Rory honestly thought they would be okay.
They all did.
They all crossed their fingers behind their backs, hoping the universe wouldn't notice.
But it did.
It did notice.
And they paid the price.
Her eyes flew open as her body jolted roughly. She felt arms around her, carrying her. Her mind felt like it was spinning, nothing made sense. Her thoughts were scattered, and her mind was racing. She remembered an overwhelming feeling took over her before she blacked out. She felt jittery as the power infused itself into her, almost as if connecting and rewriting her DNA. Her legs flailed slightly as she was carried, her body practically entirely limp. Rory got a glimpse of her hands- they were still glowing. Her body strung deliciously, energy pulsing through her. Although disoriented, she tried to sit up to see what was happening.
"Rory! Hey, Maximus, she's awake!" Aidan exclaimed as he threw a stream of fire at a warlock chasing them. The bright fire made her squint her eyes as it blinded her, turning her head slightly.
"Hey, just relax, okay? We're gonna be fine!" Maximus shouted at her in a worried tone, making Rory concerned. She tiredly glanced around, and she saw coven members throwing spells at them. She didn't notice Malakai, and the others had joined them until a large green shield was thrown up to block some spells. He shouted at the others, pointing his finger at certain spots, telling them where to go.
"This is your definition of fine?" Rory asked groggily.
"Your star show brought some attention to us, but no worries, just keep napping!" Aidan joked in a strained tone, giving her a crooked smile.
"Sleep well?" Eira quipped as she soared past her on Channing's back. The wolf pranced along wildly as Eira hit the coven members with streams of ice. Channing growled and attacked some of them, careful not to do anything to knock Eira off. The two were indeed a sight to see, both fighting elegantly.
"What happened?" Rory asked in a whisper, moving gradually.
"There was an explosion when you created the portals, and as you can see, the rest of the coven noticed," Maximus told her before shifting her up slightly, kicking a man roughly in the stomach when they got too close, "you do love the dramatics, don't you?"
"Oh, shut it! Put me down, I'm fine," she told him with uncertainty. He gave her a pointed look and went to argue with her when she stopped him. "Maximus, you need to help them, just put me down so you can fight."
Her brother reluctantly put her down. Rory staggered slightly, swaying as she got a rushing feeling of dizziness overcame her. She gave him a reassuring look before he jumped into the fight. Standing in the middle of their fighting circle, she got a chance to breathe. It took a few moments for the dizziness to go away, allowing her to stand up straight without feeling nauseous. She spotted Eliphas as he threw spells towards the coven, bright lights escaping his hands. He appeared to be caught in a duel with another warlock, shield spells, and hexes thrown around.
"Did we find her yet?" Rory brought up, careful not to say Aurora's name in front of the coven even though it was reasonably apparent that was why they're here.
"We think she's in the room at the end of the hall!" Eira shouted over the chaos. Rory frowned slightly, she tried to feel for the connection she had with Aurora, but to her horror, there was nothing.
Maybe I just need to get closer. Rory wondered despite herself.
The group gradually fought their way down the hall, the long hallway mocking them. Rory attempted to send blasts at some of the coven members, but her exhausted body struggled to do so. She only managed a few hits, the others circling her to protect her. Continuing to feel for the pull, she tried to hold onto hope. Aurora had to be here. There was nowhere else she could be.
"Check those doors!" Malakai exclaimed, referring to the doors lining the hallway. Rory immediately jumped into action, checking every door she passed. She twisted the doorknobs frantically, poking her inside as she called Aurora's name desperately.
"Rory?" she heard her own voice from a door further down the hall. She quickly realized that was her own voice- but it wasn't her.
Rory perked up in surprise, eyes wide. "Aurora?"
She continued to call the girl's name before taking off in a sprint. One of her brothers told her to wait, but she was already running. The others fought the coven, shielding Rory as she frantically ran to the door. She occasionally sent a few blasts towards a witch or warlock who broke through their fight circle. She skidded on the floor as she stopped, placing both of her hands on the door.
"How should we get in?" Rory asked Eira, turning to her. "Blast down the door? Burn it down? Beat it down? There could be guards in there. Do we sneak in?"
"I was thinking we'd just... knock?" Eira offered lamely, staring at the door with uncertainty.
Rory blinked once at her. "I... wow, they'll never see that coming."
