Aspirations

Chapter 28

I Break my Friend From a Prison with Only a Dog and a Whole Lotta Henry-Power

POV: Henry

I was trying my hardest to keep my head up and from falling asleep as I waited for Hyrumn. She left about an hour ago, what could be taking so long to get shakes? I sighed and forced my eyes back open again. I was really getting tired of waiting. Was she doing this to test me? To see if I would stay or run off like last time?

I definitely wasn't going to run off again. She didn't do anything, but I knew she was mad at me and Hyrumn is not someone you want to mess with when angry.

My head rocked. This was boring. Maybe I could take a small nap. Just a teeny tiny one. I'm sure I'll be awake before she gets back-

The watch on my wrist buzzed and I nearly fell out of my chair in surprise. I yelped and was suddenly wide awake.

"Quiet down, boy, this is a library." The Hound reminded me.

"Sorry." I mumbled. I calmed my beating heart and looked at my watch. A light on it was flashing red, and the only thing I could see on the screen was a location. I tapped the screen but nothing changed. What's wrong with my watch?

Wait a second, didn't Hyrumn say our watches were connected so we could keep track of where each other were? Did that mean this location was where she was? But then why did she feel the need to send it to me? If she needs help carrying back food I swear...

Or, what if she needs help? What if she's in trouble? Going through the location book would take too much time if she really was in trouble.

"Hey, um, Hound?" She perked her ears up and stared at me. "Could you tell me where this location is at? I think it's where Hyrumn is and I need to go find her." I showed her the watch and she took a minute to think. But when she was done, she only raised an eyebrow at me.

"Are you sure that's where she is?" She asked doubtfully.

"I'm pretty sure, why else would she send it out?" She shook her head and got up.

"Oh, boy, you really need to be careful who you make deals with." She began to walk out of the library and I quickly followed after her. Yeah, literally everyone's told me that.

"Where are you going? Can you tell me where the location is first?" I asked.

"We're going to find Eight. That was a distress signal, right?" I nodded. "Then we must hurry to find her."

"Where is she?" The dog slowly began to morph. Her fur went from a light brown and white to a dark midnight black and her paws began to grow. Her fangs elongated and her pupils went to slits. Suddenly I was standing next to a huge black dog the size of a train cart.

"Hop on." She demanded with a gruffer voice. I obeyed and climbed my way onto her back, holding onto fists of fur as I did. "We must act fast if Hyrumn is back in the Seed."

The ride down was rough (pun intended) and I was holding on for dear life as she ran. I basically buried my face into her fur, trying not to scream like a girl the entire time. But after a bumpy and speedy ride, she stopped in a dark lit hallway that seemed just as eerie as every other place here.

"W-Where are we?" I asked as I slid down from her back. She began to shrink back into the beagle she once was before.

"We're in a passage way near the Seed that many don't know about." She sniffed around. "Seems like we're safe for now, but this has to be a stealth mission so don't go making any noise or commotion." I gave her a nod. Roger that. I'm pretty good at being quiet. And I've gotten to be quite the expert since I've been assisting Hyrumn in all her jobs.

Huh, I wonder if I'll see any of the Aspirations we put down here. We began to sneak down the hall with soft footsteps. I felt like even my breathing was loud here.

"I shouldn't have a problem locating her, the problem is getting her out and escaping without making a scene. If we're caught they'll throw us in too and I'm not being punished for her problems. Not to mention you'd probably die." I gulped. That would've been nice to know sooner.

It didn't take too long, but after some close calls and The Hound sniffing around, we managed to locate Hyrumn in a cell further away. Apparently, according to the dog, this wasn't the actual Seed, just a trial room for those waiting to go. I was told that if I were to enter the real Seed, I wouldn't make it out alive nor in one piece.

Sounds like fun.

When we got to her cage I noticed how she was huddled up in a corner. She didn't seem to notice us.

"Hyrumn?" I called out softly to her. She popped her head up to the sound of my voice. For a second her eyes looked lost, but a smile spread on her face. She floated over and rested her hands on the bars.

"Finally." She said. "Took you long enough."

"How'd you end up here?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Oh, you know... But that's besides the point. We need to get out of here fast and stop Amonae before she does any more damage." She looked over her shoulder. "I can feel she's happy and that's not good."

"Ok, well..." I searched around but ended up looking at the dog. "How do we get her out?"

"The cell's interior is magic proof so there's no way for her to break out of it." She said. "But if we were able to cancel the magic inside there might be a way."

"Ok, ok how do we do that then?" I asked. "Is there like a control room where we could cancel it or-?" Hyrumn laughed.

"No, silly, the answers obvious." She stuck her arm through the bars and grinned at me. "We make a deal." I only stared at her hand, then looked at the palms of mine. I knew making deals with Hyrumn was not something I ever wanted to do again and I knew it was bad. But... this was urgent. Could I afford the cost?

"I've already done that twice, there's no more room." She rolled her eyes.

"I can make deals over deals, it just cancels out the previous deal we made." She said. I looked back at my palms. If I made another deal I'd have to choose between the two I already had to lose. Either I lost the first deal and the guy I had a crush on was no longer into me but I was free from her list, or I lost her protection from harm. One I lost everything I've been working so hard for, and the other I became vulnerable again.

I glanced at The Hound who just shook her head as if to say "I have paws, I can't make deals."

I looked back into Hyrumn's eyes. Her red eyes that always seemed thirsty for blood looked desperate. Something in them seemed lost. Something about them reminded me of myself when I had no one to turn to.

"Please, Henry." She said. I was her only hope. This time I wasn't relying on her. This time I was the one with the dagger in hand and had a choice. But...which hand would I give up? "You wish for this cell to allow magic and in return I will never bother you again with deals or anything. You'll be completely free from me."

"Fine." I ripped my glove off and reached out and took her hand with my right hand. I felt the burn but it didn't sting as much as before. "But if this plan doesn't work promise you'll keep Amonae away from my world."

"I promise." She said. Even if I did give up what I had worked so hard for I figured it'd be the least lost. And now it seemed like my deal for love was stupid in the first place. What had I even been thinking? But at least now I was protected and guaranteed to be left alone.

Hyrumn gave me a nod and I stepped back. I watched as she ran both hands down the bars. They began to melt like wax on a candle into a red soupy mess. She then floated out. "Alright then, let's go find her."

I jumped as a siren began to wail. The Hound stuck her tail between her legs but Hyrumn only smiled as guards began to rush out. She picked up the dog and grabbed my hand.

"Hold on tight, Henry." She demanded as her eyes began to glow. "This might get a little messy."

Ahhh the ending's so close but yet there's still so much to do!!