Black Stained

Chapter 28: In Darkness

The rope quickly loosened its death grip on Aral's waist and she fell the last few feet down. Her knees gave and she sank to the dusty ground, her hands breaking the fall just before her face could hit the surface. Her breath came out heavy, forming small puffs in the air. Light flickered in existence near her. Then she felt hands on her shoulders, making her look up. Her head was roaring. Anger flared within her as the guy that dared to push her off of a bloody CLIFF came into view. Shooting up, black spots appearing in her view, she pushed him.

'You big, bloody, piece of shit!' She bellowed, again advancing on him.

'Aral.' He warned, a hint of a similarly flaring temper sounding in his voice.

Aral angrily started cursing incoherently at a lightning pace, swinging with her fists. Eric grabbed her wrist to stop her from accidentally hitting him. Pulling and pushing on each other they struggled.

'We would have died otherwise!' Eric yelled. He released his grip on her, stepping out of reach.

'YOU PUSHED ME OFF OF A CLIFF!' Aral spit right back, releasing a tension that had been building within herself.

Throwing back her arms the crack of a whip sounded and her magic roared out of her. Sending waves of it echoing against the stones. The dragon behind them growled, sounding vexed. Aral then remembered the group of dragons they had finally found when they flew through the entry. When she turned round she could see some eyes peering through the darkness. Slowly they crawled closer, to inspect their new visitors.

But then the stone around them began shaking again. Debris started to fall down upon them. Using her anger to fuel her magic she expertly conjured a shield around them all, which -this time- held easily enough.

Concerned Eric looked towards the dragons, which started wailing toward the darkness above them. Suddenly it stopped. Eric hadn't settled down yet, still having the adrenaline in his blood, and shook off the oddness of the situation.

'So now you can make a decent shield?' He voiced bitter. 'And aren't you supposed to be super powerful? I would think you could just sprout wings and fly away.'

He threw the comment at her in anger, Aral knew, and she couldn't bring herself to bite back. She walked toward their saviour, gently trying to let her come close. When she silently asked for permission the dragon slowly bowed its head and huffed through his nose. Aral could only guess this would sound like 'I don't particularly like you, but you're allowed to come closer'.

And she did. Coming close enough to actually see the detailed scars on its neck and to stroke its nose. He, Aral noticed. The Hebridean Black, only a young one -hence the shorter wingspan-, and its companions seemed to be alright. She murmured her gratitude to the male and thanked his part in rescuing them. Though it may have been her imagination, but she thought she could see him lower his head as if to accept. Then Aral sighed, not wanting to explain herself to Eric, but feeling like she did owe him. She turned round to face him again, feeling the gentle, warm breathing of the dragon in her neck.

'I'm sorry.' Aral stood there slightly embarrassed. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you. I guess being hold up inside this bloody mountain is starting to get to me…'

'Yeah,' Eric agreed. 'It's getting on my nerves as well.'

'I froze, you know.' Aral continued. 'It felt like I just couldn't reach for it.'

Eric stared at her. The quiet moments they had spent together, slightly warming up to each other, seemed to vaporize at his temper. He did have quite the temper. When he didn't say anything Aral continued.

'I did try, in the few moments I had to do it. But it felt like I got muted, somehow.'

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, to think rationally.

'I have never experienced anything like this. Only when-' She clamped her mouth shut.

She raised her head and made herself look him in those cold eyes. A hint of… curiosity shone behind them. She never liked talking about this subject. It was always so dark and terrifying. But she realized this could be her last chance to ever speak about it to someone else, before meeting her death. And somehow Eric seemed to care so little about her that she felt free to talk about anything.

'Last time I felt like that I was kneeling on a floor with chains on my wrists and death eaters around me.'

The words she never thought she would speak filled the air around her. But no heavy feeling fell down upon them by those words. Eric took a step toward her. The dragon growled lightly, as if to protect Aral. She gently made him settle down.

'And that was what you saw before?' She could see in his eyes he already knew the answer to this question.

'Yes.' She simply stated.

Eric nodded, his eyes turning away from hers to watch the cave around them.

'These are younglings.'

'The cave is too small for the older Hebridean Blacks.' Aral continued after Eric.

Eric thought for a moment, walking slowly towards the group to inspect them. For injuries and what not. Aral noticed a few bones lying around, and hoped they weren't human.

'They must have gotten separated from the rest of the clan. There are only four here, but this Black clan should be at least six or seven members big.' Eric contemplated, his brows furrowing.

Aral opened her mouth, then shut it again.

'Why only so few? I know dragons aren't very common creatures, but still…'

Eric deftly stepped closer to the dragon, which had come to our rescue, and started stroking its nose when the dragon allowed it so.

'These lovely beasts are known for their taste of venison and other fresh, small animals that might venture near rocky surfaces. So they are easier to approach than some other dragon species. They don't tend to eat humans.'

Aral nodded, remembering bits and pieces from reading and studying at the baby centre.

He paused for a moment, seeming entranced with stroking the creature now further down its neck. Aral observed this calm and sweet behaviour.

'When wars start, either side always try to gain as much support as they can. When Voldemort ordered his minions around to sway some mighty creatures on his side, they -naturally- sought out dragons including these. But you can't simply sway a dragon. And since those beasts on the dark side,' Eric spat out the word 'beasts', 'aren't the most patient they used pain and torture.'

He swallowed, not seeming to want to speak about it any further.