Her eyes scanned for a doorknob, desperate for a way to open the door. When she didn't see an explicit way to open it, she decided to blast it down. "Aurora? Stand back!" Rory shouted through the door before placing both of her palms flat on the door. She quickly sent her star energy to the door, smashing it down. Rory stepped over the door, gasping at the sight in front of her.
It was Aurora.
Initially, Rory grinned with joy and relief. The girl in front of her was identical to her- she was her. Underneath the grime and grease, Rory could see her long brown hair. Her star-filled eyes stared up at her like a scared doe. Dirt and bruises litter her entire body, varying in color. She sat in a disgusting room, far worse than the cell they were temporarily in.
Then, Rory frowned. It's Aurora?
Rory stared at her blankly as the girl threw her arms around her neck.
"Oh, Rory! You found me! I knew you would..." Aurora sobbed, tightening her grip around her neck. Rory swallowed uncomfortably, awkwardly raising her hands to pat her back. She heard footsteps running towards them, and she knew it was her friends.
Rory thought she would be overjoyed to find Aurora; however, she felt terrified.
Why? Because Rory felt nothing towards her.
She felt no connection to the girl in front of her. In the vision she had with her, Rory had felt like she'd known Aurora her whole life- which might have had something to do with the fact that they were the same person. Rory hated herself for what she was thinking, she didn't want to think this way... but she felt no sense of familiarity to her, almost as if it wasn't actually Aurora. She prays she was wrong.
"Thank Freyr," Aidan breathed out before gathering Aurora in his arms. He clutched her tightly as if she would disappear any second, eyes squeezed shut. Maximus quickly joined them, hugging them both. Rory continued to stare at with calculating eyes, unsure of what to do next. Eliphas stared at her suspiciously as well, surprising Rory. The warlock tilted his head as if trying to get into the girl's mind.
"I'm so happy you found me, I wasn't sure how much longer I could take being here," Aurora told them with a small smile, her star-filled eyes dull and void of emotion.
"Well, we aren't free yet. We need to get out of here," Maximus reminded her pointedly as more people approached them.
"Aurora!" Eira exclaimed with a grin, hugging the girl tightly, making Rory flinch. "I'm so happy you're okay!" Channing embraced her as well as Saffire watched with a monotone facial expression, clearly not caring much about the scene in front of her.
Meanwhile, Rory's head was absolutely spinning. Everything was happening so fast around her; half of it felt like a dream while the other half felt like a nightmare. She's overwhelmed with how quickly everything happened. One minute she was being taught by Caeler and the next she was hugging Aurora. Well, who she hoped was Aurora. She had no idea who it could be if it weren't her. Rory blinked nervously, not understanding what was happening around her.
"Hello, Malakai!" Aurora greeted cheerfully, giving him a short hug. Rory hadn't even noticed he had joined them. She saw a few of the others holding off the coven out of the corner of her eyes. His face fell at the greeting, and it was clearly not all he expected.
Malakai pulled away, eyebrows knit in confusion. "I thought you would be more surprised to see me, especially with your brothers."
Aurora froze, sucking in a deep breath. She let out a quick laugh, plastering a broad smile on her face. "What can I say? I always knew you would come around!"
"Right..." he finished with a bewildered nod.
Rory only grew dizzier; for some reason, she was unable to get a grasp on reality.
"We have to get out of here, let's go!" Aurora shouted, partially snapping Rory out of her daze. She pulled on her Aidan's sleeve, nodding towards the door.
"Oh, right! All we have to do is fight a few more people from the coven, then we're free, yeah? Yeah... let's go!" Aidan planned spastically before taking off through the door. The others didn't hesitate to follow, leaving Rory and Eliphas behind.
Rory moved to go through the door before a firm hand gripped her elbow, pulling her back. Eliphas stared at her sternly. "Don't say anything to them. They won't believe either of us. I don't know what's happening, but you have to trust me. Be prepared for an attack."
Rory watched with wide eyes as he swept through the door, acting as if he didn't just admit that he didn't think that person was Aurora. She took a moment to compose herself, straightening up her back and lifting her head up high. She knew Eliphas was right. The others were so thrilled to have found Aurora alive that they wouldn't believe it was not actually Aurora. Throwing her hair over her shoulder, she turned on her heel and ran out the door, quickly following the others in their fight.
