✅ The Wishing Tree - Book Two [Completed]

The Ribbons - Part 14

We've been bound and gagged and dragged back to the mysterious colony. If letting them mistreat us is part of one of Mason's master plans, I'm not impressed. He seems resigned to our fate and hasn't even issued one word of protest.

The two men are a faint brown and covered in strange markings that make their skin look dyed in places. Their eyes glow in the darkness, making it easy to spot them. They have piercings along their arms and legs. Bones are threaded through the piercings like decoration and there is a primitive, sinister air about them. These people make the previous colony look advanced.

Rocco and Riven are ahead of me exchanging glances and I wonder at their silent communication. I never thought to ask if there were enemies or rivalries between colonies. I was so angry with Mason that I hadn't even asked any of them why this particular part of the realm was so menacing. Looking at these men, I wonder if it's simply this tribe that makes the area feel so harsh and desolate.

My heart stutters to a stop when we are dragged through the main path. All around us are stakes with rotting, mutilated heads. I shoot a panicked look towards Rocco and Riven. I take a deep breath and try to tell myself that those heads could be tribe members, that maybe it's a sign of respect. I twist on the rope and try to catch Mason's eyes, but he won't look at me. A surge of anger at him pulses through me and I wrestle with my ropes, trying to free myself. At my frantic movements, Mason finally looks over. His eyes are calm and he simply shakes his head. I stop flailing around, but I can't relax.

Rocco and Riven are dragged into the door of a small mud hut further down the path and Mason and I are left in the center of the path, discarded.

My heart is pounding in my chest, double time, triple time, I can't count the beats. I look at Mason again and his eyes are closed. I struggle against my restraints again, fearful that he's been injured in the journey. I try to mumble loudly through the cloth in my mouth.

"Mason!"

One of Mason's eyes pops open, reassuring me that he's still conscious. He opens the second one and gives his head an imperceptible shake. I don't understand.

The men emerge out of the huts, leaving Rocco and Riven out of sight. Behind them trails beautiful, long, rainbow coloured ribbons. If I didn't wonder what was so terrible about the ribbons, I would enjoy admiring their beauty. I didn't think it was possible for my heart to beat faster, but the sight of the ribbons kicks it up another notch. Sweat cascades down me and I'm slick with the heat escaping my body. I'm poised for flight if I get the chance. But, even as I think about escape, I know that I have to endure whatever comes next. I seek Mason's eyes, but they are closed again, blocking me out.

I'm being lifted off the ground and I try not to focus on what is going to happen to me. Instead, I close my eyes. I search my memories for one that will calm me, which will make this reality seem a little less real.

Sunlight touches my skin and I raise my face to meet the heat. In the distance, Ryan stands in the ruins of the church with eyes that pierce my soul. I run my hands over my dress, feeling the weight of the lace as it clings to my body.

One of my arms is wrenched into an awkward angle and I scrunch my eyes together, determined to lose myself in some other reality. I'm being elevated off the ground; there is a heaviness to my own body and all of my limbs are being stretched in different directions. An ache is forming in my shoulders and hips. I open my eyes slightly, trying to get my bearings. 

I'm elevated hundreds of feet off the ground, high in the tops of the ancient trees. Each one of my limbs is tied with a different color ribbon, attached to separate trees. I look at the clouds forming in the distance and I know a storm is gathering strength. I try to shift to see if Mason, Rocco and Riven are also trapped in the ribbons, but the ground is too far and my restraints too tight. Surely, Mason won't let this happen to them, too.