Please Be Careful

---Aaron---

I hated doing this to my friends. I didn't want to use my position to force my friends into agreeing. But I also didn't want them to get hurt, and this was the only way to

make sure they wouldn't argue with me any longer. We all knew how dangerous this rescue mission is. We were going to be sneaking into Lord Victor's stronghold when he was expecting us. It was most probably a trap.

"Should we go right now? I mean, we already spent almost a week trying to get here and then scouting the area. Who knows how Lord Victor is torturing Katherine up there?" Ashley spoke up. I nodded.

"That's a good idea. We'll leave right now."

"Shouldn't you wait until next morning?" Indigo tugged on my sleeve as I turned away to pack. "It's already mid-morning; would you have enough time today?"

"We should go as soon as possible," Ashley insisted before I could say anything. "We already spent too much time on the road."

"That's true, but…" I was still unsure.

"You know how frail Katherine was; if we leave her up there any longer, who knows what might happen?" Ashley persisted. "She hadn't even recovered from her abdominal wound. We don't know what Lord Victor is doing to her. He's an evil lord and a sadistic, cruel, merciless being. What if something happens to Katherine too?" Her voice cracked at the end, betraying her worry. I nodded, my brows creasing with worry. Katherine was unfit to fight; her wounds would keep her from moving around properly for at least another month.

"Alright. We'll leave right now. Get your things, Ashley, and we'll be off." I nodded at Ashley, who disappeared into her tent to grab a few necessary items. Likewise, I went into the tent I shared with Lucian to pack. Pulling out an extra satchel—also enchanted with magic—from my pack, I stuffed in some food and water, a first aid kit, and a couple daggers. Surveying all the items in my magical backpack, I pulled out Augustus' cloak and tied it around my neck.

"What might Katherine need?" I wondered out loud. I stepped out of my tent and went over to the girls' tent, grabbing Katherine's pack that was placed near the opening. Riffling through the contents, I didn't see anything that needed to be packed, but a gut feeling strongly urged me to bring along Katherine's bow and arrows and an extra set of clothes. I felt silly as I walked out, because we were going to come back to the campsite so we obviously didn't need all of these things. However, my gut was telling me to pack all of these, so I did.

"Ready?" Ashley approached me. I nodded, and she began heading towards the edge of our campsite.

"Wait." Rachel stopped me and handed me a small bag. "These contain shatterproof vials and jars with various poultices and mixtures to treat different wounds, along with some bandages. If Katherine's wound is still hurting, apply the one in the green jar."

"Thanks." I took it, but gave her a quizzical look. "But we're coming back. Why would we need these?"

Rachel looked at me with a look I couldn't decipher. "Just in case," she finally said. A pause. Then, softer, she said, "Last night, I had a dream that something bad was going to happen. And after Jason's death, I couldn't help but always be on edge. If something were to happen, maybe…maybe…"

Rachel didn't finish, but I understood. This mission was becoming more and more ominous. Jason's death has cast its shadow over the rest of us, and we couldn't seem to shake it off. If anything else happened, we all had to be prepared.

As Rachel stepped back, Indigo took her place. Her gaze swept over my face, as if memorizing it. "Let me fix your cloak." Her hands undid the hastily tied cloak and began to fasten them correctly around my neck. As I stood there, I suddenly realized that Indigo had to stand on her tip-toes to do this, and even so, her head only came up to my chin.

I'm taller than Indigo now. We used to be about the same height. I don't know why, but this epiphany caused a swell of bittersweetness to well up in my heart. I swallowed the lump in my throat as Indigo dropped back down and looked over me once more. Her hand brushed off a leaf that had fallen onto my shoulder.

"Please be careful," Indigo said worriedly. "Don't do anything foolish, alright?"

"Don't worry. We'll get Katherine and come back." I told her.

"Even if Lord Victor was standing right in front of you, just leave him and come back safely," Indigo continued. "We can deal with Lord Victor later. Just come back safely, all three of you."

"We will. I promise," I reassured Indigo. "We'll be back before you know it."

The autumn wind swept through our campsite, stirring up leaves and shaking the trees. In that moment, Indigo looked so vulnerable and anxious. I had the sudden urge to take both of her hands in mine, or hug her, or just something to tell her that we'll be okay. This was becoming more and more like a farewell before a mission I'll never come back from. Not a good sign for an already perilous operation.

I beckoned Lucian over. "Lucian, take care of them, alright? You're going to be the only man left here; don't let any harm come to the girls, okay?"

Lucian cracked a smile. "Of course. Just, Aaron, you be safe too, alright? Don't make us worry."

I nodded, then placed my hand on his shoulder and lowered my voice. "This mission shouldn't take more than twenty-four hours. If by this time tomorrow we haven't returned, assume the worst and leave. Protect Indigo and Rachel, and get them to somewhere safe. Return to the Academy if you have to, and get reinforcements. Do not attempt a rescue, understand?"

Lucian's head jerked up, his eyes filled with alarm. "Aaron, don't say that. Nothing's going to happen to you and Ashley!"

"Just in case, you know?" I calmed Lucian down and continued in a low voice. "I don't want Indigo to worry, but if something does happen, I'm going to leave it up to you to make sure she's okay. You're my only best friend left, and I know this is a lot to ask, but I trust you. I know you can do it."

Lucian met my gaze with pain in his eyes. "You can trust me, Aaron. I won't fail you." I nodded solemnly and patted his shoulder.

"Okay everyone, we're leaving now. In my absence, I leave Indigo as the leader," I addressed the group. "If the Evils start venturing out, relocate to somewhere safe. Leave marks, and we'll find you guys again. Until then, see you all later." With what I hope was a reassuring smile, I waved goodbye and turned to follow Ashley out of the campsite.

Before the bushes blocked all view of our camp, I looked back to see Indigo standing there, looking straight at me and mouthing something.

'Please be careful.'