The Journey To Orillion

Chapter 7: Sneak Attack

(Cami's POV) 

I saw Esmeralda's shoulders start slumping and her arm trembling from the work of keeping it up. Don't push yourself too hard, Mera. Next in chronological order, the magic keeping the ball hovering above and defying physics deceased, making the water fall back into its rightful place in the ground. Not even a moment after, Esmeralda's knees buckled beneath her, dropping her to the concrete. Her eyes fluttered closed as the rest of her body came down. 

"Esmeralda!" I yelled, hoping she hadn't lost conscience just yet. I started to come to her aid as soon as I said this, but, unluckily, she fainted before I reached her. 

"Oh, no..." I look around, knowing no one would be there, but wishing that maybe her luck could change. I bend over, struggling to push my arms under the limp, slender body. I give up after realizing that Terence would be more efficient at this. I roll her over to her back and hear a strange popping noise when doing so. 

"I'm sorry," I say to her, begging that she will hear me. I leave the room, leaving Esmeralda sprawled awkwardly on the ground. I shuffle hurriedly to the exit, and down the peaceful passage to the back door. 

When I was within reach, I yell, "Somebody! ... Help!" saying the words between labored breaths. My body isn't the way it used to be. I think sadly. The two conversing cooks immediately took action. One of them hurried to the left wing, the adult quarters, and the other helped me to the couch in the living room, asking what was troubling me, and what happened. Soon afterward, Terence and his wife came down the stairs to see a very sweaty maid on the couch. 

"Cami!" Elisha said after seeing me. She came and got on her knees in front of me, holding my hand in hers. "What happened?" She looked at me with huge concern, which made me pleased. 

"It's Mera," I say simply, still catching my breath from half-running, half-shuffling the long way over here. 

Terence took a seat next to me, looking at his wife. "What about her?" he asked, directing his eyes back to me. 

"She's unconscious in the training room. I couldn't... pick her up and bring her here."

Terence stood up suddenly. "Cami, Elisha, stay here. Calm yourselves. I'll be back within ten minutes," he turned to go out to the kitchen, but his honey stopped him. 

"I want to help you, dear. Take me with you. The cooks can help Camilia catch her breath; they aren't busy at a time like this," Elisha pleaded. 

Terence looked at his wife with a lover's eye and thought about it. Eventually, he sighed, giving into her pretty face, and said, "Fine. Let's go." He looked back over to me before saying, "Cami, take care of yourself while we are gone, okay?" Although it hurt that they wouldn't stay, I nodded my head. 

"Of course, Terence," 

And with that, they exited out the back door and ran to their damsel in distress. 

Well... I thought. What am I going to do in the meantime?

I look at the old coo-coo-clock hanging on the wall, reading 1:24. Wait... Something isn't right here. Esmeralda woke up around 12:00, we left about fifteen minutes later to train. The walk there takes about fifteen minutes as well. I explained my history for five minutes, Esmeralda battled Scalene for about ten minutes, the Dance of Concentration for five minutes. that adds up to... 12:50. Minus the time it took for me to get here, Esmeralda was able to keep her ball up for... 20 minutes? 

My jaw drops at how astounding Esmeralda is at magic. Esmeralda... could the prophecy be true?  I get up and move up the stairs to Mera's wing. I move over to her bookshelf, taking the first book she ever read and turned it to the sixth page. I pull out a worn, yellow paper from the book and read it slowly like I did all those years ago. 

In the days of passing,
A girl will rise from her home.
She will find her purpose,
In the days of past.
But only in the days of future,
Will she figure what is buried beneath.
And she will choose.

I thought about the three lines that agree with Esmeralda's situation and contemplated what the others could mean.

"She will find her purpose in the days of past?" I asked myself quietly. And what does Esmeralda have to choose between?

I hear the kitchen door swing open, and soon I am making my way down the stairs to the lobby again. I look towards the couch, hoping to find Esmeralda sleeping soundly with her parents on either side, but no one was there. A cold, circular piece of metal was then put on my temple.

"Get down, granny," I hear a deep, unfamiliar voice command me. My breathing speeds as I move off the last of the stairs and on the floor of the living room.

"Sit," he tells me. I abide and make my way slowly to the couch. I feel the barrel of the gun being pressed harder against me in doing so.

"What's a lonely old lady like you doing in a house like this?" I turn slightly to see the man in my peripheral. Black mask, white skin, black clothing... I list off what I see of him. I feel a sharp pain in my skull as he presses his pistol harder on my skin. "Answer me!" he barks.

"I-I..." words failed me as someone else crept behind this evil scum of a man.

"Granny, do you wanna die today?" he asks me, pulling back the trigger a little bit. In that instant, the person behind him grabs the attacker's arm and takes the gun before he can shoot me, but a gunshot still rings in my ears as the two men wrestle. I feel something dripping from my ears as my right leg goes numb. I yell, but I am unable to hear myself, and tears choke me as I sputter, "Help!" Blood pours from a hole in my thigh and soaks the cloth around it, getting my dress and leggings stained a deep red. I close my eyes for my immobility and hope for the best to come out of this wretched scheme of robbery. I didn't close my eyes to try and not cry, I closed my eyes to try and make my brain believe this wasn't happening; this wasn't real. Having my eyes closed, and my hearing disabled, I didn't see the man in black go limp from another gunshot. I didn't see the blood getting soaked into the light grey carpet in the living room. The high-pitched ringing in my ears was slowly fading, and I already accepted the possibility of death. With my eyes still tightly closed, I felt a warm, moist hand on my shoulder.

"Miss?" I didn't hear. "Miss, are you alright?" He, or what I could assume was a he, started shaking me back and forth. I opened my eyes slowly, and wished I could just be alone and safe. I was blinded by the unfamiliar light and saw the blurry face of a teenage boy.

"Miss!" he exclaimed, and I moved my hand away from my bloodied right ear. I felt very dizzy in that moment, and leaned back against the couch for support. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard an abandoned name, "Cynthia!"