Ryder

Chapter 6: The Forrest

The once smiling Bash was now figiting to find some unknown objects that Aunt Cree had already placed on a small shelf. Then I heard it. "The girl is in here!" Bash was startled by that. He hurriedly put the remainder of the things in his bag and wished his Aunt farewell, grabbing my hand, then pulling me out of the quaint little cottage.
Bash pulled me behind him in a way that made me run faster than I ever had in my lifetime. My breath was getting deep and fast paced, and I knew if I kept running I would end up collapsing and I could tell Bash knew that. "We need to make it to the tree line." He said, him too out of breath.
We finally made it to the tree line that separated the small opened circle that the cottage rested in and the Forrest ahead of us. Bash stopped, causing me to stumble forward, bumping into him. "We need to climb. Ryder stay close." He was frantically looking around. "Give the girl up Bane! She belongs to Lucian!" we jumped around to see a man, whom of which I knew as the leader, enclosing around us, his men following behind.
We were trapped and at that moment I knew we were dead, and there was nothing I could do but watch as they got closer. Bash grabbed my hand. It was not as a sign of affection, but as more of a protecting grasp. I welcomed his protection, knowing it may be the last ounce of anything I feel other than the pain that was bound to follow.
"She is under protection of the King of Clarion. You aren't going to touch her Thantos." Sabashtin said, drawing a sword from his hip, that I had yet to notice previously due to the fact of how well he had hid the hilt of the blade. "Hmph. You stupid child." Thantos grunted. "Get her," He grinned, then turned around and started to walk away. "Kill the Bane. We can't have him get in our way anymore." He continued to walk away, leaving his men behind him to do the dirty work.
The men progressed forward. "Stay behind me princess, " he said pushing me behind him. I closed my eyes trying to wish all of this away, thinking that I might wake back up in my aunt Viviana's apartment to a terrible dream, but it was no use, we were going to die, and no one would even know I was gone.
I opened my eyes, just in time to feel two meaty hands on me, pulling me close to them, attempting to drag my frail body with them. I screamed, screamed as loud as I could. I kicked and moved, did everything I could to get out of his grasp. Then I heard something coming from the tops of the trees. A sharp pinprick hit my collar bone, and I was brought in and out of a drowsy daze. My eyes were fluttering open and closed, and I could hear things hitting the ground, unsure of what it was I tried to push my eyes fully open. I seen it. I seen him.
"Brother," I heard an Bash say.
My eyes felt heavier than before. I could feel my body collapsing. My last thought was,

Bash has a brother.