The deadly looking black arrow whizzes past my ear just as the willow branches jerk me out of harm's way.

I hear the man's howl of frustration from below me, I quickly turn my attention towards the evil looking men and women gathering around my brother and the bald man, I see that they all have bows, with quivers full of arrows slung across their backs.
Great, more asassins plotting to kill me and Aurelia.

Speaking of Aurelia, I can hear her muttering 2 feet to my right, seemingly to the tree itself, all of a sudden, her muttering stops abruptly, I turn to look at her, she has a look of smug satisfaction on her face, just as we are lifted up even higher in the willows clutches.

I hear more shouts of frustration from twenty metres below us and a shower of arrows are released into the air, just as we are plunged into a dark hole that has suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the tree's trunk.

***

We seem to falling, falling, falling down, down, down in the darkness for about five minutes until we plunge into something like water, but not quite, for one thing, it was lighter, and another thing, it wasn't wet.

We fall out of the weightless water and into the bright sunlight waiting below us, and fall into the soft ground with a muffled thump.

Aurelia gets up and brushes herself off lightly before turning towards me.

"Get up," she tells me.

I groan in reply and roll up into my knees, because of I don't, I know I'll be stuck in a bubble for basically the rest of eternity.

Aurelia extends a hand towards me, I grab it and she hauls me to my feet.

"Are we going to this so called academy?" I ask.

"Mmmhmmm," she hums in reply.

We start walking along the path that I hadn't noticed before.

"Where is it?"

"Right over there," she points towards the sea in the distance, but I see no magnificent school on the shoreline.

We reach the end of the path, which stops about 200 metres from the edge of the cliff.

Suddenly, there is a dramatic ripple in the air before us, and a stunningly beautiful woman, with midnight hair a piercing green eyes, greets us, but I'm too busy gawking at the massive, beautiful castle that slowly materialized from behind the woman, with its soaring towers and detailed stone walls.

I'm snapped out of my trance by a fairly annoyed Aurelia.

"Stop gawking, you look like an idiot!" She hisses in my ear.

I snap my mouth shut, and turn my attention to the woman in front of me, I just notice, she towers over me, what is she, "5'9?

A flowing yellow dress hugs her curves lightly.

"H-hello," I finally stutter out.

She gives me a warm smile I see a twinkle in her soft blue eyes.

"Nice to meet you," she greets me,"My name is Mariella, what's yours?"

"A-Ashlyn," I push the words out of my mouth.

"Well, welcome Ashlyn, may I call you Ash?"she asks me, I glance at Aurelia for help.

"Agree" she sighs telepathically into my head, "it'll make it a lot easier for the both of us,"

I turn my attention towards Mariella and nod my head, but what does Aurelia mean, it'll make it easier for the both of us? I barely have time to ponder on this, however, when Mariella starts walking towards the magnificent carved oak doors, and beckons us to follow, as we get closer the carvings in the door become clear, dragons, what is it with these people and dragons?

I have to admit I've always wanted a Dragon, my bookshelves a crammed full of books about the beautiful beasts and their mystical riders.

The double doors swing open in front of us and my breath hitches in my throat as the removal of the carved wood reveals a stunning, glowing, collosal golden eye staring through the gap that is now small in comparison to the sheer size of the eye, which is flanked by sparkling green scales that are also glowing, if I might add.

"It has been to long time I last saw you, Ashlyn" comes an eerily familiar voice from inside my head, the voice that invaded my dreams constantly two years ago.

"Nice to see you too, old friend," I positively hiss at the beast before me.