Having gained most of her strength back, Rory was able to fight the coven. She absorbed a tremendous amount of energy from the aisles of stars, and she assumed it would last her a long time. Her brothers were right next to her in the fight, and everyone circled Aurora in a protective circle like the one they formed earlier. Rory did her best not to look like anything was wrong. Hundreds of questions swarmed her head. Is that really Aurora? Who else could it be? If it isn't her, where is the real Aurora?
Eliphas told them they were close to the doors of the coven. They followed his lead, only having to fight a few of the remaining witches and warlocks. Most of them had gone to the Pacem Ball already. The ball did not commence for a bit, but the walk there took some time. Rory wondered how they would make it in time to save the innocent Therans. They didn't ask for this, and they didn't know what they were walking into. Finally reaching the doors they initially walked into, they thought they were free.
Eliphas threw open the doors, the cold air slapping them all harshly.
But they weren't alone.
Valery stood in front of them, shaky hands moving the bright red stream around her. Her powers jittered as if wanting to attack them. It seemed like a part of her wanted to stop them, kill them where they stand. However, her eyes told a different story. Her eyes were begging for help, glimmering with tears. It made Rory wonder when the turning point was. She assumed it was when Caeler ordered Rory to kill her. It must've made it clear that the coven didn't care about any of them; they only wanted power.
They all froze, unsure of what to do with the unexpected girl in front of them. Eliphas swung his hand to cast a spell when Rory stepped in front of him, gently shoving his hands to his side. She ignored his incredulous expression, walking closer to Valery. She stood directly in front of her, pity painting her face.
Rory stared at her pleadingly, letting out an exhausted sigh.
"Stop."
It only took that one word for Valery to fall into her arms.
Rory embraced the girl gently, slightly surprised by the gesture. The girl sobbed in her arms, hugging Rory as if her life depended on it. "I'm so sorry!"
"Get off her!" Malakai growled as he ripped Valery away. The girl stumbled slightly in disorientation, her tears staining her face.
"It's okay! I've seen into her head... I don't think she was ever on their side," Rory tried to explain cautiously, not entirely sure herself that they can trust Valery. She turned her head back to the crying girl with uncertainty. "Is that right, Valery?"
"Yes, it is! I didn't know what to do, they killed my family and just... took me! I wanted to survive, I did what I had to do," Valery explained weakly with little conviction, "if that meant playing their stupid game, then so be it."
"Spoken like a true warrior," Eliphas mocked sarcastically, his voice cold and airy. His words made her snap her head over to him, glaring at him coldly.
"I am not a warrior," she spat out shakily, pointing at him firmly.
"We can see that," Malakai said with a roll of his eyes, "look, can we figure out what to do with her later? We need to run!"
Before he got an answer, he took off down the stairs and towards the woods. Rory gave Valery a pointed look, silently begging her not to betray them. Rory eyed her body movements very carefully, trying to find any signs of future betrayal. When she saw no signs of maliciousness, Rory went back to gazing at her. The girl nodded at her before following the others. The cold air nipped their skin as they escaped from the coven. They ran in silence, no one daring to say a word. Their escape was fragile, and it depended on everyone doing their part and not messing up. One wrong move and this all would fall apart.
Rory occasionally slipped on the snow, catching herself quickly. She ran carefully while panting heavily, her lungs greedy for relief. The freezing air didn't help her, and it only made it harder to breathe. Her nose numbed, cold to the touch. She could see her frantic breath as she sprinted. Her legs felt like a lead weight as they carried her through the frigid woods. The thoughts in her mind slowed slightly from before, not entirely as overcome with fear. Her legs were the only thing that never slowed; their constant cycle of motion was the only thing making sense.
Her heart was beating rapidly, pounding so hard she was worried her chest would shatter from the pressure. It was a strange sensation, she realized, being in such excruciating pain but unable to stop moving. Her bones felt heavier every time she moved, but some part of her was strong enough to keep her moving. Her muscles felt so strained that they could snap any second. Her eyes were flickering from each person, carefully watching their movements.
While her body was in pain, her mind was suffering even more. She knew something was wrong. She knew something wasn't right with Aurora. On the one hand, she wanted just to blurt out her worries, tell them everything. But she couldn't help but wonder if they would believe her. They had worked so hard to get her back and she was just gonna come in and destroy that hope they had held so tightly onto? The same faith they had given her time and time again? But if she didn't tell them, they could get hurt. Or worse- they could die.
