Doubling Back

---Indigo---

Rachel placed her hand on Lucian's arm and stopped him. "We know you're worried, Lucian. We're worried too. But what if Lord Victor's soldiers are still out and about?"

"I don't care!" Lucian turned to face her, his eyes ablaze. Rachel took a step back, surprised at his outburst. "Aaron told me that if he hadn't returned in twenty-four hours, I was to take you and Indigo somewhere safe. He told me to return to the Academy if we have to. It's been well over seventy-two hours now. I can't stand not knowing what happened to him, not after…after…" His voice trailed off as he turned away, but I had caught the tremor in his voice and the glistening in his eyes. 'Aaron is his last friend. He couldn't save Jason, so he's afraid of losing Aaron too.'

"Aaron told you that? He told you to take us somewhere safe?" Rachel's eyes were soft. Lucian nodded, still looking elsewhere.

"I couldn't even honor that promise. We're still out here in close proximity with Lord Victor. I feel like a failure, because I'm stuck here and I can't do anything."

"Don't say that," Rachel comforted Lucian. "It's not your fault."

I stood up slowly, feeling the dull ache in my body. "You're right, Lucian. We can't just keep waiting. Let's pack up and start heading back."

Lucian and Rachel looked at me, surprised. They didn't think I'd change my mind this easily. But what Lucian said had struck a nerve. I couldn't stand not knowing what happened to Aaron and Katherine either. What if something went wrong in their jailbreak? What if Lord Victor had already killed them?

We packed everything away into our magical backpacks, and then followed the stream to the edge of the forest. On our right, the path would eventually lead us to roads that reach the Northern Mountains. On our left, the path led back to Devil's Peak and Lord Victor. The empty dirt road stretched far into the distance on both sides, connecting our past and our future.

Sticking to the edge of the forest, we followed the dirt road back towards Devil's Peak. Any little sound sent us scrambling for the safety of the trees, scanning our surroundings in alarm and waiting for our hearts to stop pounding in our ears. I lost track of time as we walked. The scenery didn't changed much, save for the rise and dip of hills to our right.

We didn't see a single sign of Aaron and Katherine. I was getting worried. What if something happened to them? What if they didn't make it out? Soon, we could see the outline of Devil's Peak rising up into the sky. As it was still a distance off, we decided to rest before continuing. Sitting down on a patch of grass surrounded by bushes, we passed around the water canteen and some food.

As I ate, I looked at the mountain range surrounding Devil's Peak. They weren't so much as mountains as they were hills, but most were fairly tall and hard to climb. Based on our maps, there were valleys tucked away between them and dangerous cliffs at the ends. Some maps showed one or two trails leading up a few of the mountains, but they almost always ended abruptly in cliffs.

"I wonder if we can get to Devil's Peak by a mountain path," Lucian said out loud.

"Theoretically yes, because the mountains are all connected," Rachel replied. "But I doubt that we could, especially since we'll have to cross valleys and climb cliffs. Plus, those mountains don't exactly look hiker-friendly."

"So you could go from Devil's Peak to any of those mountains, and then walk down a trail to reach the road," I mused.

"Technically speaking, yes," Rachel affirmed.

I had a sudden thought. "Then what if Aaron and Katherine took a mountain road instead? What if they found it easier to escape by not descending Devil's Peak but by going across the mountain range?" I asked.

Rachel tilted her head, considering this possibility. "You could be right," she said slowly. "If that was the case, then we might have passed each other."

"I hear something." Lucian stood up suddenly and peered out from our secluded spot. "Are those soldiers?"

Rachel and I joined him, looking out across the dirt road to the mountainside.

Sure enough, a long line of soldiers were making their way down, grumbling and muttering among themselves.

"Why would there be soldiers out here? This is pretty far from Devil's Peak." Rachel furrowed her brow. "And why do they look like they've just been through a battle?"

Indeed, the group looked like they've been through quite a scuffle. Some had lost their helmets, while others were limping and sporting wounds. What happened?

"They're coming this way. We should hide." Lucian warned, nodding towards the advancing soldiers. We hurriedly cleaned up and ventured deeper into the forest to hide among the thick bushes.

As we watched, a person who appeared to be the leader approached the forest while talking to the rest of his group. "We're only going to rest for a few minutes, alright? Lord Victor is waiting for us. You know how he hates to wait."

"Thanks boss!" A few of the soldiers chortled in delight. Soon, the entire squadron was spread out in the shade of the trees. I counted about thirty men, each exhausted from whatever adventure they just undertook.

"Henry, you sure they're dead? I still don't know if Lord Victor would be okay with it…" A fidgety guy sat next to the leader with a worried look on his face.

Henry dismissed his comrade's worry. "Urian, I've told you, like, five times now. A fall from a cliff that high is a guaranteed death. Those kids might have magic, but they're not immortal. Lord Victor has nothing to worry about."

My heart leapt into my throat. Kids with magic? Did he mean Aaron and Katherine? What was this about falling off a cliff?