The bond

10. crystal cave

"Bree! Bree! Quick wake up we have to go!"

I wake up, a young boy of around 14, is pulling my blankets off me, forcing me to get out of bed.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Shh, quiet," he says holding a finger to my mouth.

"Quick get dressed we have to go, now," he says in a whisper.

I get dressed quickly and quietly. Once I'm ready, he grabs my hand.

"No magic or they will see," he whispers.

"Okay," I say, groggy and very confused.

It's not the first time he's done things like this in the middle of the night, but he's never been so forceful. He's worried about something. He leads me out my bedroom window, the way he came in. It's so high I let out a gasp as I look down.

"Shh, don't look down. Don't look anywhere but at me, okay?" He looks straight into my eyes and I calm a little. Without a word, I nod at him so he knows I'm fine now.

We sidestep around the shallow ledge to the side of the castle where a large tree stands. The boy grabs one of the large branches and pulls himself up into the tree. He holds out a hand to me.

"Quick, before the guards come back round," he says quietly.

I'm so scared. It's so high, and he's so much taller than I am. I lean back against the wall. The boy reaches out to me a little further.

"Bree, trust me. I will never let anything happen to you, I swear on my life," his look imploring, maybe even desperate.

All fear gone, I leap. He catches me and pulls me into the tree. We make our way down the thick branches to the bottom. The boy jumps to the ground for the last part, holding out his arms for me to do the same. Without hesitation, I drop into his arms. He quickly looks around and dashes off towards the trees in the distance, dragging me along with him. Lights start appearing behind us as I hear a voice calling out. They know I'm missing.

"Quickly, we need to run faster," he implores.

I pick up my pace, trying my best to match his. The trees are getting closer and closer the deeper we go into the woods. Branches are flying past us, scratching at my face, arms, and legs, but I ignore the pain and keep running. We have been running for a while now, my breath is burning in my throat.

"Please, I can't keep this up for much longer," I implore him.

"Just a little further," he says, not slowing his pace or taking his eyes off where he's going.

We come up to a large mound and the boy slows down. He lets go of my hand and disappears behind a curtain of vines with glowing flowers that dot the surface. The vines are lighting the area so gently. He returns, grabbing my hand once again and reefing me behind the curtain of vines with him. They arch away from the wall, giving us room to walk around without being seen. A little way up a purple light appears getting brighter and brighter.

He stops in front of a door made of purple light with ancient markings. He holds out his hand and presses it to the door. In a burst of light, it dissipates, revealing a tunnel. Once we step inside, the door reappears behind us, glowing brightly again.

"Where are we going?" I ask, as he pulls me further and further through the tunnels.

"You will see, we are almost there," he says smiling at me.