Rory stared at how Maximus was holding Aurora's hand, how her brother helped her run through the woods. How her brother checked in on her to make sure she was all right. How her brother truly cared for her.
She felt a pang in her chest, wishing it was real. She didn't want to hurt any of them with the truth, but she couldn't let this go on.
"Guys, I'm sorry, I can't anymore..." Rory called out as her body slowed to a stop, her feet slamming against the ground as she ceased her fast movement. They all stopped after a few moments, facing her questioningly.
"What is it?" Eira asked her as Channing trotted next to her, still in wolf form. He tilted his head like a puppy at her, which made Rory want to grin before remembering why she stopped them.
"Don't say it-" Eliphas attempted before he was cut off.
"That's not Aurora," she finally said, pointing a tired finger at her lookalike.
"I knew it!" Malakai scoffed out, shaking his head at her in fury as he stepped in front of Aurora protectively. "I knew you wanted her life!"
"That is not what this is, Malakai! I felt a connection to Aurora before, I feel absolutely nothing now," Rory tried to explain in a grave tone, careful about her words. She was concerned about how they'll react. Aurora narrowed her dull eyes at her. No one noticed the heated glare she was giving her.
"You acted so high and mighty wanting to save her, but in truth, you never wanted to get her back. You've been sabotaging us, planning to turn us against her!" Malakai accused furiously, charging towards her. Rory raised her chin, refusing to back down.
"I did want to get her back! I mean, I do! But that isn't her," she said pleadingly, desperate for them to understand.
"Rory... why are you saying this?" Aidan asked in a small voice, shaking his head in confusion. "You said you would help us. Aren't you happy? I mean, we got her back."
Rory opened her mouth to speak before a maniacal laugh cut her off.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I just can't pretend anymore," Aurora laughed, lifting a hand to cover her lips, "I was wondering how long I could pull it off."
Maximus narrowed his eyes, puzzled. "Aurora?"
"Oh... not quite," she admitted breezily, scrunching her nose.
"Calamitatis!" Eliphas shouted, sweeping both his hands towards her. A silver shimmer went through the smirking 'Aurora'. Silky blonde hair replaced her brown hair, electricity running through her body as the illusion was taken off. Thick cherry red lips twisted into a cocky smirk, batting her eyelashes innocently.
Where Aurora just was, Tempest now stood.
"I believe this is typically where I would say something witty about tricking you," Tempest began coyly as she popped her hip out, "instead of wasting my time with that, I think I'll just kill you."
"Wait... I don't- I don't understand," Aidan stuttered out, turning to Rory.
"It was a glamour, similar to the one I put on Rory earlier," Eliphas said for her, clenching his fists as his eyes locked on the blonde in front of him.
"Where's Aurora?" Maximus asked her in a cold voice.
"Oh, well, you can go find her. I think she's just over the hill... I forget where they buried her body. I wouldn't bother trying to find her, I don't suppose her bloodied corpse would have much to say anyway," Tempest said saccharinely, not bothered at all with the fact that she was referring to a dead body.
Everything stopped. Although Rory saw this coming after she lost the connection, the blow was worse than she expected. Aurora was dead. All of this was for nothing. She couldn't imagine what the others were going through right now. Her heart ached for them- their sister was dead. A part of Rory couldn't help but blame herself, but she knew the real culprit was whoever killed Aurora. Her nose began to tingle, and her eyes prickled a bit as tears welled involuntarily in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of them.
Aurora was dead.
"You..." Aidan trailed off, his voice catching. He felt a lump build in his throat, tears burning his eyes. "You're lying."
"Don't believe me? Ask star girl over here," Tempest nodded to Rory, who quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Gonna let me in your head, Tempest?"
"Oh, honey, you wouldn't be able to handle what you see," she said in an acidic tone, shaking her head, "I'm talking about your little connection to Aurora."
Rory sighed out, nodding reluctantly. The others looked at her expectantly, making her squirm. "I felt some sort of connection to Aurora, and I lost it during the village. I didn't realize what it was until it was too late."
Her guilt was evident when tears continued to sting her eyes. She gritted her teeth angrily, hating the reaction she had. Turning her attention to the others, she wished she could reach out and comfort them. Aidan was still sputtering out nonsense words, tears streaming down his face. He fiddled with his fingers anxiously, sniffing loudly. Eira stood silently, her face full of shock and disbelief, staring at Tempest as if she would turn back to Aurora. Channing whimpered next to Maximus still in his wolf form, and his head bent down low in despair. Maximus stood still, silent tears streaming down his face.
