The Magic Lands

CHAPTER FIVE • VALERIE

We walked in complete darkness but the stairs soon gave way to a small room that could be seen around the corner. There was a strange blue light coming from the room and once we stepped down into it we saw why.

A huge blue portal stood regally infront of us. There was a frame made of stone and the blue sparkle whistled a quick toon and circled around us. "Woah." Carter said and Katie nodded in return.

The blue sparkle whistled one more time and the disappeared into the blue wonder of the portal. "Should we go in? I mean why else would it lead us here?" I questioned moving towards the portal.

"I don't know, we don't know what is in there..." Katie trailed off but I waved at her and laughed.

"It is probably nothing see!" I moved a step closer to the portal and by surprise felt a strong pull, roping me into the blue abyss. "HELP!" I cried out and Carter and Katie both pulled me back, but it was no help, my hand slipped in and then my foot. By then it was pulling all of us and we swirled into the portal.

•••

We fell on each other on a cold, stone pathway. "Owww." Katie said and she tryed pushing Carter and I off her. We all stood up and Carter rubbed his neck.

"Where are we?" Carter asked as we all stared around in wonder. We were currently surrounded by a deep forest full of vibrant orange trees, a pathway was set out in stone infront of us.

"I don't know where we are but we should probably go back." Katie said and tryed to walk back through the portal but she was bounced backwards landing on her rear. "What? I can't get back through! We are trapped!" She exclaimed and I turned around and heard a little whistle and sure enough the little blue dot was back and playfully dancing in mid air.

"Guys look." I said and pointed to the dancing sparkle. It whistled and headed off down the road whistling as it went. "What are we waiting for! We can't get back through the portal so maybe it is leading us to another one!" I said and dashed off down the path. Katie and Carter ran behind me and the blue dot led the way.

We dashed through the orange trees and they soon gave into a small clearing with a dark little cottage sitting in the middle. This was where the sparkle disappeared into a small firework. Carter and Katie stopped on both sides of me. "I really don't know why we followed this thing, it and you have gotten us in enough trouble already." Katie said and I squinted at her.

"Well maybe if you would just stop being Ms. Perfect for a second you would have a little adventure." I responded back and on we went, arguing.

"I am not Ms. Perfect!"

"Are too."

"Oh please, you are acting like a toddler."

"Oh I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Oh would you two just shut up!" Carter said and Katie and I looked at him in shock. He looked a little surprised himself because he hardly talked at all. It worked though, and we stopped arguing. But just in the moment of silence the front door of the cottage swung open. Carter pulled Katie behind a tree and then reached for me but as soon as he did a voice called out.

"Hey you! What are you doing here kid?" A voice said angrily at me. I stared blankly at the door at a  young woman, likely 25 stood there glaring at me. She was dressed in a black silky cape that reached the floor. Her also floor length dress, was a dark green and ruffled at her feet. She had very long brown hair that had been left down except for two strands the had been braided back in a half-up-half-down sort of way. "I said what are you doing here girl?!" She said and approached me.

"I don't know, we..." I started to say but looked around and knew she didn't see Carter and Katie from behind the thick tree trunk.

"Kid you have got a lot of nerve trespassing and then making all this racket! Don't you know who I am?" She asked me and I shook my head. She let out a horrible laugh. "I am Harlina the sorceress! And you will pay for trespassing girl." She said. Just then the blue sparkle whistled behind me and Harlina looked in shock."Did that bring you here?! Now your in trouble!" She exclaimed. I shuddered with fear and just then Carter ran up from behind and tackled Harlina to the ground.

"RUN!" He screamed and we darted back the way we came down the path into the thick woods. Katie followed close behind, and this time it felt like the path went on forever. Loud bursts of magic glittered behind us and without looking infront of me I stumbled on the path and fell.

She soon reached me and smiled. "Well, well, what do we have here?" She said as she stroked my cheek with her cold hands. I tryed moving but she must have done something because I couldn't move anything except my head.

"Let me go!" I told her with a terrified look on my face. She shook her head and looked down on me. She snapped her fingers and a wooden staff appeared from mid air. She caught it gracefully and pointed at me. The green jewel on the tip sparkled in my face.

"Now, what should I do to you..." She trailed off looking me over. "Ah." She finally said and the staff began to glow brighter, green flames surrounded me and wrapped all around. I screamed in pain as the magic set in and when it was over I toppled onto my side, but it felt, different.