Hello Inklings! This is Martha Finley, and I am finally deciding to post the next part of "The Dark Forest".

  Reflections of tall dark shadows illuminated the hallway as two girls, one the servant and the other Penny, a blacksmith's daughter. The shadows wiggled and shook from the way they walked through the corridors, hallways, and staircases scattered through the castle. They passed a window which revealed the light slowly and surely dimming around them. The brightness of the place was fading, and it worried Penny to no end.

"Terror....."came the young king's voice from the back of her thoughts."This place will become a terror for you...." She shivered as a tiny bit of cold air surrounded her shaking shoulders.

The servant girl, whom Penny found out was named Faithlen, held a lit candle in her hand for the few dark passges they hastend through. She was no longer speaking. A solemness passed her, and the only sound her mouth made as they walked was a tiny yelp as hot wax from the long white candle dribbled on her wrist.

"Owwww!" she cried, almost losing grip of the candle.

Penny, who was a few feet behind the curly blonde servant, rushed to help her. However the servant just made a face, and motioned Penny to follow through the endlessly large castle. Penny winced when she saw the wax clinging the other girl's skin. A redness surrounded it.....does it not hurt?

  She was begining to feel uncomfortable. The livliness of the castle when she had gone to her room was nowhere to be seen. Taking her thoughts away from the stillness, she gazed at the hallways she then traveled. White floors, silver walls with rose paintings, candle holders fixed upon the walls, windows that showed the darkening outside, and doors which she guessed led to other rooms. Sighing, she put her thoughts back to following the servant girl......