To Stay in the Living Lands (On a Thursday?!)

Hey! I decided to give you another Snippet of writing today 😉 This is one of my favorite snippets, and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Three

Cassandra had never had a better sleep. She felt so rested after a long night’s sleep. When she awoke, she felt different. Something didn’t feel quite right, even though she had slept well. 

She couldn’t figure out why until she tried to open her door. Her hand went transparent, and directly through the doorknob. Cassandra almost screamed. She leaped back, panting. That was not right. Not at all. She looked at her hand it faded back to its normal, solid form. This world has different rules . . . Cecily’s voice echoed in her head. Cassandra slowly and carefully opened the door. Her hand remained normal. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

“How much should we tell her, Cedric?” it was her grandmother’s voice. Cassandra held her breath, listening. 

“Cecily, we can’t shelter her forever, and . . . oh, I can’t believe Hildegard. She has done wretched things to that girl. She was so nervous at dinner last night . . . it honestly looked as if she thought we were going to do something awful,”
“If Hildegard were here now, I’d give her a piece of my mind!” Cecily said. Cedric sighed. 

“She was such a sweet little girl, but Cecily, you don’t understand. We thought you had died. Hildegard was distraught, and then her husband died, and I assume she thought I died too. Then her little brother and his wife. I can’t even imagine her pain, she must have changed . . .blamed Cassandra.” This is all my fault. Cassandra took a step back. The floorboard creaked, loudly. 

“Good morning, Cassandra,” called Cecily, “Come to breakfast.” Cassandra clenched her jaw but obeyed. Breakfast was on the table. She sat. But it happened again. She went straight through the chair and landed on the floor. She leaped up, her feet unstable. 

“What’s happening?” she cried. 

“It was only a matter of time . . . but I thought we had more!” Cedric said, 

“More what?” Cassandra almost screamed in panic. 

“Time! Cassandra, listen, you are fading. Your only hope is to make it to the King before nightfall. Nightfall will be in two days, it’s a celestial event that happens quite often. It is when the moon is dark. 

“The moon will go dark?” Cassandra asked, her voice raising an octave. 

“Yes, that happens every month, Cecily, pack Casandra’s bag, I’ll call Ruby. Cassandra, eat as much as you possibly can,” 

Cassandra didn’t have to be told twice. She ate foods she hadn’t known existed but didn’t have time to enjoy them. 

Cecily rushed into the room, holding a sack, which she gave Cassandra. 

“Oh, I hope you’ve eaten enough?” she asked. Cassandra managed a weak nod. 

“Cecily, Cassandra!” Cedric’s voice rang from outside. Cecily wrapped Cassandra in a tight hug.

Cassandra hesitantly hugged her grandmother back. Then, she rushed outside, stumbling as her leg went transparent. 

Outside, was the same red dragon she had seen before. The dragon was saddled, but there was nothing to steer with. 

“Cassandra, listen to me,” Cedric said “You are . . .fading. I wondered how long it would take, but your grandmother and I hoped to have more time. Remember how I said that the rooms always were occupied at some point? Well, those were the people who never returned. My journey was hard. So hard,” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, “You will have to travel through the dark lands. As long as you stay on the right path, you won’t get into any trouble. Take a step off and. . .well it’s almost impossible to get back. But you have to make it to the King before Nightfall. When the moon goes dark, in a few days. If you don’t, You will fade completely from the Living Lands, and haunt the forest like the other Shadows,” shivers ran up and down Cassandra. She didn’t want to serve anyone, but if she didn’t, she would fade? How was that fair? 

“Oh, Cassandra,” Cecily grabbed her and held her tightly, “Please don’t step off the path, no matter what you see or what you hear. I don’t want to lose the grandchild I just found,” 

“Gran. . .” Cassandra managed to say. It took immense effort to force the word out. It felt strange on her tongue. 

“Cecily,” said Cedric softly, “She has to go,” Cecily released Cassandra. Cedric hoisted her on the dragon. 

“Hold on tight. Ruby, take the fastest way to the dark forest, immediately,” The dragon snorted, 

“Of course, Cedric,” it said in a melodic voice. Cassandra’s eyes widened, but before she could say anything, the dragon launched into the air. Had Cassandra not been holding on to the saddle so tightly, she would have flown off. She gripped with her legs and clung to the saddle. She didn’t dare look down. The wind whipped in her face, her cheeks stung from the chill, and she was forced to shut her eyes. She felt a tingly sensation in her right hand. She peeked through her eyelashes to see it pulsing blue. 

“Oh no,” she whispered. 

“What’s wrong?” asked the dragon

“My hand is fading, and I won’t be able to hold on,”
“I’ve never lost a passenger yet, and I’ve been doing this for longer than you could imagine, and carried over half of the village. 

Cassandra’s hand faded fully, but unlike before, it didn’t come back after a few moments. 

“It’s not coming back,” she said, panic threatening to overwhelm her. 

“Calm yourself, panicking makes fading worse, trust me.” Cassandra forced herself to breathe. You’re nothing, and you shall turn into nothing. Her Aunt’s words echoed through her head. Nothing. Cassandra was fading into nothing. She wouldn’t make it. She didn’t realize her left leg had been fading until she was thrown off balance. Nothing . . . nothing . . .nothing. Cassandra wanted to scream, to cry, to run, all at once. She had no choice, but to hang on. Stop panicking. But it had taken full hold of her, and she couldn’t push it back now. 

“CASSANDRA!” Ruby’s roar broke through Cassandra’s panic, “Calm down, please, you’re making it worse. 

“I – don’t – know – how!” Cassandra hiccuped. 

“Listen, when you get to the forest, all signs of fading will stop. Completely. But the better you feel, the worse you are. By the time you exit the forest, you will feel worse than you ever have in your entire life. You have to push through to the King’s palace. He will heal you,”

“He won’t,” Cassandra sobbed, “He can’t and he won’t,” 

“Cassandra!” Ruby said, a warning in her tone, “The King will, and is fully able. He loves you,” Cassandra felt everything else tone out. He loves you. The words seemed to vibrate through her very bones. Ruby’s wrong. He would never love me. 

Reality crashed through. Ruby was pulling up. Ahead was a forest. It was foreboding as if there were nightmares roaming in it. Cassandra felt panic welling up again. Ruby circled, slowly getting lower and lower before landing. 

Cassandra fell off in an undignified heap. 

“Go ahead. And remember, when you get in there, you will not feel hunger or thirst. But you must eat and drink, or you will lack the strength for the final stretch. The forest is deceptive, what may seem pretty and harmless could be lethal. And what seems ugly and hard could be a way,” 

“Aren’t you coming with me?” Cassandra asked. 

“Coming? In there?” Ruby snorted, “I am a transporter, and I will not be helping you on your way. That’s not how it works. The King has given me a job, and it is not to escort you through the forest, merely to the forest. Good luck, Cassandra. Trust in the King,”