Moonhunter

Chapter 7 .: Small Talk :.

.: Chapter 7 :.

Small Talk

      The river was at a great speed.

      Aldric was getting swept away, and he was beginning to get really worried. It was a fall day and the water was chilly. His wet clothes were weighing him down. The current was too strong for him.

      His head dipped into the water, and he could see its murky depths through a haze.

      He began to panic. He didn’t know what to do. He flailed his hands above the water in order to get to air. His breath was coming in short bursts.

      He went under the water’s surface, his hands groping helplessly for something to help him up. His foot slipped over the slimy rocks. He couldn’t find a sturdy surface. Underwater, he tripped, unable to keep steady.

      Aldric had been in this river before with Sicham. He had almost drowned. The end near the academy was shallow, but on the other side, it was deep for even Sicham.

      He was quickly losing breath...

      Memories flashed before his eyes; of his mother, smiling, the sun catching her blonde hair. She had been the prettiest person Aldric knew. Kind, beautiful, gentle, all the things moms were supposed to be.

      His father, holding up a book he used to read to him. True, Da had been gruff at times, but he knew just how to cheer Aldric up when he was down.

      Of Sicham teaching him Bellator spells...

      The darkness was swallowing him up...

      Dimly, he could see a slim figure above him. Her form was shaky, but the long hair told him that it was a girl. He tried to breathe but choked as water entered his lungs.

      He was falling...

      The water was swallowing him up like a fish.

      I hate the water, he thought fervently. I’m never going back into it ever again.

      His oxygen-deprived brain registered the splash distantly. He realized that the girl had jumped into the water.

      Aldric couldn’t think anymore. Maybe if he stopped struggling, it wouldn’t be as painful. Despite himself, tears welmed in his eyes, stinging and mingling with the river water.

      Is this how I die?

      His lungs were in such pain... Aldric just wished it was all over already.

       The girl looked familiar. Her black hair streamed behind her in silky waves and her eyes were open. He saw that they were black as night.

      The girl took a hold of Aldric’s torso and dragged him upwards, above the surface. Black spots flickered in his eyes, but he still couldn’t breathe. He blacked out.

      He was lying on dead leaves, and sand began sticking to his legs.

      “Healing Moon,” the girl said. “Breath of life.” She put a finger to his chest and water shot out of his mouth.

      It took a moment, but Aldric could finally breathe. He lay there for minutes, sucking in wonderful, cold, fresh air. It was painful work, but his lungs welcomed the change.

      Eventually, he sat up, getting a better look at his savior. He gasped. “You!” he cried at the girl, realizing who she was.

      Luna smiled back. “Me.”