Chapter 14 – Falling

There was an eerie air over the camp as the sun descended in the distance. Aurora looked around for the others, walking through the camp, noticing the warriors doing their own thing. It didn’t take long before she could hear singing, and following the sound, she found Valeria soon after.

The shorthaired Immortalia was dancing near the fire, moving to the beat of a drum that accompanied the foreign words. The flames illuminated Valeria’s skin, causing shadows to dance around on her body. Aurora stopped for a moment, mesmerized by the sight. It seemed almost otherworldly.

A hand grabbed Aurora’s shoulder, and she jerked around, ready to fight off whoever it was when she noticed Milada.

“Oh. My. Gods. Aurora!” she squealed. “These warriors are amazing, like, have you tasted their food?”

Aurora shook her head. She hadn’t even thought about food yet. There was too much of a havoc inside her mind to consider something as simple as eating.

“You simply have to try it.” Milada tugged at her hand and pulled her over to a long table covered in food. There were no plates, but the warriors had collected some large leaves to substitute.

Aurora grabbed a leaf and glanced over the various dishes. She turned to Milada who was happily stuffing her face with fruit. As Aurora opened her mouth, Milada pushed something inside.

A bittersweet taste hit Aurora’s tongue, and she tried to savor it. Her mouth was filled with the delicious juice after the bitterness subsided. She swallowed, and then she nodded in approval.

“That is amazing,” she said.

“I know, right?” Milada spoke with her mouth full of fruit. “I’ve been stuffing my face all evening.”

Aurora smiled to her, before turning around and facing the fire. She found the movement of the flames oddly calming, and she closed her eyes to listen to the music.

“So…” Milada said, chewing loudly. “What did you say to Aaron?”

Taken aback, Aurora glanced at the younger Immortalia. “How did you know that I’ve been talking to him?”

Milada shrugged. “He was looking for you earlier, and I sent him to the waterfall. I figured he’d talk to you about something important.”

“Oh…” Aurora didn’t know how to respond. Her mind recalled her conversation with Aaron, and a feeling of despair crept over her. She didn’t know how to continue—she didn’t know what her next move had to be.

“So… When did you two come back, anyway?”

“I’ve been back a while. Just checked on Zachary.” Aurora bit into a piece of fruit, hoping to end the conversation.

“Ah. I don’t like him,” Milada said, scrunching up her nose.

“Me neither, but eh. He’s all I have.” Aurora shrugged. She glanced over the crowd of people. “When did Aaron come back?” she asked, hoping to sound casual.

Milada frowned. “I don’t think he’s back yet. I haven’t seen him since this afternoon.”

Aurora’s heart stopped beating for a moment, and she looked around the crowd once again. There was no sign of Aaron’s adorable brown hair, and she could feel herself tense at the possibility that something had happened to him.

Placing the leaf on the table, she started to walk back to Zachary’s tent. Maybe Aaron didn’t want to take part in the festivities, and instead, he might have gone back to rest. She walked between the female warriors cabins with light steps, careful of making too much noise.

Once she finally reached the camp, she held her breath while listening. There was nothing besides Zach’s chainsaw snoring. Aurora shook her head and stuck her head inside the tent. Aaron wasn’t here.

A sickening knot settled in the pit of Aurora’s stomach. What if something had happened to him? She glanced in the direction of the jungle, and before she could think it through, she dashed towards the waterfall.

It didn’t take long for the darkness to envelop around her, but Aurora didn’t have time to stop. Without thinking, she called upon her powers, and her arm started to illuminate her surroundings. She kept to the manmade path, careful not to burn down the entire forest.

When she finally reached her destination, she stopped and clutched her chest. Her heart was beating in double speed, and she couldn’t help but to pant while she surveyed the area.

“Aaron?” she called. “Are you here?”

There came no reply. She listened for a voice among the roar from the waterfall.

“Where is he?” she muttered. She forced the flames away and ran a hand through her hair. The moonlight shone on the surface of the water, giving the area a blue gleam.

She walked aimlessly around on the shore, wondering where Aaron might be. He wouldn’t run away from them—that much she knew. He had a much stronger sense of responsibility than simply giving up. Maybe he was avoiding her. With their previous conversation in mind, she couldn’t exactly blame him for wanting some peace.

The waterfall’s roar called to her, and once again, she wished to feel the thousand kisses from the falling water. However, it wouldn’t be a smart idea to bathe in the dark. She walked along the shore, the roaring from the water getting louder than before with each step.

A sound caught her attention. It was a low groan. Stopping up, she held her breath.

“Aaron?” she said.

This time she heard the groan more clearly. A faint word travelled with the wind, and she recognized Aaron’s voice. Dashing forth, she sped into a run, trying to find the sound. She was closer to the waterfall, and the roar from the stream made it harder to distinguish any other sound. However, she had heard him clearly. He was somewhere here.

She jumped over the wet stones, not caring about anything else than Aaron.

