"Robin! Slow down!" John called from just beside Niki, who was struggling to keep pace. Maggie, Will and Charlie following closely behind.
They reached the treeline bordering the entrance to the camp twenty-five minutes later. Niki had fallen back into stride with Maggie and Charlie after running out of breath in the first five minutes. Despite walking cross country since the minute they arrived in 1014, running was still a struggle for Niki.
The camp was quiet as Robin raced through the narrow gap in the rocks to their hidden home.
"Marian!?" He bellowed, catching himself before he tripped headfirst into the snuffed out campfire. "Marian!"
"Robin?!" Came her voice from the edge of the woods. A moment later her flushed face appeared through the leaves, her sword was out and gripped effortlessly in her left hand.
"Marian! What's happened? Are you alright? Where are the others?" He stumbled over his words like a horse over hurdles.
William was immediately at Marian's side as she caught her breath. "I'm fine," she said. "But Alan, he was taken and one of your friends were injured."
Maggie shot through the treeline so fast Niki had to take a moment to register it before pursuing her, with Charlie following closely behind.
"Maggie, Wait!" Shouted Niki, determined to stop her friend from entering a place of almost certain danger.
Nikita came to an abrupt stop behind Maggie who had crashed down onto the muddy floor where Kalen lay sprawled amongst the flowers and nettles that covered the ground.
Thalia was by his side, of course, she wouldn't leave him if the world was ending. Her expression was a worried one and one of shock. Her hair was all over, a stray leaf had tied itself firmly into a knot that Charlie picked out as she surveyed her.
"What happened?" Maggie asked as Niki fell to her knees next to him, Charlie checking him over for injuries.
"Will he be okay?" Thalia asked just what Niki was about to, ignoring Maggie's question.
"I think- I think he's just had a nasty head injury, might need medicine. Our medicine." She added, backing off to talk to Will about help.
Maggie sighed placing a hand on Kalen's arm and briefly shutting her eyes, muttering whatever prayer she could to her ancient goddesses and gods.
Niki wished she had a belief like Maggie and her own parents, to be able to turn to some all-powerful-being in her times of utter heartbreak and despair, but she had since given up on it all. So she wondered now, whom she may rely on for help, hoping for some divine intervention to swoop in and save the day.
But she knew no higher being would help her, so for now, she turned to Thalia. Thalia had never let her down before, and wouldn't for a while. "Help me get him back to camp," Niki said. "Thalia." She repeated again when Thalia didn't move.
Immediately she snapped out of her trance and helped carry Kalen as she looped his arm around her neck along with Niki.
They set him down in the makeshift shelter Will had helped make for them on their first day. Maggie settled next to him, a damp cloth and a wooden cup of water for him to sip on was in her hands.
Niki could only watch as Marian bandaged his head with some torn up cloth and a strange-looking green paste that she swore would help it heal and clean.
The night went on and it was getting dark, Charlie had gone with Marian to help find firewood again. Will sent Much back home and ordered him to stay there for his own safety and Robin and John, along with the Friar began to plan a search for Allan, whom had been taken in the panic and was now missing.
Maggie soothed Kalen's whimpering when he tried to move, she muttered for him to "stay still." And that "Everything's okay." Thalia did her best to make him comfortable and warm, despite the Summer heat. Marian had said a fever may set in soon due to the injury to his head.
All the while Niki felt helpless. She didn't like feeling like that. Or waiting, they were always waiting.
It was well into the early hours of the morning, still dark when Niki awoke next to Thalia, who was hugging Kalen in her sleep. She looked to his other side, to see Maggie, still awake and patting Kalen's head with the now dry cloth.
"Mags, go to sleep." She murmured, still half asleep herself. Maggie wiped her eyes and her gaze settled on Niki.
"You know when you trip over, and for a second you're free falling and you get that feeling in your chest? Well, I felt that when you guys were with the Vikings. We both did." She whispered looking back down at Kalen.
Niki's breath caught in her throat as she glanced behind Maggie to the still sleeping Charlie. Thank God, she thought. Niki still had nightmares about the way they were treated there, she knew the others did too, though she seldom pushed them about it.
"I'm feeling it again." Maggie continued. "I feel it all the time. When I sleep, when I wake. Constantly that free-falling feeling. I hate it, Niki. I hate what this whole thing has done to us all. Kalen's so quiet, he doesn't smile anymore. Even when you guys were taken, he still smiled for me. To keep me going. Keep me hopeful. . ."
"Mags," Niki said slowly, carefully. "Kalen's been through something horrific. He's still recovering. So are we all. We all handle things differently."
"But you keep it together Niki." She cried. "I don't know how you do it. I mean, I try, really I do. Most of the time I do keep it together, but it's getting harder to pretend."
Niki grew quiet for a minute. "Do you remember in Year 8, we had that really strict PE teacher? What was her name- Mrs Monly. She would always make us run the school field. Every time you or I did something wrong she made us run, just us. Jesus, she proper had it out for us. Then came the bleep test and she expected you to fail. She even said you'd be out by level 3. And what did you do?" Niki urged Maggie to remember.
"I got to level 6" She murmured.
"Damn right you did. I mean- yeah, you threw up after, nearly passed out and had to be sent home but you still held off long enough to prove that bitch wrong. You held it together, just to prove you could."
