Chapter eight

"What do you mean?" Bryony asked Aven, but he just shook his head.

"Come." Was all he said before he walked inside a small cave that Bryony didn't even know was there. The heck? How did she not notice a freaking cave? And why did he never answer her questions? She was starting to get annoyed with that. It wasn't hard to answer a simple question.

Bryony groaned before following Aven into the cave. "Where are we going?" She called after him, but like always, he didn't answer her. She put her hands on her hips. "Okay, this is getting really annoying. Just answer my questions. It isn't hard to help a poor girl out and answer the questions she asks so she won't be confused. Maybe she actually misses her home and wants to go back instead of follow a stranger everywhere."

That made Aven freeze, and then he turned around as Bryony gave him a smug look while folding her arms. He walked past her and started walking the way they had just came. "Alright, lets bring you home."

Bryony's jaw dropped in disbelief as she watched him walk away. She blinked, shook her head, and then quickly called out, "Wait, I didn't mean it. Come back, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my boring life."

Aven just kept walking.

"Aven wait." Bryony called, running after him. "Take me to this Langston guy, please. I didn't mean what I said, come back."

He stopped and let her catch up to him, before he turned to her, folded his arms, and mimicked that smug look she pulled on him, before he walked past her. She watched him walk past her and she made a face. "Excuse you?" She heard him laugh and she shook her head. "That's not funny, how dare you."

"Stop complaining." Aven said as Bryony ran to catch up to him again.

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She never heard him laugh before, and she definitely didn't know he could be so sassy. He was always quiet and didn't say much, in fact, he rarely ever spoke, but the times he did, it wasn't even a sentence. What was up with him? All the boys she knew were dorks and always did stupid things to make her and Amara laugh. They were silly dorks. Aven was the opposite. He was quiet, and he didn't try to make Bryony laugh. He didn't do stupid things and he wasn't a dork. He was the first boy she met that wasn't. Boys were always fun to hangout with, but Aven was different. She enjoyed his company, but in a different way than other boys. She liked having a quiet friend. Wait, were they even friends? She didn't know him, but then again, she always thought of everyone as her friends, even if she didn't know them.

As Bryony followed Aven deeper in the cave, she suddenly stopped as it got darker. "Wait, are you bringing me here to kill me?"

Aven nodded. "Oh yes."

Bryony's eyes widened. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, he wasn't the type to make jokes, well so far he didn't seem like that type. Was he really going to kill her? No, if he really wanted her dead, he wouldn't have saved her all those times she was stupid and almost got herself killed. But then again, maybe he wanted to be the one to kill her and that's why he saved her.

"Are you serious?" Bryony asked as she started walking again. Yes, she was dumb to keep following him if he really wanted to kill her. She was dumb. Probably the dumbest person alive.

Aven shook his head. "No."

Bryony sighed in relief. "Okay good, I was actually starting to like you. Wait, I didn't mean it that way haha why am I always saying stuff like that? I'm so stupid." She laughed at herself and didn't even notice Aven had stopped until she walked right into him.

"Ow." She said and rubbed her nose. "You have a really hard back, my nose is probably broken." She giggled at herself again and Aven shook his head, probably annoyed with her again, but she didn't care. "I'm so funny." Bryony giggled.

"Yeah, funny looking." Aven said before walking into a door Bryony didn't even notice was there. She really needed to start paying attention to the things around her. Bryony gasped in shock at what he said, and she expected him to laugh, but he didn't. She put a hand to her heart in fake hurt as she followed him. "How dare you say that to a girl. Way to ruin their self confidence. Rude much?"

Aven stopped walking when they got to another door? He turned to Bryony. "Langston is a grumpy old man who doesn't like anyone, so don't get offended if he says something rude to you. He says rude things to everyone, oh and don't stare at him, he hates people staring at him. You also probably shouldn't say anything rude or offensive to him, he can turn you into something you don't want to be turned into, and won't turn you back, so best to keep your mouth shut and let him do the talking. He'll know why we're here, and if you do as I say, he'll tell us where your parents are being kept. Understand?"

Bryony smiled, and Aven blinked in surprise. "What?"

"That's the most you've ever said since I met you." Bryony said, but Aven shook his head, mumbling something under his breath that made Bryony smile even more. He knocked on the door and took a step back as Bryony heard a click.

Why were there doors in a random cave? Caves didn't have doors. What was with this place?

"Who dares come inside my cave?" A voice boomed from behind the door.

"It's Aven." Aven said.

