Markadia

Chapter 6

~ Aubrey's POV ~

We had been walking for over an hour and everyone was eerily silent. Christopher was walking close ahead of me while Andrew was a good yard behind us with a strange intensity falling around him. He was usually the one to speak first, to break the silence and calm everyone's fears, but it seemed like he had his own fears he was trying to work through for once. "Do you think Uncle Rusio will be okay back there?" I asked softly, not really expecting Christopher to answer me.

"He can take care of himself." He mumbled softly while trekking through the narrow, metal tunnel. He had a large wooden stick in his right hand to feel his way through the darkness while I continued trying to create sparks of fire in my hand. I figured it was probably the most training I would get until we saw daylight again. "What are you doing?" Christopher grumbled as I closed and opened my hand for the hundredth time in hopes of seeing some sign of light.

"Andrew said we can manipulate the elements. I was trying to create a flame." I paused for a minute and glanced over at his wooden stick. "You know, so you won't have to carry a walking cane like an eighty-year-old man."

Christopher came to a slow stop and I felt my stomach sink. I honestly hadn't meant to offend him, I was just making a joke but if that small comment offended him, then this wasn't going to end well for either of us. I turned around to face him and strained my eyes to see through the darkness as he pointed to the left side of the tunnel where a dingy sign clung to the metal. In large black letters it said Danger with smaller print below that said Flammable. I smiled awkwardly back at Christopher and he immediately began walking again. "If your death wish is to fry then I can assist later but let's get Andrew and me to safety first, alright?"

I crossed my arms in a fierce glare and picked up speed so I was walking beside him. "Why do you hate me so much?" I growled, desperate for an answer. "I mean, I get that you're disappointed because of how useless I am, but you act like it's my fault. I didn't ask to be born into a royal bloodline and I didn't ask to be sent to live with humans! If I could turn my powers on like a switch just to save hundreds of your people, believe me, I would, but I'm trying and you sure as hell don't make it any easier!"

"Because that's supposed to be my one life goal; to make things easier on you? I'm not Andrew, I'm not going to sugarcoat the facts and act like these are trivial situations and we have hours to spend training you to become something that you, very well, may never be. My goal is to save my kingdom, you liking me isn't anywhere on that list." He jaw was rigid and silence fell for a second before I spoke.

"Well, that's good then because if it was, you would suck at achieving your goals along with a long list of other things you suck at, I'm sure."

"Shh," Christopher hissed from behind me and I quickly whipped around in a pure rage.

"You did not just shh me!"

"Aubrey!"

"What?!"

"Do you hear that?"

I continued glaring at him with my arms crossed firmly over my chest. I figured this was just some stupid joke, one that would end with me losing one more shred of my pride. "Hear what?"

He lifted a finger to his lips and slowly, I began to hear the sound as well. It was so faint, I wasn't sure if I was hearing things or imagining sounds but slowly the sound grew louder and I knew exactly what it was. Before I could make my speculation known, Andrew stole the words from my head in one violent screech.

"Water! Run!"

We saw a quick glimpse of Andrew running towards us before Christopher grabbed my hand and pulled me along. Our demise seemed to be right at our backs and we wouldn't be able to run a moving flood of water for long but Christopher continued pulling, his desperation yearning for me to continue running, to continue fighting. Before long our feet were swept out from underneath us and the sudden jolt caused our hands to break off each other, my heart immediately sinking at the loss of connection. The water carried me deeper into the tunnel as Andrew and Christopher's shouts drifted in and out of my ears as the water pulled me every way imaginable. I was fighting for air, my common sense telling me to swim higher but the water was rising while it was pulling me and soon I knew I would just settle in stagnant water with no end in sight or air at the top. I continued moving with the current, pushing myself to move along with it in hopes that there was some opening ahead.