Page 103
Story: Shadow Charms
The woman drew her chin back and opened her mouth in a wide scream. “Guards!”
CHAPTER 21
Paige lifted her dress and waddled across to the tree.
Dewey pried at a piece of bark with a sharp twig. It popped off and skittered across the ground as the doors to the courtyard burst open.
Dewey tossed the stick down and flitted toward the bark, hovering over it when he reached it.
“Hurry, Paige,” Dewey shouted as guards streamed from the castle, heading straight for Paige.
She tottered across the lawn toward him as fast as she could. Dewey’s hand floated over the bark, poised to touch it the moment Paige reached him.
One of the guards leapt into the air toward Paige, knocking her down as she loped across the lawn. She hit the ground with a thud, trying to wriggle free from the man. The mounds of fabric made it difficult for him to hold on to her. She slipped from his grasp, crawling forward toward the bark.
“Reach,” Dewey yelled.
Paige thrust an arm out, fingers stretched forward.
The man slithered toward Paige, grabbing her ankle so she fell inches short of reaching the bark.
“Get off,” she screamed, kicking her legs.
“Reach, Paige!”
Paige struggled to free herself but found herself unable to slip away. She gave up on fighting and focused on the bark. She wrinkled her nose as she stretched her arm to its limit and wiggled her fingers.
Dewey’s scaly fingers wrapped around hers and then smashed them against the rough, purple bark.
The crushing weight of the guard shimmied up her torso, and her world went black. She experienced the sensation of falling for a moment before she pressed against something hard. She flailed her arms and legs as she struggled to push herself upright.
She blinked a few times as the room came into focus.
Her jaw dropped, and her lips twisted into a smile. “We’re home!”
Dewey pushed himself up from his spot on the floor, shaking his head before he fluttered into the air. “We made it!”
Paige glanced at his hand, still clutching the shimmering blue bark. “And we got the bark!”
Dewey twirled in a circle, pumping his fist in the air. “We did it!”
Paige bounced on her toes as she clapped her hands.
“I got another lead for you t–“ Ronnie’s voice sounded from the door.
Paige spun to face her, noting her surprised expression.
Her gaze traveled up and down Paige’s form before she raised her eyebrows. “Something I should know?”
Paige shook her head. “No, what’s the lead?”
Ronnie stared down at the folder in her hand before she glanced up at Paige again. “Can I ask why you’re wearing a medieval wedding gown, or don’t I want to know?”
Paige glanced down at the princess-style dress before flicking her gaze at Ronnie again. “Oh, right, umm, it’s a long story. Suffice it to say, we achieved what we needed to, and now we’re back.”
Ronnie’s jaw hung agape as she processed Paige’s meager explanation.
“We got sucked into a fairy tale while searching for Witchlock bark to help cure Paige’s beast mark. We just narrowly escaped before Paige was forced to marry the prince in the story.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103 (Reading here)
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162