A Mission of No Return

---Indigo---

What I really wanted to do was to wait for Aaron. I wanted to be here when he, Ashley, and Katherine came back. But as night fell, there was no sign of Aaron's return. I started a small campfire so that we would be able to roast whatever animal Lucian and Rachel caught as soon as they returned.

Soon, I heard footsteps in the underbrush. Not willing to take any chances, I pulled out my sword and darted behind a tree. Voices drifted over as two people stepped into the clearing, their faces illuminated by the fire.

"Indigo? Indigo, where are you?" Rachel called out. I stepped out from behind the tree and slid my sword back into its scabbard.

"I wanted to make sure that you guys weren't Lord Victor's soldiers," I explained. "What did you two manage to catch?"

Lucian held up a hare by its ears. I grimaced at all the blood. "This is all we managed to get. I think it'll be enough for the three of us, though."

"There were plenty of other animals, except Lucian's aim was so bad he missed them all," Rachel snorted. "Looked like to me he hadn't shot a single arrow in his life."

"Hey! I got you this hare didn't I?" Lucian said indignantly.

"You didn't even find the hare; I did," Rachel said smugly. I've never seen Lucian look so offended.

"Um, excuse me, but it was obviously me who saw the hare first—"

"Okay, okay, stop bickering like a married couple," I said, stepping in between the two of them. "Lucian, can you skin the hare and take care of gutting and cleaning it?

Rachel and I can roast it."

"Yeah, yeah, have the guy do all the dirty work." Lucian plopped down on the log and got out a pocketknife. "And you all say I don't do anything."

In that moment, we were almost like normal again. While Lucian chopped the hare up, Rachel and I found and cleaned several long sticks to use as skewers. Soon, the tantalizing smell of meat wafted throughout the campsite.

"Mmm, I'd nearly forgotten what meat tasted like." Lucian chomped down on a piece of meat and chewed happily. "Could use a bit more salt though."

Rachel threw a small vial at him, which he caught before it shattered against the floor. "Hey, you have salt! Thanks Rachel." Lucian sprinkled some over the piece of meat he had and gobbled it up greedily.

The three of us sat around the fire, eating to our hearts' content and talking about the day's events. Lucian and Rachel detailed their hunting trip while I smiled and nodded along, thinking to myself how perfect they were for each other.

Lucian volunteered to take the first shift for lookout that night. Rachel said she'll stay up with him, and I told them to wake me up when they wanted to go sleep. Bidding them a goodnight, I returned to my tent and fell into an unsettling sleep.

When Rachel woke me up for my shift, it was already early morning. It was still dark, but soon the sky in the east began to lighten. I sat on a log and waited for Aaron's return, convinced that I'll hear his footsteps any moment now. I waited until the sun rose high into the sky, and Lucian and Rachel both woke up in time for lunch. There was no sign of Aaron, Ashley, or Katherine.

I paced around camp again, agitated. "What if something bad happened? What if they got caught? We already lost Jason and Katherine. We can't lose Aaron and Ashley too!"

Rachel tried to calm me down. "Maybe it just took them longer than expected. Maybe, or maybe they couldn't get in until night fell. I'm sure they're okay, Indigo. Don't fret too much."

"Aaron said he'll be back in twenty four hours. Otherwise, we're supposed to assume the worst and leave. It's been a day. What should we do?" I scanned the bushes once more, hoping to see Aaron.

"I don't think we should leave. We should give them a few more hours, just in case they were delayed," Lucian spoke up.

I sat back down on the log, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in my gut. Rachel sat down next to me and gave me a hug. "Don't worry, Indigo. They'll come back, safe and sound. Don't worry."

We ate lunch. A few more hours passed. No one showed up. The little voice in my brain was shouting now. 'Something happened to them. Something happened, and you know it. Lord Victor probably caught them. He's probably torturing them right this moment. What if they're already dead? Indigo, you have to do something, and fast!'

I shook my head, trying to not be pessimistic. But even Rachel began to look worried. Lucian kept standing up and peering through the bushes, always thinking that he heard footsteps. Twice I wanted to suggest we go up to Devil's Peak and find out what happened ourselves, but I knew that it would be suicide and quashed the thought. The third time the thought crossed my brain, I decided I couldn't wait any longer. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Lucian snapped to attention. "Do you guys hear that?"

Hopeful, I strained my ears to listen. Amidst the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves, I seemed to be able to hear the sound of footsteps treading carefully over the leaf-strewn forest floor.

"No voices. And only one set of footsteps. Quick, grab your weapons and hide!" Rachel ordered. The three of us ditched the campsite and hid behind a nearby grove of trees, watching. Soon, a hooded person emerged from the bushes and into the campsite.

The person pushed the hood back as they surveyed the campsite in confusion. "Indigo? Rachel? Lucian?" It was Ashley.

"Ashley?" I stepped out from behind the trees. "Where's Aaron? And Katherine? Why are you here alone?"

Ashley scanned the surrounding bushes cautiously, as if afraid that Lord Victor's minions were near. She beckoned us closer, and we all sat in a small circle in the middle of our campsite. Rachel passed her a sandwich, which Ashley devoured hungrily.

"Where's Aaron?" I asked again. Ashley looked at me, her eyes a sea of emotions.

"Captured. He was thrown into the same prison cell as Katherine. I—I barely escaped with my life."

My heart leapt up into my throat. 'I knew it.'