Page 31 of His Greatest Treasure

“How do you know?”

“Because it’s there. I can see it. It’s the only broken bond I can see. Everyone who met him has one, actually, and that’s really unusual. Normally, people only form bonds with people they care about or feel responsible for.”

“So everyone loved Alexander?”

“Maybe. The bonds don’t feel… affectionate, though. More like the bond Father has with everybody.Maybe Alexander had a bond with the whole clan because he was meant to inherit the title from Father, one day. Then he’d have been the Somerville elder and he’d have been responsible for us all.”

“What does that have to do with the bond you and your mother have?”

“It’s the same one she has for all her sons. She loves us. Only, she lost one of us, and it’s made her scared to lose the rest of us as well. She’ll be relieved when Morgan finally gets home.”

“I thought you said Lord Somerville wanted him to train to fight.”

“I did. He does. It’s just that now there’s a threat out there, Mother wants him back here where we can all protect him. It’s a shame that he’s going to have to leave the Hoskins clan, though, because he fancies—”

Alfie cut himself off and slapped his other hand against his mouth. From behind his palm, he mumbled, “I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s okay,” I assured him. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone. Who else would I tell, anyway?”

“I didn’t mean to give away hissecret.”

Alfie was still mumbling from behind his hand and I prised it away from his mouth so I could hear him properly. It meant that I found myself holding both of his hands.

Instead of letting go, Alfie tightened his grip and we sat there like that as we continued to talk.

He told me all about his brother and the instructor that Morgan liked. He told me tales ofcuraidhclans and even told me the history of his own clan.

I was so enthralled that I didn’t even notice it getting late. Only when Alfie suddenly jumped up and looked around him in shock did I realise that it had grown dark.

“Mother’s worried about me. I think she’s realised I’m missing. I have to get back to the castle before she realises I’ve left.”

I was disappointed but I tried not to show it. The trouble was, I wasalwaysdisappointed when Alfie had to leave. I watched him until he was out of sight and then I looked around the little hut. It looked so bare without Alfie in it.

And it was cold, too. I got goosebumps and my skin prickled with vulnerability. I hadn’t noticed that feeling had gone until it crept back over me now I was alone again. Why didn’t I feel scared like this when Alfie was here?

Chapter 14

Alfie

Ididn’t mean to be disobedient but I really, really needed to see Blaze. I had no idea why I was so sure that it would help but the need to see him got lodged in my throat somewhere and I couldn’t eat and could barely talk around that desperateneed.

I’d been in the castle for two days, trapped inside by the rest of the clan, who all gathered round and seemed suddenly to swarm all over the place. I couldn’t walk down a corridor without someone popping up out of nowhere and spotting me.

It wasn’t even that they were following me. I was sure they were just unsettled.

And why wouldn’t they be?Iwas unsettled.

That was why I needed to see Blaze so badly. I needed—

I wasn’t sure what exactly it was that I needed but I was absolutely certain that Blaze would give it to me.

That was why it was past midnight and I was wide awake, dressed in black and sneaking out of my room. I listened for the slightest sounds, straining to hear a breath or a scuff or footsteps, anything that would help me avoid another person.

Only once did I hear footsteps, and I hurried away from them before our bond even rose up, so I didn’t know who it was. That was for the best, or they might have seen our bond too and realised I was up when I shouldn’t have been.

My footsteps echoed around the kitchen and I had to walk slowly and carefully, placing my feet silently. I loaded a huge bag with food, not even caring that the chef was going to realise the stuff was missing. Blaze had been outside for two days and there was no way he had enough food to last that long.

Once I was outside, I hurried. I practically ran to the woods, across the large fields and prayed that nobody was looking out of their window right at that moment to see a black-clad figure sprinting for the tree line.

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