It didn’t take long before her foot slipped, and as the seconds seemed to move slower, Aurora felt herself falling. Her hands clawed at the air, hoping to find something to hold onto. Her shoulder hit something, and a sharp pain spread up her left arm. Screaming, her body tumbled down, finally hitting the ground.

A low moan came from beside her, and she opened her eyes to find herself engulfed in darkness. The pain in her shoulder had subsided slightly.

“I tried…” a pained voice came from her right.

“Who’s there?” she asked, wincing as her shoulder hurt when she tried to sit up.

“It’s me…” The voice was barely above a whisper, but Aurora recognized it as Aaron. Ignoring her shoulder, she sat upright.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

He didn’t reply, but she could hear on his strained breathing that something wasn’t right. She leaned against the wall of moist soil, and then glanced up to see how far down they were.

“Who makes a big hole in the ground?” she muttered. With her right hand, she illuminated the place. They were far beneath the ground, in a tunnel of sort. She could hear the river from above, but she couldn’t find a way to get out of there.

The ground was slightly wet, and a small panic attack resurfaced when she realized that this place could be covered in water. Her body shook slightly, causing a jarring pain in her shoulder to act up. She focused on her limb, discovering a dislocated shoulder.

Aurora cursed beneath her breath. This would be painful. She forced the flames to simmer down, before struggling to place her arms out, her elbows in ninety degrees angle. Rotating it to the side, she held her breath, trying to swallow the pain. With much effort, she raised her arm slowly, waiting for the shoulder to click naturally back in place.

As the pain subsided, she let out a breath of relief. She had been trained in situations such as this, and luckily, her healing abilities would make sure she didn’t suffer for long.

Turning her attention to Aaron, she used her hand to light up his features. His eyes were closed, and blood glued to the side of his face. Aurora crawled over to him, shaking him slightly. He blinked twice before groaning loudly.

She didn’t know how severe the wounds were, and she bit her lip while trying to figure out what to do. Getting an idea, she started to melt her own ice, causing a small stream of liquid to run from her hands. It wasn’t much, but it did manage to reveal the gash on the side of his face.

How could she get in touch with the others? Aaron needed medical help, but there was no way to get in touch with the rest of their group.

Instead, she sat down beside him and dragged him to sit against the wall. She used her powers to examine the rest of his body. His clothes were torn in several places, and the cloth was soiled with blood. Oddly enough, Aurora didn’t find any wounds near the lashes.

“You better have an explanation for that,” she muttered before pushing the issue aside. There was no point in dwelling on pointless things, which Aaron could probably explain perfectly on his own.

“I didn’t mean to…” he muttered, before his head slid onto her lap.

Surprised, Aurora yelped, causing Aaron’s head to bounce slightly against her thigh. Feeling awkward, she opted for calmness and leaned against the wall.

“What didn’t you mean to?” She released a breath, giving in to her curiosity.

He didn’t reply at first, and she’d almost given up on waiting when he whispered, “I didn’t mean to kill her.”

Her? Who’s her?

“Who did you kill?” she asked

“I’m so sorry,” his voice broke, and Aurora could feel him sob slightly against her legs.

“Not exactly my dream date,” she muttered. Her hand found his hair, and as she stroked his head, she thought over his words.

She’d been in Shani’s head, and no place did she see anything that would classify Aaron as a murderer. She searched her mind to find anything she might have missed. It just didn’t add up.

Instead of worrying about it, Aurora decided to save some of her strength. She was going to need it if she had to carry Aaron out once the sun was up. Closing her eyes, she relaxed with Aaron in her arms.

***

A loud war cry woke Aurora from her slumber. Confused, she jerked upright. A shimmer of light came from above, and she saw Aaron still resting in her lap.

“We are here!” she yelled. “There’s a deep hole in the ground. Be careful—we can’t get up.”

Aaron groaned, and she stroked his head once more. “Shh… We’ll get help soon. Don’t move.”

“Aurora?” Milada’s voice called. “Where are you?”

They were actually here. She didn’t have any idea how long they’d already stayed. She dragged Aaron to sit up, ensuring that he leaned securely against the wall of soil. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to come up with a plan. Her shoulder didn’t ache any longer.

Biting her lip, she had an idea. It might not help, but it was worth a shot. She glanced to Aaron’s silhouette as if he’d be able to reassure her. What would he do if the roles had been reversed?

“It doesn’t matter what he would do, Aurora,” she muttered. “He can’t do anything right now.”

She could still hear Milada’s calls, mixed with various war cries. If she could signal her position to them, they’d be able to help her out without accidentally falling down themselves. Aurora took a deep breath and concentrated on her training.

When she was fighting ALF, she was able to form fireball covered in frost. Right now, she needed a signal—a large signal that would show the others where she was. She inhaled slowly, the flames spreading rapidly on her right arm. With a small flick of her hand, she managed to force the flames upwards in a wave.

“Here goes,” she muttered.

