Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Tower ❯ Rescued ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: YAY! Okay, so FINALLY and update! Sorry for the long wait, I know December was a long way back but hey, it's got much better quality now. I'll have to go back and edit the first chapter, it looks awful now. So read and enjoy!

 

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A shudder ran through her, accompanied by searing pain. Every twitch, every shiver led to an agony so terrible not even the numbness that had seeped into her body could keep it at bay. She was vaguely aware that her eyes were open; she felt every sting of rain as it dropped like needles to pierce her sightless blue orbs.

Vix had the sudden feeling of weightlessness, like she was being lifted from the icy rainwater and embraced by the warm sunshine, but all that greeted her eyes was the cold darkness and the warm arms that held her were quickly fading from her awareness. Her body grew heavier, the burning in her throat and the throbbing pain in her right leg, both began receding to the back on her consciousness.

Voices, far away, greeted her ears. Fear gripped her, clutching her by the throat and squeezing her life from her. With great effort she closed her eyes, relieving herself of one pain at least. A roar split the silence, drowning out the muffled voices as if they were a candle flame to be extinguished. She struggled through the oblivion, pushing against the heaviness that blanketed her. It was a useless battle and she soon succumbed to the dark void.

~*~*~*~*

Saro jumped up, his chair toppling to the floor. In front of him was a desk cluttered with technique books and homework. A candle burned lazily off to the side, the flame a cluster of dancing pink flowers sending streams of light to perform across the dorm room. He pushed his pale, shoulder length blonde hair out of his turquoise eyes to glower at his roommate who had burst, dripping wet, through the door.

“Jack!” He said in an oddly feminine voice, “you near sent me to my grave! You can't ever use the door like a regular person, no you have to kick it in and—”

Jack stumbled to the bed, clutching a frail body to him. An arm fell to hang limply from the girl's shoulder, her head cradled against his chest, long golden hair fell over his elbow; streams of deep crimson stained the honeyed locks.

Saro let out a gasp as a purple aura pushed its way into his vision, it was the aura of a shadow Summoner, and it surrounded the girl like an ominous cloud, dark and thick after a shadow battle.

“She needs help Saro,” Jack rasped as he placed the limp figure onto the mattress, a nauseating amount of blood flowing from the grotesque gash across her throat.

“Are you daft?!” Saro hissed menacingly, “She's a shadow Summoner, have you any idea how much trouble we will have if the Night-watch catches her in here?” He turned back to the desk, carefully selecting a book and began scanning pages.

“We know what she is Saro.” Jack replied softly, trying to staunch the flow of blood with a fluffy pink towel.

“We?” Saro snapped, barely confining his ire to a whisper

“…Yes…” came the meek reply. “I-we witnessed the battle…” Saro looked up from his technique book, his neatly filed index finger resting on a page full of flesh wound remedies, stunned that he had overlooked the girl's subservient presence. The short, dark haired teen kneeled beside jack, resting her hand above the Shadow Summoner's wrist, a glowing violet light glowing where skin touched skin, shooting through the Summoner's veins, running up her arm like shining purple wires under pale flesh. Saro though a while, but couldn't remember who she was, though she seemed familiar. “I-I'm not a healer!” She sobbed. “I can keep her alive but if the body will not function I am useless.”

She looked up at him through her midnight bangs, pinning him with the anguish in her chocolate eyes, puffy and red from crying. “I cannot keep the heart beating much longer…she's loosing too much blood.” She sobbed; unable to brush away the tears that fell from her eyes for if she retracted even a small amount of energy from her spell the young girl would be lost to them.

“Saro…” Jack addressed him absently, never taking his gaze from the young girl lying half dead before him. Saro was the only healer who would not let this girl die because of what she was. He took in a deep ragged breath. The atmosphere was tense; all oxygen seemed to be sucked out of the room, replaced by the malicious aura that surrounded the child who lay dying on his bed, the precious red liquid that kept her alive was slowly oozing out of her, each heartbeat becoming slower and softer, until it was so faint the only indication that she was alive was the steady cascade of blood. He couldn't find his voice, the words he wanted to say seamed to flee from him, wrestling with his tongue so that he couldn't beg Saro to help her, couldn't ask his dearest friend to save this girl.

