#21 - Return to the Dark

Reena took another few steps back as a massive beanstalk sprouted before her. She did not want to get any shards on her or be pulled off her feet by any twisty vines.

She doubted she could have held onto the beanstalk at the speed it was growing at.

Now that it had grown, she was faced with the task of climbing it.
She took of her cloak and stuffed it inside her backpack, not wanting it to get twisted somewhere and cause her to fall.

She was only about six feet up when she looked back down and suddenly doubted herself. The shiny thing was all the way up there and she wasn’t particularly strong physically.

She had climbed trees before, sure, but the last time she had had someone there to catch her in case she did fall.

Reena bit her lip as guilt made itself at home in the pit of her stomach. Amelia Twiggs had been the one to look after her that day.
And look how she had repaid her.

Huffing, Reena continued to climb upwards, her knuckles white as she was putting a death grip onto the twisty vines and keeping her body as close as possible to the stem.

If she fell now and broke her leg she‘d deserve that.

Her hands were hurting from gripping the vines as hard as she did and her arms were getting tired by the time she reached the shiny thing- which turned out to be another ledge.

Gulping, Reena had to convince herself to take the leap. She was just glad to be on solid ground again and hoped there would be another way out of here.

No way would she survive climbing down this beanstalk.

She moved on towards the door (the one from her vision?) and finally reached a room with not only daylight but also a rather stunning view of the Black Lake. It made somewhat sense to her since she was certain her vision had shown her something inside the lake.

“Nox!“, she eliminated her light.

Her focus landed on the table.
She looked at it puzzled. Reena‘s shoulders sagged as she feared someone else may have beaten her to it after all.

Then the X appeared.

Uncertain what it meant, Reena traced it with her wand hovering a single inch above it.