Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 74631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
No one who values their life approaches the enchanted area, let alone searches out the gate. Everyone is sure not to provoke the enchanted area. Those who do, don’t come back to tell their tales.
The magic is dark. And it’s all from the beast.
FOR THE LAST 19 YEARS OF MY LIFE, I’ve heard the tales and been warned to stay away. The thing is though, I’m not a very good listener. I got lost in the magic. He scented me. He claimed me with a bite on my neck. And I ran. Quickly and with a new terror racing in my heart.
I swore I would never return. I would not trust the magic and allow it to entrance me again. I would not risk being caught in the hands of the Beast again.
But that was months ago and I miss the magic. Not only that, but I dream of the beast. It’s not a dream I’d admit to out loud, but it’s a dream I’d like to see come true.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
ELLE
They don’t go to the brick wall. No one in the village does. Since I was a little girl, everyone has warned me not to go to it or even to look at it. And if you happen to find yourself close to the wall, run as fast and as far away as you can. The magic from the beast creeps beyond the wall, but not by much.
The wall itself is miles long and so high that you can hardly see the castle beyond it. There’s a single entrance, an iron gate somewhere in the woods, that you have to use to get past the wall, if for some reason you want to go to the castle. Of course no one does. No one who values their life approaches the enchanted area, let alone searches out the gate. You can easily see the wall from dirt roads in the village. Although some may pass it, they keep their eyes away, their heads bowed, and silently and quickly pass. Everyone is sure not to provoke the enchanted area. Those who do, don’t come back to tell their tales.
The magic is dark. And it’s all due to the beast.
Decades ago, a witch came and delivered the beast to the prince. Within hours, the sky grew dark as the witch’s storm approached. The prince and all who resided in the castle fled. Dark witches are rare and often dealt with quickly and severely by their own kind. But the prince was not lucky enough to have an enchantress to aid him and his people. He offered himself in exchange for the safety of the village. And the witch greedily accepted. She fed him to the beast and laughed wickedly in triumph.
Her evil reign was short-lived. It took only two days for the witches to hear of what their sister had done. Once they’d learned, they came immediately and imprisoned the witch with bindings of magic then lit her aflame.
But the damage had already been done.
The sorceress could not bring back the prince, and the beast could not leave so long as the enchantment lasted. She promised a day would come when the curse would be broken, and she quickly left taking what little hope the people had with her. With the sorceress gone, the beast was left to reign. A darkness descended over the castle and the mist remained.
At least that’s what we’re told. Of course the beast does not come past the wall. They say he used to, that he tried to rule. But the people rose against him. Outside the walls, the magic is weaker, and the beast could not defend himself against the people. He retreated to the castle, beaten and badly wounded. Foolishly, some thought they’d be able to end the beast within the castle walls. They stormed his estate armed with their weapons. The men and even a few of the women went to crucify the beast. They say the screams could be heard for hours as he slaughtered and tortured the trespassers. Only the women came back to tell of the massacre.
FOR THE LAST NINETEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE, I’ve heard these tales and been warned to stay away. The thing is though, I’m not a very good listener. So while no one else was interested in exploring the enchanted area, I was obsessed with it. Although I’d never seen the gate nor heard or seen the beast, I’d witnessed the swirls of darkness that move through the mist as I crossed the dirt roads. I didn’t bother to hide my intrigue and maybe that pleased the magic because I’d often be rewarded with melodic songs from the forest as I gazed along the bewitched wall.