Saro cursed himself beneath his breath; he couldn't heal a shadow Summoner. She probably got what she deserved, who knew how many people she had killed herself, and here he was going to save her from the fate she was fit for. Pushing the reluctant Jack aside he carefully removed the now crimson towel from the dilapidated girl's throat, grimacing at the sight of tattered flesh. The cut was nasty, the blade having been fast and forceful. Wiping the fresh blood away he placed his right hand, palms down, over the gash. Closing his eyes he searched through his being until he came upon that sparkling magenta light in the corner of his soul that was capable of healing. Slowly he urged it forward, pushing it out from his chest and down his right arm. Down, down to his palm, until it radiated a soft pink light.

The girl's skin soaked the light up like a thirsty sponge, emanating a faint light blue as it reacted to the purity of healing magic. The blood stopped flowing, Saro could feel the flesh beneath his hand shifting, melding together, reattaching itself. It felt disgusting, like a spiders web being woven together, forming a small net under him. Snatching his hand back he collapsed on the floor beside the young girl whose shaking hands still clutched the Shadow Summoner's wrist.

He slowly pried her fingers from their hold; cupping her hands in his. He waited for her to regain her wits, uncertain of what to do next. Sobbing she fell into his chest, sucking in breath after hasty breath, overtaken with fatigue. It took much energy to keep a person alive and she had so little training he wondered how she had completed the task.

Jack urgently wiped away the blood that covered the girl, letting out a relieved sigh at the sight of the jagged silvery pink scar that extended across her throat. “Thanks bud.” he said breathlessly.

Saro nodded, closing in eyes he let his head fall back against the bed. “You…” He took in a deep breath.

Why was his heart beating to fast?

“You had best get her out of here. “Shadow Summoner or no, if the night watch catches two girls in our room we're toast.”

He lifted his arms from around the young reviver, how had they gotten there?

“She can stay with me…” the girl whispered into his shirt, “I-I'll talk to Headmistress tomorrow.”

“Why? What can Muriel do?” Saro glanced down at her but she didn't answer, he could almost here the creak of gears moving around in her mind. What he did hear was the creak of mattress springs as Jack lifted the limp body into his arms, and a muffled thank you from the girl as she sat up, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before fallowing Jack out the door.

“Ye-yeah…” he muttered, gazing after her retreating form until she disappeared around the corridor. “Anytime…” He slumped back against the bed, not willing to move just yet.

~*~*~*~*

Nickie opened her mahogany door carefully; fearful of setting of her alarm spells that surrounded the entrance. Motioning to Jack she entered, closing the door a softly as possible behind them. The soft click of the latch was sounded like thunder. Jumping jack stared back at the door, soft glowing purple kanji burned into the frame, enhancement spells, written to alert the inhabitant of even the smallest noise.

The dorms were segregated by specialty, the different types of summoning each student could accomplish. Being a life reviver, a very rare type of Flower Child, Nickie could not be placed with any specific dorm, so she had her own, a single that was actually designed to hold a small group of four. It was twice the size of Jack and Saro's double.

Being at the edge of the building she had four large windows that caught both the sunrise, and the sunset, though now all that could be seen was the stars. Decorated mostly in browns and greens it looked like a small conservatory rather than a dorm room. Jack stood, stunned, gazing around at the various plants that took up the majority of the room. His old sneakers sunk into the plush green carpet like muddy boots into the pure white snow, out of place and unwanted. Nickie too looked wrong in this rich place, her hand made purple dress and worn knee high purple boots contrasting with the lush greenery, still she walked with confidence to the queen size bed with its forest green spread and canopy. Honeysuckle climbed up the bedposts to spread its fragrance around the room and add its flowery decorations to the intricate carvings in the cherry wood.

Reaching under the bed Nickie pulled out a large emerald chest from the darkness. Flipping back the lid she retrieved a thick purple quilt and fluffy white pillow, it seamed silly, the colors so out of place in the wild room. Nodding towards the wide brown couch she propped the pillow up against the arm and waited as Jack, reluctantly, settled the unconscious girl onto the cushions. Tucking the heavy purple quilt around the Summoner she stepped back to lead Jack out the door.

Jack lingered a moment, watching the girl take in deep, slow breaths, her dark, honey-tipped lashes feathering out over her pale cheeks, just above the flush that was slowly creeping back into her cold face. Her bluish lips were parted slightly in sleep, precious air flowing in and out in perfect rhythm.

She couldn't be more than thirteen, her young face so peaceful he would never had guessed she was a Shadow Summoner, but the wisps of purple that surrounded her was a constant reminder of her tainted soul. She was of average beauty, obviously human, such a vulnerable species…

He straightened, turning to face Nickie who too, had been studying the girl. She lifted her gaze to meet his, her deep brown eyes echoing the same question in his mind.

Could this child truly be evil?