Page 107 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

“We’re going in a circle!”

“I know,” he said. “But I think it’s a protection spell.”

“A what?”

“A diversion, to make people go back.”

I crossed my arms. “Okay, but if we can’t get past it, what does it matter?”

“We will,” he assured me. “We just have to keep going right.”

I sighed. “Fine, we can go in another circle if it will make you feel better.”

We didn’t just go on one more loop. We went on two more, and were journeying around to complete our third. My feet were beginning to hurt, and I was close to losing my patience.

When we turned the same bend we had six other times, something was different. There was a purple bush sitting on the corner where a large boulder had previously been. It wasn’t one I’d ever seen before. Standing about to my hip, with smaller lavender-colored leaves sprouting every which way.

I approached it, trying to figure out what kind of plant it was, or even the family it came from, but nothing came to memory. The leaves weren’t quite the right shape to make it a dendrom, but also too colorful to be a podias.

“That’s it,” Adrian said from behind me, making me jump.

“What?”

“Now we’re meant to follow the purple bushes.”

It seemed he was keen on being extra confusing today. “But there’s only one.”

“There will be more,” he said.

He wove around the bush and started off in that direction, moving away from the path.

“Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm before he could get too far. “Where are you going?”

“Following the bushes,” he said, as if I hadn’t heard him the first time.

“But there’s no telling there’s another one,” I pointed out. “And what if we get lost.”

He slithered closer, bending to kiss me. “I promise, I know where we’re going. Everything is okay, and I’ll get us there safely.”

I took a deep, rickety breath. “Fine, but I’m serious, don’t get us lost.”

I stepped off the path, grateful for the boots I bought the day before as we traversed the new terrain. Though the path wasn’t that well cared for, it was an obvious clearing for people to walk in.

Here, there was none of that. Vines came down from everywhere and the entire ground was covered in foliage, making it hard to know exactly where to step. Adrian kept our hands locked the whole time, holding us steady.

My fear that there would be no more bushes began weighing on me more. We were well away from the path, without a single other bush in sight. And I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get back at this rate either.

I looked to the left and spotted another one of the purple bushes, just as bright as the first.

“Over there,” I said, pulling us towards the bush.

“Good spotting,” Adrian said, as we went that way.

We walked and walked until finally he spotted one veering right this time. This charade continued for what felt like hours. Eventually, the plants got closer and closer together, until we were essentially following a path of them.

“Wait,” I said. I stepped over the newly formed path and started towards the small bit of color I saw.

“Where are you going?” It seemed it was his turn to ask me now.