She threw the waves of fire upwards, hoping to throw it far enough for the others to notice. The hole illuminated, and she saw how far down they actually were. Halfway up, the flames started to descend again. Cascading down in a waterfall, Aurora jumped to cover Aaron’s body.

She felt the embers touch her skin, scowling at the pain, but she didn’t budge. She had tried worse pain, and she could heal. Aaron wasn’t that fortunate.

Once she was certain that there was no more ember falling down, she turned around to attempt it one more time. However, instead of repeating the same mistake, she reached out both of her hands. Aurora couldn’t explain what happened, but as she flicked both her hands, a spear of frost travelled upwards while the flames licked against its sides.

Holding her breath, she watched as her powers shot through the air. A part of her was focused on listening, hoping that their rescue team would notice. Once it escaped the earth, she heard the yells from several women, and it didn’t take long before she heard a familiar voice from above.

“Aurora?” Valeria asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine, but Aaron is wounded.”

“Wait a moment…”

There was a long moment before a thick rope was thrown down to her. She hurried to grab it, tying it around her waist while pulling Aaron close to her. Smacking him gently on the cheeks, she tried to wake him up.

“Aaron.” Smack. “You need to wake up and hold onto me tightly so we can get out of here.”

Aurora released a breath when she saw him open his eyes. Realizing it was too much of a risk; she untied her waist, binding them together instead. She swung his arms around her neck and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“We’re ready,” she called.

The rope tightened, and Aurora tried not to blush as Aaron’s face was squished against her chest. Focusing on the task, she used all of her strength to keep him up. The force of the pull caused her to bump into the wall several times, but she managed by grinding her teeth together.

When they were safely pulled up onto the grass, Aurora released a breath of relief. The next couple of events happened too fast for her to take proper notice. Her eyes slowly closed, and she could feel the energy draining from her body. She’d been going on adrenaline for so long that she didn’t know whether she’d be able to stand up.

“Don’t worry. I’ll mix a shot for you,” Milada said.

Someone was carrying her. Aurora’s body seemed to float in the air, and every time she forced her eyes open, the scenery changed.

It wasn’t until the smell of a shot wafted toward her that she got a new sense of energy. It had been too long since her last one, and her mouth watered as she saw Milada carefully carry it over to her.

“Drink it right away,” Milada said. “No stalling this time.”

Aurora knocked back the shot, reveling in the sweet rejuvenating juice. Her strength came back, and she felt like nothing could bring her down.

“I need to see Aaron.” She jumped up from the bed, but Milada stopped her.

“Whoa. Easy there…” Milada took the glass from her and placed it safely on a table. “I’ll take you to him.”

Feeling restless, Aurora tapped her foot impatiently. She needed to see if Aaron’s head was okay. There hadn’t been an opportunity to check earlier. The memory of Aaron’s bloody face came to mind, and she wondered if there were any additional damage to his brain.

Milada grabbed her wrist, and then started to lead the way. Aurora knew that she could easily force the younger Immortalia to release her grip, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was Aaron.

The warriors were all standing around Zachary’s tent, and Aurora was happy to see that at least he was better. He entertained them with one of his silly jokes, and as annoying as that was, she couldn’t help a small smile from spreading.

“They’re over there,” Milada said. She pointed to one of the warrior cabins, where Valeria was standing with a confused look.

A deep unsettling knot formed in the pit of her stomach. Aurora pulled her hand free and rushed over to Valeria. “What is it?” she asked, panting slightly. “Is Aaron okay?”

Valeria gave her a small smile. “Relax. He’s alright…”

“What’s wrong then?” Aurora frowned.

The Immortalia ran a hand through her short hair. “Well. Nothing is wrong exactly…” She scratched her chin. “But I thought you said Aaron was wounded?”

“Yeah. His head had a massive open wound on it. I washed the blood away by using my powers and—“

“It’s not there,” Valeria interrupted. “There’s no wound… He’s weak and tired. But he’s not hurt anywhere.”

Aurora scoffed. She’d seen it with her own eyes. He was bleeding from the head while he was unconscious. Valeria must have been mistaken.

“You can see for yourself if you don’t believe me.” Valeria gestured to the cabin.

Pushing her way forth, Aurora shot a look at Milada before crawling up on the small platform. She skidded over to his head and gently turned it from side to side.

“See?” Valeria said. “We’ve checked his whole body. There’s nothing there.”

Aurora simply stared at the side of his head. There had been a deep gash there—she was sure of it.

“Are you okay?” Milada asked. “You look kind of pale.”

“Wha—Yeah. I’m fine… I…” her voice dropped to a whisper. “I must have seen it wrong, then.”

Milada grinned. “Don’t worry then. Aaron will be fine. Come on. let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Aurora left the cabin and followed the two Immortalias. There was something wrong here.

I swear… I washed off that blood, she thought. She bit down on her bottom lip. Now there’s no wound—it has healed. Which isn’t possible unless…

She clenched her fists tightly, centuries worth of memories running through her mind.

Unless he’s the last living male Immortalia...

A/N: Please vote.