"What's your point, Niki? That I'm bad at running?" Maggie smiled, wiping a tear she refused to let fall.
"No. My point is that you try. And this whole time travel thing is no different to that bleep test. We keep going. You keep running and you don't stop running until you're safe and home again. You don't 'pretend' Maggie, you fight. There's a difference."
Maggie nodded until a slight smirk grew onto her face. "I think that's the first great piece of wisdom I've ever heard leave your mouth."
"What do you mean? I'm full of wisdom. Basically God." Niki chuckled. "Get some sleep Mags, I'll watch over him for a bit, over all of you. I'm awake now and you know once I'm awake I can't go back to sleep."
Maggie gave a tired nod and switched places with Niki. Once settled, Maggie tucked her fur blanket around herself and cuddled up closer to Lia. A moment later she was fast asleep.
Kalen grew restless an hour later, the fever kicked in to full force and was keeping him from a peaceful slumber.
"Shhh, it's alright. You're okay." Niki murmured, peeling his sweat-drenched hair back from his face.
His eyes barely opened but he fixed his gaze onto Niki and smiled crookedly. "There's no stars out tonight." He said so quietly Niki had to strain to hear.
She looked up, he was right. There was a blanket of clouds covering overhead, blocking the billions of twinkling stars.
"Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not there. The clouds should pass soon, hopefully."
He frowned, trying to reach for his head. Niki put his arm back down when he almost hit her in his uncoordinated attempt. "My head, it kills. I didn't see. . ." His eyes shuttered closed and then opened once more. "Water. . ." He begged.
Niki reached over to where Maggie had left the little wooden cup and placed it to Kalen's lips. He drank only a small sip, shivering as his body desperately tried to fight off infection.
"Save your strength, Charlie said your immune system's still in shock from being isolated for months. And your body isn't doing that great right now. So please, just focus on getting better." She pleaded. Her fingers fumbled through his hair again, then down to his cheek.
"I can't sleep, or I'll see him. . ." He whispered inwardly. Niki's hand stopped for a moment as she went to grab the dry cloth to wipe his damp forehead.
"Who do you see?" She asked. "Your brother?" She knew he missed him terribly. He had even planned to go camping with him during the summer. Guess Kalen kind of got a longer camping trip than he wanted.
"No. . . I did bad, Niki. . . Messed up. . ." He sobbed, tears pricked his eyes and he let them fall. Something ached in her chest.
She frowned then, watching his tears gleam in the moonlight as they fell onto the fur rug beneath them. "What happened?" She asked, but his eyes were already closed and he was shivering again.
She wiped his tears away and tucked him in tighter so he'd be warmer. And for a moment, her face lingered above his as she lightly kissed him on the forehead. His breath tickling her neck as she pulled away and sat up straight feeling slightly guilty and embarrassed.
Niki yawned, straining her eyes in the darkness to spot William on the other side of camp. He was on night watch and was carving a wooden sword for Much to practice with.
She kicked away her blanket and got onto her feet, walking slowly towards William in a feeble attempt to not frighten him.
It didn't work. He swung the wooden sword around and pointed it squarely at her neck.
"What're you gonna do with a bit of wood? Stab me?" She asked derisively before Will realised it was in fact, Niki.
He lowered the toy weapon with a relieved sigh. "Apologies, Lady Nikita." He spoke like he was underwater as he zoned out. "My mind is elsewhere this night."
"It's alright, honestly." She reassured. "How long have you been on watch for?"
"Not sure, I think two hours? Can't say I've been paying much attention to the time." He put Much's toy sword down near his own as silence slowly started to fill the distance around them. He was perched on the edge of a log by the now smothered fire. She joined him, sitting on the log opposite.
"Alan might be a drunkard, but he's a good man. . . I pray no harm has befallen him."
"I'm sure he is a good man, I wish we got to know him better." Niki sympathised.
"He's suffered so much, you see? Can't blame him for leaning on drinking." Will poked at the ashes of the wood with a stick they used as a fire poker.
"Why? What happened?" Niki asked confused.
Will levelled a look at her. "I thought it to be common knowledge, it would seem I'm mistaken." And as if remembering they hadn't known each other for that long at all, William sighed. "You're not from around here. I forgot."
"What happened to Alan, Will?" Niki pushed, now more curious than ever.
Reluctantly, William explained. "Alan, he. . . He lost his wife and daughter about three years ago now. An illness took them both. God rest their souls.
I'd never known a woman kinder."
Niki bowed her head as a wave of sadness took her. "How- How old was his daughter?"
". . . Four. Her name was Lily, her mother Annag. They were so happy. All the time. Annag was from Scotland and travelled all over performing, singing. Her voice was like gold silk. No wonder Alan fell so soon for her. . ." He trailed off, the past still tormented even him. Poor Alan she thought.
A/N: Sorry updates are slow, I've had end of term coursework. I'm also making character portraits (These will be shown at the end of my book) along with a new book (as if I don't have enough in my drafts ;-;) called The Children Of Balthory Manor, which is basically where Crimson Peak meets flowers in the attic. It's not gonna be released for a while yet but just a heads up if u like either of them books/ films then you'll probably like this. Again thanks for the support, keep reading. (The next century is gonna break your heart :) ).