The Metaphorical Key Book I- Call of the Raven

Chapter XVIII

For one horrifying moment, Aiden thought that Curtis was dead, but the teen's chest was rising and falling, even as his breath rattled in his chest and blood trickled from a deep cut on his chin. Aiden wasn't quite sure what wound had caused his friend to fall, but judging by the way the grass was turning red, it was bad.

No, no, no, oh god no.

Aiden blinked wildly and fretfully, salty tears brimming in his eyes and carving tracks down his ash-smeared cheeks as Curtis slowly raised his arm (burned, so badly burned, radiating heat, his fault, all his fault) and feebly pointed to the left, then to the right.

Aiden followed his finger to the left and saw the stone, humming quietly and shuddering with great velocity. He could see it faintly through the mist clouding his eyes, the stone flickering between various shades or red, orange, and gold.

His eyes darted over to the right, to the man Curtis had been fighting only seconds before. To Aiden's grotesque dismay, he wasn't dead, and was currently shoving himself up with one arm.

Aiden swallowed and darted over to the stone, leaning down and grabbing it without slowing, his fingers burning as they rubbed against the dirt, the friction burning his skin.

He skidded with the sheer speed of his sprint, and whirled around before kicking out behind him as if skating across the dirt and raced over to the man, who'd just gotten up.

"Huh. Nice going. You've actually managed to pick it up. Anyway, your friend... he got me pretty bad."

Aiden only noticed at that moment that scarlet blood was steadily flowing from a deep gash on the man's shoulder.

It's over, Curtis. Did you hear him?

"But you should know..."

Aiden looked up.

"I have my own fair share of friends."

Aiden's heart tightened- so close, but so far at the same time. His throat closed and it look all of his willpower not to cry out or scream.

He tightened his grip on the stone and prepared to bolt for Rico or Regina or Pollux or Dulcie or anybody to help him, but as his eyes darted around the battlefield, all he saw were quick blurs, and he was left unable to distinguish friend from foe.

Still, he figured that trying to find them would be better than waiting for his friends or somebody else to find him.

It suddenly occurred to him, rising out of the midst of the battle, that Regina was downstairs.

Although he saw several figures striding towards him, probably at the other man's command, he figured that he had enough time to rip the door open and run down to fetch Regina, and then he and the better trained woman could go up and face that group together.

But he'd be leaving Curtis at the mercy of those Catago, and so Aiden's hand fell from the door handle.

He couldn't leave Curtis to their mercy, especially not after Curtis had forsaken his own safety to protect Aiden.

I'll make it up to you, and then once you're all better, we'll be even, won't we?

The man's friends were at him faster than he could scream for help, and Aiden's heart sunk as one of them pulled a long knife from his belt.

Aiden swallowed and lurched forwards and away, back, left, right, left, right, zigzag.
"Stop panicking, Tex, he can't hurt you with that thing."

Watch me, assholes.

Aiden continued his zigzag pattern away from the Catago soldiers, holding the stone and focusing, clutching the stone so hard he felt pinpricks of pain stab into his palms.

His heart pounded in his chest, and his blood roared in his ears, a lion telling him to fight, to survive, for Curtis.

His eyes flitted to the teen who'd saved him. Still alive, thankfully. He couldn't bear to think about... the other option.

I'm alive because you saved me.
I'm alive because Ada saved me.
I'm here because Rico sent me that letter.
Pollux shot that monster.