The door opened and a man came into view. He looked really old, older than Bryony thought, with gray strips of hair on his balding head. Most of his hair was gone, and his teeth were crooked and disgusting. He wore dirty old rags for clothes, and he had a huge scar on the left side of his face, from something Bryony didn't know. Bryony noticed he was wearing a heavy chain around his ankle, and she wondered what he did to be locked up. His eyes were black, but they weren't even scary, more like disgusting because tiny magots were all crawling over his eyes and face. Bryony wanted to gag, but she forced herself not to.

"Oh, it's you." The old man said, making a face of disgust as he looked Aven up and down. He shouldn't be making a disgusted face at Aven, Aven should be making a disgusted face at him. "Your father locked me up here, telling me he would free me one day, and then went and got himself killed. I've been in here for hundreds of years and nobody, not a single person came to visit me or free me."

"No wonder it smells worse than a cows field in here." Bryony said, plugging her nose and finally gagging, not being able to hold it in anymore. Both Aven and the old man turned to look at her. Aven shook his head and gave her a look, but the old man narrowed his eyes at Bryony. Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said.

She put a hand over her mouth as she took a step back. "I'm so sorry, I meant to say that in my mind."

Aven gave her a warning look, but she ignored him as the old man took a threatening step towards her. "What did you just say?" His face was inches from hers, and she gagged at the smell of his breath and immediately fanned her face with her hand.

"Oh, you need a breath mint. When was the last time you brushed your teeth? It smells like an animal died." Bryony said, making the old man deepen his glare.

He opened his mouth to say something but instead he leaned back and turned to look at Aven. "Who is this disgusting girl you brought me? Even my own grandmother looked and acted better than her. Did you bring her for entertainment? Or for a snack?" The man smiled and it made Bryony take a step closer to Aven in discomfort.

"I'm no food." She said and pointed a finger at the old man. "Shame on you for being so rude."

"Oh I'm the rude one eh?" The old man said threateningly as he pointed a crooked finger at her as well. "I invited you in and you were rude about it."

"You're the rude one." Bryony said. "And you're disgusting too."

"How dare you act this way when I-"

"She's sorry." Aven interrupted the man, and Bryony shook her head and opened her mouth to tell him she wasn't, but Aven immediately put a hand over her mouth, stopping her.

The old man crossed his arms, scowling at Bryony. "I should turn you into a frog. Better yet, into a cockroach that I can squish under my thumb, and then I won't ever have to worry about you coming here and bullying me ever again."

Bryony gasped and grabbed Aven's hand and removed it from her mouth. "How dare you. I am a-" Aven's hand was back on her mouth, stopping her from finishing speaking. She gave him a look but he ignored her.

"Langston, we need to know where Dorian is keeping his two special prisoners." Aven said, but the old man immediately shook his head. Special prisoners? Were they Bryony's parents?

"Nope, I'm not telling you anything. If Dorian finds out I-"

"He won't find out." Aven interrupted him.

"And how would you know that?" Langston asked, folding his arms.

"Because he thinks you're dead." Aven said. "You're safe as long as you stay in this cave."

Langston thought for a moment. "What's in it for me?" His black eyes landed on Bryony and she squirmed uncomfortably as they roamed over her body. "How about I keep the girl? She can make good use to me after how disrespectful and rude she acted."

Bryony shook her head.

"No, the girl is staying with me." Aven said and Bryony nodded, mumbling a 'yeah' under the hand over her mouth.

Langston leaned forward. "I'm not telling you anything until you tell me what's in it for me. If I do a good deed for you, you return it. That's how things work around here."

Aven nodded. "Tell us where Dorian is keeping the prisoners, and I will come back here with his head that you can keep as a victory trophy. You've always wanted him dead haven't you? Once he's gone, you can be free again, don't you want that?"

Langston narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're not just saying that? I know you Aven, you wouldn't even hurt a fly."

"You don't, but you'll have to trust me." Aven said.

Langston thought for a moment. "Fine but if you don't do as you said, I will get out of here and when I do, I'm killing both Dorian and you, so you better watch out."

"You're threats don't get to me Langston." Aven said. "You should already know this by now."

Langston gave Aven a rude look before he snapped his fingers, and an image appeared in the air next to him. Bryony's eyes widened as she saw who it was. Her parents were in some kind of cage, huddled together to keep warm from the cold, or Bryony thought from the cold. She could see their breaths as they breathed, so she was pretty sure it was cold. The image disappeared a few moment after it appeared and Aven nodded.

"They're being held in the dungeons of King Esgar's old castle." He said before nodding at Langston. "Thank you."

Langston nodded but didn't say anything, still giving Aven a rude look. After a moment, he turned and walked away and Bryony grabbed Aven's hand and removed it from her mouth. Aven turned to her as she just stared at the wall, not wanting to believe what she just saw. Her parents were here, and not only were they alive, but they were freezing in that awful place, and who knew if they were hurt or dying. Bryony looked up at Aven. "I need to get my parents."