The bond

5. The bloom tree

It's been a few days now, and every day starts the same, me in Aiden's arms, the fortress we build up each night destroyed by morning, Aiden's torture sessions, and then he disappears, and everyone avoids me.

"Ah, Bree, just the lovely, young lady I was looking for," the king calls out grabbing my attention.

"Oh, Your Majesty, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," I reply.

"Oh, that's quite alright, my dear. I'm just glad I caught you, it's hard to find you these days," he says with a smile.

"Oh? I didn't know you were looking for me. I like to go for a little wonder after my torture session with Aiden each morning," I say with a light chuckle.

"Ah yes, I have heard you have gotten quite good and can stand well against him, sometimes even getting the better of him, too," he grins widely at me.

I blush slightly, knowing full well he's talking about the few times I have managed to catch him off guard with a few moves, but he adjusts quickly, never falling for the same trick twice. Sometimes he uses my moves back on me. I grimace at the thought.

"Will you allow me to escort you a little of the way? I won't trouble you for long, my dear," he asks sweetly.

"Yes, of course, you could never trouble me, Your Majesty. You seem to be the only friendly face I have around here at the moment, so I find you a breath of fresh air," I answer back.

"Oh, it thrills me you feel that way," he chuckles. "The main reason I have come to find you, is to give you this," he says, handing me a large, old book. "This came into my possession when I went to see my brother in the east, and I thought it might help you with learning about your magic. There is no one here who can help you learn about your magic and how to control it. There is nothing dangerous in it so I didn't see any harm in you having it," he adds.

"I haven't even tried to use my magic, as I find it upsets people," I say, a little disheartened.

"Oh, my dear it's just fears of the unknown, and I know you will make them see how beautiful light magic can be. I don't believe anything bad could ever come from such a treasure," he reassures me.

I blush and can't help but smile. "Okay, I'll read it and try my best to prove you right," I say with more confidence than I have felt in a while.

"Ah, now that's what I was hoping for." He presses a kiss to my forehead. "Okay, I'll leave you be now, but can I ask one little favor of you?" he asks.

"Of course, anything," I smile.

"Could you keep this just between us?" he motions to the book in my hand. "I only ask this of you, because this book was supposed to be destroyed after the kingdom fell, but I could not bring myself to see it done," he confesses.

"Oh, yes, of course. This will be our little secret," I smile, clutching the book to my chest.

He returns my smile, nods, and leaves.

I reach the bloom tree and sit beneath its immense shade. The book King Darnell gave me is a little bigger than an A4 piece of paper and thicker than an entire works of Shakespeare.

The cover is leather bound with silver embossed words that say 'M and L Introduction to Light Magic.' In the center is a blue jewel. The pages are old and a little faded, but for its age it's very well preserved.

I turn to the first page, and I see in bold letters, How to Summon a Deerling.

Deerlings are light companions that teach its conjurer concentration. They are used for training focus for multiple castings, and longer holds. To summon, simply follow these steps.