CHAPTER 21
WHEN THE SHARDS SING, the BEAST AWAKENS
Dawn was hours away, but nobody at Meadow Brook Cottage was sleeping.
The stew was gone. The bread was devoured. The porridge pot was polished clean. The berry tart for dessert existed only as stains on Dapper’s snout. Tasha slept by the hearth, her milk cup clutched to her like a shield. The Knights Army sat around the scarred oak table, full-bellied and hollow-eyed, because Papa Koala’s words were still heavy in the air.
The crystal apple pulsed a sparkling red once. Like a heart coming back to life.
The milk cup responded. The grooves etched inside it were tiny galaxies spiraling slowly. Everyone in the room was stunned. Papa Koala stuttered in disbelief "Oh holy woods! This..these...are these the clues? Shards too? Whoever gathers all seven rewrites time itself."
Goldwynn broke the silence first, her knuckles white, clutching her compass charm locket absentmindedly like she did when she was thinking hard. "We go to Mistwood Shadow Glade and onward to Xaringmere Cragg Rise. Before the Boar senses we’ve got two shards under this roof."
No sooner were the words out than the needle of her compass pendant started spinning like crazy. Her locket needle, which hadn't moved a single day, had sputtered to life. Then came to a stop pointing straight at Dapper.
What did Dapper have in his possession?
Papa Koala didn’t answer. Maybe three now? Or even four? He gazed excitedly at the red apple on the desk, at the milk cup that had rolled under the desk and now placed beside the apple. The compass that was the Third Shard.
That explained Goldwynn's sudden calling into Bramble Shire Woods. It was given to Goldilocks, her great grandmother to break the set by the bears’ ancestors when she had left Bramble Shire Woods where no one would in their wildest dreams imagine it would be. In another world. Now it was time to get the Locke Jewel out of the vault.
Dapper jumped out of his skin, his handy Flintstone tucked in his belt sparking on its own. The sparks purple-blue-white- flew for seven heartbeats before dying. Too precise. Seven.
“Well,well…what do you know! Surprises never cease!" Dapper exclaimed, dancing a jig. “We have four shards with us…for now.”
The room temperature dropped.
Goldwynn tucked the locket safely inside her blouse out of sight. It burned cold. Frost numbing into her. The sacred iron from great grandmother was still protecting all of them.
Chipper slid his acorn button deeper into the band of his hat which was reluctant to stay put and zipping through the air in celebration of reuniting with his fellow shards. Always toasty warm to the touch, but today it was a scorching hot coal searing into his fur.
Hopper pocketed his marbles. The clear one with the red swirl wouldn’t stay still.
Papa Koala went gray. “These bizarre moments…
The shards! These shards were hidden in plain sight all along! And now that they are in sync with each other with 6 of them in one place, a beacon is out in the open. The Mighty Boar has sensed it by now."
“Let's go get the Locke Jewel from the vault of Mistwood Shadow Glade without losing a moment. The last piece to put together the Starwood Crystal!” Goldwynn was on her toes, taking leadership in her hands.
The Knights Army bumped knuckles and paws together.
Six shards.
One oath.
Time to awaken the seventh!
****
To Be Continued...
This post is part of the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.
https://www.theblogchatter.com/blogrolls/when-the-shards-sing-the-beast-awakens-day-22-letter-w
Exciting! Wishing them the protection they need!
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