Pᴇʀғɪᴅɪᴏᴜs || Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Eɪɢʜᴛ Bᴏᴏᴋ Fᴏᴜʀ

Chapter six// Thoughts and Moonlight

Lucia
Fire was all around me as I halted in the village. I heard cries for help, sobbing, and crashing sounds as the buildings started to collapse. Narrowly avoiding a burning timber, I stared around. "Niko?" Smoke was making it's way into my lungs, making it hard to breath. "Elle?" I coughed out. At the word, my spirit animal flashed into being. She surveyed the flames around us, eyes rolling white. The thoroughbred whinnied worriedly, nudging me forward. I coughed again, but started walking. Elle nudged me again, and I started running. Stumbling, the two of us made our way out of the wreckage. We stood in the centre of the town, flames creeping closer on all sides.

"Help!" A cry broke into my thoughts. I looked up at Elle, who snorted and shook her head in disagreement.

"I have to do this." I growled in reply, turning on my heel and jogging to the voice. I found them in a matter of minutes, a girl trapped beneath a burning stack of timbers.

"I knew someone'd come." She gasped, struggling.

"Hold still." I replied, placing my hands on the uppermost piece of woods. I gritted my teeth, feeling my hands start to blister as I slowly dismantled the stack. Finally, I could see the girl, and help her up.

"Thank you." She murmured gratefully, her arm around my shoulders for support.

"Don't thank me yet." I responded darkly. "We still have to get out of here."

Just then, a shadow broke through the smoke. A high-pitched whinny told me it was Elle, and I sighed with relief. "Over here, girl! Over here!" I called loudly, hoping she'd follow the sound of my voice. She did, coming into view a few moments later. I helped the girl up onto her back, then climbed up myself. I sat behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and gripping Elle's mane.

"Get us out of here!" I cried, nudging her with my heels as a burning slab of wood barely missed us. The mare obliged, leaping forward and cantering toward safety. We exited the village, coming out of the opposite side of the flames. I slid down from her back, helping the girl down behind me.

"You were amazing." I said softly, stroking Elle's nose, from which some of the fur had been burned off. She nickered gently, then vanished and reappeared upon my ankle. Hefting the girl, who was barely conscious by now, I started in search of my friends.

It felt like two hours before we found them. I staggered into their camp, the girl a deadweight in my arms. Tyler immediately rushed over to take to girl, lifting her from my arms. I stumbled toward the group and plopped down right as Niko stood. He offered me a friendly smile and headed to the medical hut, where Navia was treating the girl. "Lucia!" Tazi exclaimed, sounding relieved. "You're alive."

"Well of course I'm alive, you dingbat. I'm sitting right here." I retorted sharply.

Sasha laughed. "Well, if she's reacting to you like that, then she's definitely alive." The Zhongese boy teased.

"I don't recall you looking for me." I scowled at him, shifting to glare down at my stinging hands. Red blisters covered my palms and fingers, where most of the skin had melted away.

"Sorry." Lizzie jumped in with an apologetic shrug. "We had orders not to go."

"Well thank Tellun that you follow orders." I returned sarcastically, tugging at my cloak.

"Shouldn't you have those burns looked at?" Sabien interjected smoothly, stopping the argument before it started. "C'mon, I'll take you to the medical hut." He tugged me gently up by the elbow and guided me toward the place in question. "I would've snuck out to find you, but..." the Islander said after a moment, his gaze sliding over in my direction.

"But what? Too scared?" I tried to add my signature sharpness to the end of the word, but my energy was too drained and it came out as more of an exhausted question.

"Well... I didn't want to risk it, yes." He admitted, "but I also didn't want anyone to come after me and get hurt as well."

That didn't surprise me. I understand his reasoning, though I couldn't help but feel let down. "Yeah, I know."

"You're lucky you got out alive." He added softly, "all to save some random girl's life?"

"Isn't that what we do?" I raised an inquisitive eyebrow in his direction, "save those who need it most? Even if we don't know who they are?"

Sabien heaved a sigh before answering. "I suppose. But... sometimes... I don't know if that's really what we're doing." We'd reaches the hut and stepped inside, preventing me from responding. But his words turned over and over in my mind.

If that's not what we're doing, then... what are we doing? Are we really trying to save the world? I wondered silently.

"Lucia!" Navia pushed aside the off-white curtain separating the two halves of the hut, her expression brightening to cover a grim look that did not go unnoticed. "Thought I heard your voice. What's up?"

"These." I offered up my red, raw and blistered hands.

"Ouch." She winced sympathetically. "Well, I've got just the thing for that." Navia had me sit on the floor and pulled my hands into her lap, gently removing any bits of splinters she could. I sucked in a breath and bit my tongue, doing my best to ignore the pain.

"There." The Ardu inspected my hands one last time before reaching out one of her own. "Pass me the burn cream please, kyif."

Sabien caught my eye as he placed a small container in Navia's palm, his face flushing bright red. Unscrewing the lid, she applied it to the blisters. I sighed with relief as the cooling spread took effect immediately. "Kyif?"

Navia chuckled slightly as she eased herself back to her feet and replaced the container where it'd come from. "It's a word in my native tongue, meaning love or darling."

"Oh." I stood as well, smirking at Sabien. "Ooooh."

Navia rolled her eyes. "You should probably stay the night here, just in case."

"Alrighty, if you say so." I looked around to see only two cots. "Um..."

"We'll share." Sabien jumped in, referring to him and Navia. "It'll be fine."

Navia snorted, then reached up to brush a spec of dirt off his cheek. "Well, you two get some sleep already. I'll be right back; I have to check on the girl." With that, she vanished behind the off-white curtain once more.

I stretched out on one of the cots, hearing Sabien do the same. In a matter of minutes, his breathing had deepened and he was no longer moving around. I rolled over and propped up my chin to stare outside. The curtain rustled, and I twisted to see who it was. I could barely make anything out in the dim moonlight, but I would recognize that face anywhere. "Niko?"

"Oh, hey Lucia." He wandered over and took a seat alongside me.

I straightened and crossed my legs beneath myself. "What're you doing here?"

"Checking on Jayde."

I felt my muscles tense, all in sync. "You know her."

"Yeah, we were friends, way back when." He looked over and tilted his head slightly. "Thanks."

"For what?" I asked, struggling to keep my tone neutral.

"For saving her life. I owe you." He patted my shoulder, offered a soft grin, and stood. Vanishing behind the curtain yet again, I was left with nothing but my thoughts and the moonlight.

We were friends... what are we actually doing... can we really save the world... who is Jayde... is it possible for people to change. The last thought hit me like a racehorse, accompanied with a wave of exhaustion. I laid back on the cot and turned over. Is it possible... for me to change?

Annnnnnd I'm a liar. I'm sorryyyyy ;-; I really thought I'd have the next chapter up super quick, but I didn't. I'm a bad person oof. Well... I don't know when next chapter will be out, but it may not be for a while cuz exams and school ending and etc. But stay tuned! Love y'all 3000! (Yes I'm making that my outro :3 if y'all are haters then FITE ME)