fast as he could.
One of the sides had been completely opened up by Barnus. He pushed through the opening, careful not to touch any of the gnarled remains and he passed. There laying at the heart of the thick patch of bushes and trees was a small clearing. At the center of that clearing was a tiny plant with brilliant red leaves that filled the entire thicket with a warm glow. Amazing, he thought.
The ground shook again, heightening his panic further. Raj was laying on the soft leaf covered floor unconscious with his arms stretched out towards the small plant.
“Who are you?” Emret said looking up. He was laying next to his father, holding him. His face was wet with tears.
“You’re alive!” Bedic cried. He knelt down, grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him emphatically.
The boy smiled back. “Yes.”
“I’m Bedic, a friend of your fathers.”
“You were with us, with Valance.” Emret said.
“Yes I was a taken captive by Valance. But we can talk about that later. There’s something we must do now. And we must be quick.” Bedic glanced up at the sky.
The boy sat up, staring at his father’s motionless body.
“This little plant.” Bedic pointed. “It’s in danger. We must move it quickly or it’ll be destroyed.” He looked up at the sky again.
Emret followed his gaze to the storm above them. “What is that?” He asked.
“Something bad. And if it kills this little plant we’ll have no power to stop it.” Bedic said.
“Stop it from what?” Emret asked.
“From destroying everything. Every city, every person, every living thing.” Bedic answered.
“What can I do?” Emret asked.
“You’re the only one that can move it. It trusts you.” Bedic said.
“OK.” Emret got up on his knees and looked over at the tiny plant.
Bedic moved over to it. “We’ve got to hurry. Take your hands and dig up the roots carefully.”
Emret followed him over and followed the instructions, digging his hands into the soft black soil.
“Make sure to get as much of the roots as you can, then wrap them up into a ball.” Bedic said.
Emret finished digging a large hole around the plant then lifted it up.
“Take some of these leaves from the ground and wrap them around the root ball.” Bedic continued.
Emret did so.
“Now, that thing in the sky is going to try to stop us. We must make it to the other side of the garden. To the trees. Can you do that?” Bedic asked.
“Yes.” He answered, then turned his attention to his father. “But what about my dad?”
“Once we move the Red the storm won’t be interested in this place. Your father will be safe until I can come back and get him.”
Emret stared at his father, uncomfortably. “OK.”
Bedic pointed to the tree line in the distance. “Run as fast as you can! I’ll be right behind you.”
-
Emret burst out of the hole in the thicket and raced across the soft grass. He didn’t stop to survey the situation in the garden, he just ran.
To his surprise and delight, a bright glow swelled over the ground in front of him. It extended across the garden, up the ridge and into the trees beyond, striking a clear path for him to follow. His heart leapt with excitement. At least he wasn’t doing this alone.
His feet moved fast, carrying him past the outer ring of Manea trees and ferns. It felt fantastic. His heart was pumping hard. It was a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time. It was freedom!
The ground shook with a blast. A moment later, Emret regained consciousness with a horrible ringing in his ear. His body was sliding over the lip of a deep pit. He grabbed at the grass and clawed at the dirt, trying to get his hands on anything to keep him from slipping and any further into the hole below him.
A firm pair of hands grabbed his arm. It was Bedic! He helped pull him up out of the pit and then helped him to his feet. “Come on. Keep moving!” He shouted.
Again they ran, around the pit to get back onto the glowing path and then hard towards the trees. Now much closer, hope started to surface. They weren’t too far away!
Another blast took him off his feet. The ground lifted up at a steep angle, and he rolled. Below him was another deep and wide open hole in the ground, and he was falling helplessly towards it. He noticed a flat part of ground to his side. He