(Previous chapters 1-18 are available here.)
A rush of air filled her lungs. Arthur’s lips met hers, as he filled her lungs with air; he paused to press on her chest in intervals, and then repeated. Beatrix’s eyes slowly squinted open. She threw her head to the side, and coughed up water. The blurry world slowly came back into focus. Arthur sat there next to her, staring down at her. His eyes were filled with fear. Arthur’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I…I thought I lost you” he said.
Tears cascaded down his cheeks. Beatrix sat up, and wrapped her arms around him. She got lost in another world with him for a moment. She shook as she said “It’s fine, I’m alright.” Tears fell from her face. She was so scared. She didn’t think she was going to survive. She took in a deep breath, and exhaled.
They stood up. The green orb hovered ahead, waiting for them. Beatrix and Arthur continued following the floating green orb through the cave. Up ahead, the cave walls grew away from the orb, as it floated into the center of a large cavern. They walked up to the orb. It just hovered there. Beatrix looked at Arthur confused. Why wasn’t it moving?
A rumbling roar echoed through the chamber. The little green orb vanished. Beatrix grabbed Arthur’s hand. Hundreds of golden light orbs flew out from the distance, and floated up into the air, illuminating the massive cavern. They flickered and flashed in place, casting eerie shadows from the towering stalagmites around them. Beatrix gazed across the grand cavern, to see the dark figure and her parents.
“MOM! DAD!” she exclaimed.
Ella and Maxwell looked up at her. “BEATRIX! BEATRIX!”
Her parents squirmed on the ground; contorting themselves to try to escape.
“They are spelled” said Arthur. “Look at their hands and feet.”
Beatrix looked at the streams of sparks that bound them. She started running toward them, but was suddenly knocked backwards onto the floor.
“HEEEEY!!” screamed Arthur. He sprinted at the shadowy creature; each step echoing through the cavern. The shadow creature raised its claws, aimed at Arthur, and roared a phrase at him. Glittering streams of sparks flew out into the air, and bound Arthur’s feet; causing him to crash into the cold, rough cavern floor. The monster raised its claws to the sky. Arthur rose into the air, and floated over to rest next to her parents.
Beatrix got up and ran towards them. She got within ten feet of them, and suddenly was stopped. The shadowy creature drifted across the floor toward her. Black smoke emanated around him as he glided. The monster glared into Beatrix’s eyes. Fear entered her mind. She looked past the monster at her parents and Arthur, who were bound and squirming on the cold cavern floor. The fear that came to her left, and was replaced with rage.
The creature drifted towards her, and came to a stop in front of her.
“LET THEM GO!” she screamed at the monster.
The creature’s eyes blazed with excitement. He snapped his claws, and Ella, Maxwell, and Arthur rose into the air, and hovered in a line above the ground.
It began to speak in an otherworldly voice. “Hello Miss Percival” it said. “Feel that rage inside you? You could join me, and together we could make this, and every world, ours. Your power is nothing to be ashamed of. I was there in the woods when you blasted apart the forest.” He grinned and continued “It was a marvelous sight. You have great power Miss Percival. You can have anything you desire in this world. You just have to take it!”
“NO!” screamed Beatrix.
The creature’s eyes squinted into slits, and he continued “Give in to the evil inside you. Let it rise to the surface.”
Beatrix turned, and began to run around him toward her family.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” roared the monster, as he raised his claw. A line of red light struck her, knocking her to the ground.
“I am not giving you the choice” the monster said as he looked at her family, who hovered upright across the cavern. “You will begin now!” the shadow figure screamed; rattling the pebbles on the floor. “Which one?” he said.
Beatrix slowly got up off the floor, and looked at him confused. “W-Which one…what?”
“Which one gets to die” The creature said. “You should thank me for giving you the option” he said, as he looked at the horrified look on Beatrix’s face.
“NO!!” she sobbed. Beatrix fell to the floor as she looked at her families faces.
She saw Arthur’s red eyes glowing, as he stared straight at her. His voice began to ring in her head “choose me, it’s ok.”
Beatrix sobbed, and stared at him. “NO!” she screamed. Her body and soul shook.
“It’s ok” he said. Arthur looked at her, and smiled.
Arthur looked at Beatrix sprawled on the cavern floor; tears pouring down her face. He felt true devastation. He knew this was the only way. Arthur wished he had taken a chance to tell her how much he loved her. He put on a brave face and smiled at her, nodding his head.
“Too late” said the shadowy creature. “I’ll choose for you.” The creature began to roar. The cavern walls shook. Stalagmites fell from the ceiling, and crashed to the floor all around them. The orange orbs that illuminated the space began to strobe.
With a deafening bang, a blinding flash of light blasted through the cavern.
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