them. 

The stream led to a pond, and on the edge of the pond sat three of the most beautiful women Gray had ever laid eyes on. Their hair looked like white silk as it cascaded down their backs, so long that the ends pooled on the ground where they sat. Their alabaster skin, unmarked as far as Gray could tell, seemed to glow as the sun kissed it. Gray watched in awe as another fit of giggles erupted from the three women. They were laughing at something Gray couldn't see.