The sun was starting to come up as they made their way deep into Dorman Wood. The sounds of the night creatures had silenced, replaced by the sounds of birds chirping. It was a glimpse of something beautiful in the midst of all this tragedy and danger.
“I can’t believe its morning already,” Charlotte said as they came to a resting spot. They had been running off adrenaline the entire time not once stopping to relax since entering the woods. “This would’ve been when we were leaving the house.” As she finished the sentence her voice trailed off. Bart understood why. He was also thinking about Victoria, Jonah and Charlotte’s dad. He was wondering if they made it out okay. It was hard for them to even comprehend the thought of those three being dead, but with the amount of enemies attacking, Bart couldn’t see how they could’ve made it out alive. He didn’t want to say that, of course. Charlotte was already worried enough about her mom and dad.
“Don’t worry,” Bart said after a few minutes of silence. “I’m sure they made it. Come on, Victoria knows what she is doing.” Charlotte managed a smile but Bart could easily tell it was half hearted. He barely believed what he said himself so how could she?
“Bart,” she said softly as they continued to walk. “Do you think that guy, the big one with the axe, do you think he meant what he said? You know about me looking like my mother?” Bart didn’t know how to respond since he had never seen Charlotte’s mom. The fact that Baron even mentioned her had escaped his thoughts. Still it wasn’t a surprise that the comment dwelled on Charlotte’s mind. Bart hadn’t really stopped thinking about his father and how he would never get a chance to meet him since the beginning of all this. “I mean, I’ve never even seen her not even in a picture so I wouldn’t know. But he knew me. He knew me, and it was only the second time he had seen me. That has to mean he’s telling the truth right?” Bart was afraid to answer because he didn’t know what she wanted to hear. The truth was the guy was probably lying just to get under her skin, but then again it’s too weird for him to bring up her mother like that.
“I really don’t know, Char,” Bart said finally. “I mean it is weird. But why would he just say that?”
“I don’t know,” she responded sadly.
“I’m sure he was just trying to get into your head.”
“Well apparently that isn’t that hard with Victoria speaking in my head earlier. So bringing up my mother wouldn’t be of much use would it? I’m sure if Victoria can do it then so can that guy.” Bart had completely forgotten that Charlotte didn’t know about mind wielding. That ability is something that Bart really liked ever since Victoria first used it on him. It was strange, though, that it was called mind wielding when it seems like your mind is what controls all wielding. Bart made a mental note to ask Victoria about that later. If she made it out alive, that is.
“Well we can ask Victoria about your mother and mind wielding when we see her again,” Bart said not so confidently.
“Right,” Charlotte said. “When we see them again.” They kept walking in silence for the next hour and a half. Even though everything seemed so grim, Bart couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the woods. He had never gone this far before and it seemed like the deeper he went the more amazing it got. The leaves were full of color. The red was the sharpest red he’d ever seen, the green was the richest green, and the yellow reminded him of the sun. He wondered how he never knew the woods were this big. Maybe his mom kept him away because the deeper he went the more he felt a connection to Zathya. Bart’s senses seemed to heighten with every step closer to the hidden world. He didn’t know what that meant, but it had to be the reason he was never brought this far.
“Bart,” Charlotte whispered. Bart stopped and immediately noticed why she stopped. There was a clearing ahead and right in the middle was a giant tree with golden leaves.
“Charlotte look!” Bart yelled as he rushed towards the tree. He was so excited to finally see something that meant he was on the right path. For a while he had thought they might have been lost.
“Bart wait,” Charlotte said, sounding a little uneasy. Bart looked back and didn’t see why she was so nervous, but her face said it all. Something had her on edge about the tree but Bart couldn’t tell what.
“Char its cool,” he said trying to reassure her. Then he felt something in the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling that was all too familiar. A feeling that let him know everything was about to go wrong.
“Bart no!” Charlotte was screaming now and rushing after him. Bart was completely puzzled until he turned to face the tree again. Standing there was a man covered in tattoos with long dreadlocks covering his face. Out of the three brothers Bart met, this one is the one that scared him the most. He didn’t speak nor did he have a name or at least one Bart knew. Bart froze as the man stood there about twenty yards away, hands at his side. Charlotte caught up and stood next to Bart as he prepared to fight. “Bart what are you thinking,” Charlotte said when Bart put his hands up.
