“What are you guys doing in the shadow part?” A voice behind me and the others demanded. I turned around, being in the back of the group. Harlow was leading Shadow in the front, with Naomi and Brazen in between Harlow and I. “Trying to stop it,” I answered. “You know that’s dangerous,” Ren said, eyes somewhere between angry and a deer in the headlights. “Yeah, that’s why we’re trying to stop it.” I didn’t know what Ren had against the shadow part, but he probably knew as much if not a little less than us. “How long have you been doing this?” “A few days, maybe a week, I’m not sure. Why? Want to come with us?” He shook his head. “Definitely not. Just be careful. That part of the woods is not normal, and…” he trailed off and stepped back into the shadows, disappearing before I could continue the conversation. “What was that about?” Harlow asked me. I shrugged and turned around. “Not entirely sure. But let’s keep going.” She nodded and the five of us kept walking towards the shadow part, though that encounter with Ren had shaken my confidence a little. I wasn’t the only one on edge. Brazen was looking around nervously as well, even more so in the shadow part than the regular woods. I knew what he was feeling, the woods felt a little more ominous to me as well. I was relieved when we finally came across Chaiyn’s area. It had only been about five minutes or so, but it had felt like years. As the five of us entered the Seer’s lair, it didn’t get brighter like it normally did. Instead, the clearing still had the same level of darkness. Chaiyn was pacing around a bookshelf, tinkering with the counter-ring. It looked like he’d made a good deal of progress since we’d last seen him. I wondered if he even slept. Elena was there as well, twirling a few shadows around her hand. She was the first to visibly notice us. “Hi. Chaiyn, do you have a plan yet?” “Sort of,” her brother replied, pocketing the ring and turning to face us. “Care to share with us?” Brazen asked, still agitated. “It’s not much,” Chaiyn muttered. “The Shades here will call the shadows to this one area, then Shadow will help us make the shadows dissipate. That’s all I’ve got.” “What about me?” I asked. “I suppose you can kind of tap in with the monsters, if you’re comfortable with that. Draw them near, and then do whatever you did to banish them the first time.” I nodded. “I can do that.” Chaiyn nodded. “Good. Are we ready?” “For the record, this may not work,” Elena chimed in. “Maya, not helpful,” Chaiyn muttered. “I’m terribly sorry for crashing this party, but I can’t afford for you to destroy my power, now can I?” a voice called tauntingly from the shadows. I recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it. Brazen seemed to place it, though, gesturing for Naomi and Harlow to hide. That should have rang a bell, but it didn’t. Harlow shook her head, but Naomi climbed up into a tree. Shadow followed after a moment’s hesitation. Elena must have seen something in the shadows behind her brother because she reached out to warn Chaiyn, but she was too late. Shadows wrapped around his waist and yanked him back a few steps. I saw a glint of blue and black behind him and the pieces clicked into place. I remembered the dream I had last year. A person wearing a black crown with sapphires had shot a water spear at Naomi. In my dream, at least. Brazen had had a similar dream, but with more detail and the spear flying at Harlow instead of Naomi. “You,” I hissed. “Oh, we’ve been acquainted?” she said, amusement creeping into her voice. “One-sided, at least, but you probably know who we are. Seeing as how you just popped in at the right time to stop us from banishing the monsters.” “Well, yes, I know who you all are. But you don’t know who I am, at least by name.” “If you’re working with the monsters, that’s not a very smart choice,” Chaiyn said, quietly but authoritatively. “They’ll consume you until there’s nothing left but an empty shell.” “Yes, little Seer, I know that. I watched it firsthand.” Brazen tilted his head. “If you watched someone get consumed, why would you work with the monsters?” “Because I know that he chose to be consumed.” “And who is he?” “I expected you to figure it out already,” she said, a bit of fake disappointment creeping into her voice. “Cozbi,” Harlow said quietly. “You knew him.” The person stepped out of the shadows, still holding Chaiyn captive. “Finally. Someone who knows things. Yes, Harlow, you are correct. In fact, you are the one who killed my father.”
Notes/Credits: If you're reading this, you probably know I wrote The Wolf Boy. Well, here's the sequel: The Monster's Curse. This is Chapter 24 Pt 1. Previous Chapter(s): Chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652476202/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652950608/ Chapter 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177024/ Chapter 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177565/ Chapter 5: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655621072/ Chapter 6: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/656955201/ Chapter 7: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657580423/ Chapter 8: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657583863/ Chapter 9: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657586191/ Chapter 10: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657668860/ Chapter 11: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/658404211/ Chapter 12: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659115920/ Chapter 13: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659116659/ Chapter 14: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659117186/ Chapter 15: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659420154/ Chapter 16: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661425573/ Chapter 17: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661428771/ Chapter 18: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661974554/ Chapter 19: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/662108449/ Chpt 20 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663144219/ Chpt 20 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663156194/ Chapter 21: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663760516/ Chpt 22 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/674644356/ Chpt 22 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/674648505/ Chpt 22 Pt 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/674658226/ Chpt 23 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/683757147/ Chpt 23 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/683765009/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTC: Who do you think this new person is?