Malakai simply looked furious. He masked his hurt with pure anger, which was shown through his clenched jaw and balled up fists. He huffed out heavily, his eyes fixed on her. His green eyes swam with a mixture of anger and pain, making Rory want to reach out and try to offer him any form of comfort that she could. He wanted to save Aurora more than anything, and now she was dead.
"You should have been there! If only you could've heard how Aurora screamed for you to save her! She was so sure that her brothers would save her! How wrong she was about that, pity..." Tempest mocked with fake sympathy, fighting off a smirk, "when the coven told me to finish her off, I was delighted. I would finally get some silence."
"You killed my sister?" Aidan whispered as his voice cracked, trying to stop the tears building in his eyes.
"Enjoyed it too," Tempest added wickedly with a snarl.
"You're sick," Rory gritted between her teeth in disgust.
"Maybe you're right..." she shrugged carelessly, "but I'm gonna be the one to walk away from this. Can't say the same for any of you, unfortunately."
"You against the rest of us? Hardly seems fair for you, actually," Maximus growls, cracking his knuckles with an intimidating look on his face.
"You think the coven sent me here alone? They have a plan! And in a few seconds, I'll contact the coven, and then you'll all be dead! You lost!" Tempest exclaimed hysterically, looking borderline insane.
"Contact them? And just how do you plan on doing that?" Rory questioned in wonder, intrigued by the idea of being able to contact people so quickly. She had been thinking of ways to create a communication device similar to ones on Earth, but Thera didn't seem to have any similar technology.
"They charmed a spell for me to say, it'll summon them right here! It doesn't matter that I'm not a witch... all I have to say is one word, and they'll come running," Tempest boasted to them proudly.
"Then why haven't you yet?" Malakai quipped, his green eyes swimming with sadness as he stared at his lost friend. "You could've done that the second you dropped the glamour, but you haven't. And something tells me you won't."
"Don't act like you know me anymore, Malakai. We haven't known each other in a long time," She reminded him with a slight growl.
"Maybe you're right..." he admitted with a small nod before clenching his jaw, "or maybe I know who you really are... not who you're pretending to be. Maybe the 'you' that I know won't summon the coven here. And maybe that's the real you, not the version of you that's just a pawn in someone else's game."
"Tempest, we don't have to do this anymore," Valery tried in a low tone.
"Shut up, you traitor!" she spat out, eyeing the girl in disgust. Their argument was temporarily interrupted by a broken voice.
"Why would you kill Aurora? Why did you kill my sister? What did she do to you?" Maximus' voice grew in volume with every word, tears pooling in his eyes at the thought of his dead sister.
"The coven forced my hand-" Tempest began lamely before she was interrupted.
"No one forced you to do anything! You have the chance to run away with us right now, but instead, you're choosing to be their weapon!" Malakai spat out in a snarl, storming up to her with angry tears stinging his eyes.
"Don't you dare call me their weapon!" she screeched at him, lightning jumping in and out of her skin as her emotions got out of control.
"Then don't act like one! You don't have to be what they've made you be, Tempest," Malakai said softly, his voice dropping to a whisper as he stared at her sadly. "Please, don't do this. Let us go."
Silence filled the air. The two stared at each other with unreadable expressions on their faces. The uncertainty was hanging like a thin thread in between them. Everything was lying on the choice that Tempest made next. There was no more stalling left for them to do- it was now or never. Tempest needed to decide which side she was on. Should the thread break, they were doomed. All it would take was one cut for the thread to fall. One choice could slice through the air and shatter the thread to the ground.
As for Rory, her head was still spinning. This entire situation was making her incredibly dizzy. Everything was happening so fast and so suddenly... nothing was making sense. She kept pinching herself, desperate to wake up from this nightmare. All she wanted to do was wake up and start over... but you couldn't wake up from reality.
This was reality.
They crossed their fingers behind their backs, hoping the universe wouldn't notice.
But it did.
"I am... whatever they want me to be," Tempest repeated her words from earlier, trying to act confident but instead appearing terrified. With that, she closed her eyes and muttered the words to contact the coven.
"Veni."