Dream Wolf

16: The Run

Ali immediately remembered Rowan's words. "An invisible castle wall."
That's what this was. An invisible wall.
Ali sat down, grateful for the light the hole let in. At least something good had come of it, she thought.
It seemed like hours piled on hours before sleep finally took over Ali, her eyelids drooping.
What felt like a tap on the shoulder jarred her awake.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
She shrugged, thinking it was just a dream, or falling against the wall. Just a dream, like the wolf...
Ali felt herself leaning back onto the wall, the wall that to her disappointment, was not a hole.
Then she realised something.
She was sitting.
On the outside.
On the outside of the castle.
On the outside of the castle that she had just been in, trapped with only an invisible wall to let light in.
"Trespasser!" shouted a dark haired guard, pointing at her. Ali's eyes widened, and then her feet took her towards the forest, with no choice but to run.
She ran until she could run no more, which, unfortunately for her, was 10 metres into the trees. Looking around, there was only one way to escape.
The trees.
Ali looked behind her. There were three guards, just behind her now. With a leap, she grabbed onto a branch of a tree and attempted to pull herself up. The first guard reached her. Ali winced as she felt him grab onto her leg.
And push her up.
She looked down in amazement, but the guard was shooing her up the tree.
She took his advice.
And climbed.
Ali climbed to the top of the tree, and soon she was there, looking out over the forest.
Almost everything was trees, to one side at least, but on the other was the castle, and beside it a large town.
Fire flickered in the corner of her eye, and Ali's head turned to meet it. Cocoa, she thought. It was her one hope.
So, when she decided it was safe to head down, she ran to it.

A/N: I really hope you're an awesome person, because I have a new rule: only awesome people can read this book. It's actually in a secret code only those who are awesome can read, so basically, if you're reading this right now, you're awesome. So I don't hope you're awesome, I know it.
Anyone have any guesses as to why that guard might have helped Ali?