“We have to fight Char, or he is going to kill us,” Bart responded. Bart could tell Charlotte wasn’t ready to fight but she stepped a couple feet away and raised her hands in preparation. “On the count of three Char,” Bart said nervously. They looked at each other then back at the man. “Three,” Bart yelled. Bart immediately thought wind and thrust his hands forward and just like before the wind obeyed. He felt it bending to his will and flying forward towards his victim. This time he balled his fist up and tried to make a giant fist out of the wind. He had him right where he wanted him. The tattooed man didn’t even move out of the way. His mistake, thought Bart. Bart was sure he had him when suddenly, the man was gone.
“Where did he go,” Charlotte said as she dropped her hands. Bart looked around but didn’t see a thing. He looked at Charlotte and could tell she was just as baffled as he was. The man had completely vanished into thin air and that wasn’t a comforting thought. Before Bart could even gather his thoughts it hit him. Like a giant hand pushing him, Bart was being forced through the air towards the tree at high speeds. He squinted to see what happened to Charlotte only to see her flying towards the tree as well. He knew this was the end for him. Going this fast towards a tree with no way of stopping was like getting in a head on collision with another car going over 120mph. The thought alone made Bart shiver on the inside. He could hear Charlotte’s screams and knew soon they would be dead and all this drama would be over. For a second he found himself okay with that. Maybe his mother would be saved and they would leave her alone since Bart was already gone. He did feel bad for Charlotte. She didn’t deserve this. Not one bit, and now she had to pay with her life. Originally Bart thought Charlotte was only involved because she was friends with Bart, but now that he knew her mother had been in this world, things changed. Maybe Charlotte’s dad took her away like Bart’s mom took him away. Either way, it was looking like they would never see their parents again. Right when Bart started to accept his fate his body jolted to a stop inches away from the tree. He was still floating when he was jerked around and pushed up against the tree. Charlotte was pushed against him and then out of nowhere a flaming rope wrapped around them. The flames died out as soon as it touched them and they were locked in that position as the man, now about 30 yards away from them, slowly approached.
“I can’t get the rope lose,” Bart said, struggling to free himself and Charlotte from their binds.
“I think that was the point of him using it,” Charlotte said sarcastically. Normally Bart would have given her an evil look, but since the situation wasn’t exactly right for it, and since she wouldn’t be able to see him anyway, he decided to focus on the task at hand: staying alive.
“There has to be something we can do,” Bart hollered out, not making any progress with freeing himself. The tattooed assassin had stopped moving forward at this point and was staying about twenty yards away from them. “What’s he doing?” Bart was confused as to why he would wait so far away when he had the two of them right where he wanted them. Bart and Charlotte were clearly helpless.
“I don’t know, but I would really not like to find out,” Charlotte said as she twisted about, trying to loosen the grip of the rope. No matter how much they struggled, the tightly wound rope didn’t seem to shift in the slightest.
“Charlotte, we have to figure a way out of this,” Bart said again.
“Oh thank you Bart; that thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“Now isn’t the time for sarcasm,” Bart said back sharply.
“I mean I was just going to sit here and enjoy how tight the ropes are and completely ignore the fact that a maniac is trying to kill us,” Charlotte yelled. “Any other bright ideas?” Before Bart could answer, something terrifying happened. Suddenly, a ring of fire surrounded them. As far as Bart could see, everything was burning. At first, Bart was scared simply because there was fire all around him and he couldn’t move. Then, he realized something. He had seen this before.
“Charlotte,” he shrieked but she was too busy screaming to hear him. Bart had seen this same vision before. It was in his dream that he had while at the house. The dream was almost exactly the same except he wasn’t tied to a tree and he didn’t remember Charlotte even being there. What was bothering Bart now is he never saw how the dream ended. “Charlotte, this is bad,” He screamed but she was still screaming and twitching, trying to free herself. The fire started to move closer and all Bart could think about was if only he could get his hands loose. Then he could call upon the wind to fight back against the fire.
“Bart,” Charlotte said trying to compose herself. “What do we do?” Bart wanted to respond with a sarcastic remark but he knew it wouldn’t have helped.
“I don’t know, Char,” he yelled back. The fire was creeping closer and closer until it got to the point where Bart could feel the heat blazing right on his face. Any closer and he was sure that the fire would torch his skin leaving him burned alive. Then something completely unexpected happened. The fire stopped and vanished taking the heat along with it and the rope disappeared dropping both of the kids to the ground.
