Elementary

Chapter Seventeen

The arrow flies across the sky, seemingly in slow motion, until it hits its mark. The target in which it hits makes me gasp. Embedded in the shoulder of Ig, the sound of the arrow cutting through the wind stops in a sudden moment.
It is silent.

Nobody dares speak until Ig breaks the silence.

"I think it shot me." He whimpers, and then drops onto the ground, unconscious.

Because he says this, I wake up from what seems like a nightmare. Jumping, I rush to his side.

"What do we do?" I scream.

"Calm down!" Abdalla says. "We have to take him back to the village. Luckily we didn't go far. He'll be fine. I know from experience."
I remember the sight of the arrow hitting Abdalla's leg- which is still wrapped in his shirt. I hardly knew him then. Yet I hardly know him now, but that's not what matters.

What matters is the only other fire elementeer I know exists, who happens to be laying unconscious on the ground, with an arrow through his shoulder.

I pick him up by the other shoulder, and wrap his arm around mine as I stand back up. Abdalla comes on the other side and gingerly grabs his other side. Then I start walking, moving my feet as fast as I can. Step by step, I become more and more wobbly and dizzy.

When I look behind me, I see Meliza cupping her hands over her mouth, and widening her eyes. Frozen, but shaking. I have never seen Meliza so vulnerable before. It takes a while to process that she's guilty- something I have never thought I would see.

We went further away from the village than I remember going. It seems to take forever as we push forward. Suddenly,  a jolt makes me look at Ig. His eyes are wide, and bolting around the scenery.

"Where am I?" He looks at me. "Who are you?" His eyes look back and forth between Abdalla and I.

I stop, and staring at the dirt, I my chest feels like it falls to my feet. Who are you?

"London, we have to go." Abdalla says. So we keep walking.

"Put me down!" Ig yells. "Right now, whoever you are, put me down!" He starts pushing his toes into the ground, wriggling to get out of our grasp. I'm starting to let go, Abdalla looking at me.

"Meliza! Hunter! Come help." Abdalla calls.

Meliza is still frozen, and Hunter has to shake her shoulder before she gives a lurch and starts coming forward, still shaking. 

Hunter runs forward, grabbing Ig's feet and pulling them off the ground. Ig is mostly secure, except that he is still wriggling around. 

"Calm down! You're hurt, and we're just bringing you back to your village." I push.

Ig stares at me. There is a longing in his eyes, some sort of deep sadness. I look away quickly. 

Finally, we come next to the gate of the village. The sun is starting to set, and we open the gate to find arrows pointed at our face again.

The men glare at us for a short second, tense as could be, until suddenly all of them relax and lower their arrows. 

"He got shot." I say. "We brought him back because we thought that you could take care of him. 

"Welcome back!" One of them looks at Ig, his face with no expression.

"Please, we just can't take him any longer."

The man with the furry eyebrows glances at each of the men. Then he nods, and says: "Get 'em."

The men lunge forward, first grabbing Ig. We start to run away, but I feel a tough hand on my ankle. The grip is indescribably tough, and I slam my chin on the dirt as I try to step away. It begins to pull me in, and I scream, causing Abdalla and Hunter to turn around.