“What just happened?” Charlotte asked as she slowly stood up, rubbing her arms where the rope had dug in. Bart was too preoccupied with what he was witnessing in front of him to answer her question. The man covered in tattoos was in a full-blown battle with another person, fully clothed. Bart couldn’t really tell if it was a man or a woman because they had a hood up but they seemed to be doing a good job. Bart watched as tattoo guy was using fire to attack but each attack was in vain. The other fighter was what looked like catching the flames and either throwing them back or making them evaporate into thin air. Then swiftly, the mysterious figure turned a fireball into a huge wall of smoke between him and his attacker. Just as quickly the hooded trickster motioned his hands forwards and the smoke engulfed the tattooed killer and sent him flying backwards. Before the man could stand back up, two more hooded figures appeared and rushed him. Clearly seeing that he was out numbered the tattooed man vanished once again. Bart made his way to his feet as the first hooded mystery person signaled something to the other two who vanished immediately. “Who are these guys?” Charlotte asked as the mystery person made their way towards the two of them.
“I’m just as confused as you,” Bart said, preparing for the worst. He wasn’t sure who he could really trust and just because this fighter in a hood with cool tricks saved his life, didn’t mean he was in the clear. When the defender got within five feet, Bart saw his light brown skinned face revealing him to be a man. He removed his hood and took a knee before Bart. He was much older than Bart expected and Bart had trouble believing this guy could do all the things he just did.
“It is an honor to meet you, my King,” he said as he bowed his head. Charlotte looked at Bart who returned the confused look and then looked back at the man kneeling before him. “You are right not to trust anyone, Bartholomew, as you have many enemies searching both worlds for you,” the man continued as he stood up. Bart wasn’t sure if that statement was because Bart didn’t speak or if it was because the guy read his mind but either way Bart wasn’t feeling too safe. “I assure you, I mean you no harm.” Okay, definitely reading my mind, Bart thought to himself. “I am here to ensure that you make it to your Kingdom safely,” he went on. “As well as you, Charlotte Cole,” he said noticing Charlotte gearing up to say something.
“I am no King,” Bart said to the man. The man just looked at him, seemingly puzzled but Charlotte changed the subject before he could speak.
“How do you know us?” Charlotte said, trying to ignore how weird this made her feel. The man smiled at this question.
“Everyone knows Bartholomew Alexander Nelson,” he said casually. “The bloodline of the true King ends with him.” Bart once again felt that tremendous pressure resurfacing. The fact that he was related to some “true King” made him more and more uneasy about this entire situation. “As far as you are concerned, miss Cole, your mother is a very famous defender of our Kingdom. Therefore, her daughter is just as famous. Many wish to see you and what you can do.” Charlotte froze. Bart knew the moment this stranger mentioned her mother that Charlotte would lose all focus. She stood there staring at the man, dumbfounded.
“You said my mother is famous,” Charlotte whispered. “And she wants to meet me?”
“Charlotte, your mother has wanted to meet you since the day you were born. It was your father who prevented her from doing so by hiding you.” Bart looked over at Charlotte and if there was any doubt as to what her mood was before, it was erased. He could tell by the look in her eyes that inside she was fuming. To prevent her from hearing more she didn’t want to hear, Bart spoke up.
“You said earlier that I have many enemies after me? How do they know where I am? Is it because of that Angelo guy? Has he sold me out like he did my father?” At the sound of the name, the man took a step back and glared at Bartholomew. Bart wasn’t sure whether it was because he knew Angelo or whether or not he liked the man but he knew the name caused tension.
“How do you know of Angelo Yessiah?” the man asked, his voice a little shaken.
“I was told what he did and how he betrayed my father and those knights,” Bart said, afraid to anger the man any further.
“I see. Well Bartholomew, Angelo is undoubtedly after you as well. If it is true what they say about him, then I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t come after you. There isn’t anyone you can truly trust at this moment except for Demetrius Anaclime of course.” Bart paused to think about what the man had just said.
“You said I can’t trust anyone. Does that include you? How do I know I can trust you?” The man’s face became very stern as he stepped forward.
“You do not know if you can trust me Bartholomew. However, what choice do you currently have?” Bart looked at Charlotte, who had finally seemed to snap out of her angry state of mind. They both nodded slowly as the man seemed to be right about the situation. If he hadn’t shown up when he did, they would be barbecue on a tree right now.
“Fine,” Bart said finally. “We will trust you mister…What is your name again?” The man knelt down again, bowing his head once more.
“You may call me Jason Phinnly.”
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