'Let's just say, it never ended well.'

Aral felt a pang in her heart. Because she had been one of those 'beasts'. She also remembered the Dark Lord ordering some of them to find powerful magical creatures to use in his war. She counted herself lucky to have never been sent to find a dragon.

Silent for some time they just stood and interacted with the creatures in the dark. Only accompanied by the lights they conjured. You had to be careful not to shine too bright near the dragon's eyes because this species was used to dark surroundings. Especially younglings who seemed to have fled here. Deep within the mountain.

'We've got to make a plan,' Aral said after they had sat down against the cave's wall. 'Because if we don't find water and food soon, we will be permanently immobilised,' she remarked with a dark chuckle.

'There's something strange happening,' Eric whispered.

Aral turned to look Eric in the eye. She had noticed the strangeness around this situation too.

'It is really strange for younglings like these to simply leave their elders. Not only are the parents very protective, but these dragons always feel the need to stay together in a clan. Why would they hide in a cave, which doesn't even have an opening big enough for any of them?'

'Maybe they got seperated by the earthquake? The entrance got blocked?' Aral offered.

Eric contemplated for a second.

'Have you seen those bones over there?' Eric asked.

Aral nodded for him to continue.

'I inspected them just now. And they're pretty fresh.'

'What do you mean, fresh?'

'Freshly eaten.' Eric contemplated a little longer. 'But there is no way there happened to be some goats walking around inside this mountain.'

Eric sighed and rubbed his head.

'This whole situation is just bloody confusing.' He breathed out.

'I know, I can feel it too. It doesn't seem right.' Aral replied. She closed her eyes for a second and tried to swallow. After all the craziness and the screaming her throat felt raw and parched.

'You know…' Aral started, standing up. 'I'm gonna try something.'

In her head she heard a voice say this was a bad idea. That, like last time, it could go horribly wrong. But she tried to push it aside.

'I'm just… A bit scared.' Aral admitted. Eric came to stand too. He stepped into the lights he charmed to float around.

'What do you want to try?'

Aral did not answer his question. Only took a deep breath and looked down to ground and back up at him again.

'Could you just stay there?' Aral asked. 'I don't want to hurt you or the dragons, but-'

'I know. It's okay, Aral.' Eric interrupted her. 'I'll be right here.'

This time Aral did not close her eyes to concentrate.

Rather she tried focusing on him and that he was there.

He was there.

And she was not alone, not in a dark room, not in a mansion.

Deep breaths left and filled her lungs again and again.

Her fingertips started tingling, but Aral was only focusing on the wizard in front of her. Slowly she spread her magic to find what she was looking for around her. In the air, in the earth. In every living body even you could find it. Water.

Pulling at the small drops like she had the last time she conjured streams of water. From all around her it came.

Eric looked on, his eyes wide with astonishment as the black haired witch literary pulled water from their surroundings. After a moment, he started to feel it too. Her magic flowing and weaving through him. Lightly those weavings touched upon every fiber and molecule in his body. But they did not pull, did not take anything. They were just… there.

And as they came, they went away.

Aral felt it too. But she felt something else as well. The enormous mass of water and magic above them, but instinct told her not to pull at it. To not even do anything else than passing it.

Slowly she slipped the strings of her magic back. Directing the flowing streams of water to form one mass.

It wasn't much. Aral felt the conjuring being hard and taxing within the mountain.

Eric quickly conjured some raggedy looking water canteens so Aral could fill them.

Water. They had water! Carefully they tried a sip, then another. It felt like bure bliss and heaven.

Aral looked up and couldn't help but give her colleague a smile. Eric could only smile back at her.

They passed each dragon too. Being holed up for a while would make them anxious and irritated.

Eric plopped down on the ground, feeling tired, but satisfied. Aral went to sit down next to him, when he frowned again.

'I never would have imagined this, before we went into the mountain.'

Aral chuckled dryly.

'I don't think any of us did,' she said as she propped herself up to the wall a bit.

In silence they sat for a while. Dozing off, thinking about the craziness of the situation, or keeping an eye on the dragons.

Aral had closed her eyes for a while, trying to rest. She didn't know for how long she had been a sleep, but her neck started to cramp. She tried scooting over to find a better position, but instead accidentally sat on something. Slightly irritated she roughly brushed it aside and sat down again. Eric's brows raised and he picked up the weirdly shapen rock she had sat on.

'What is that thing?' Aral asked, still feeling a little bruise.

'It's familiar. I'm not sure…'

It was smooth on one side, but rough on the other.

Aral started thinking about what she had felt when she had reached out with her magic.

'Do you know if this mountain has any underground lakes or waterfalls, maybe?'

Eric frowned and thought for a moment.

'No it doesn't. Why?'

Aral looked up into the darkness. The cave was narrow but very high. So high they couldn't even see the ceiling with the light form Eric's wand.

'I felt something... A big thing of water. I don't know. I might be hallucinating because of a lack of food and all the running.' Aral shrugged, thinking how stupid this must sound.

Next to her, Eric quickly sat up. His brows pulled together in a deep frown. He looked up to the darkness, then down at the stone again. Finally he looked at Aral, remembering what she had just told him.

He suddenly stood up, the strange rock clenched in his hand. His face was pulled in a confused and at the same time shocked expression.

'What is it?' Aral asked.

But Eric ignored her and walked over to the dragons.

'Eric?'

He ignored her, still.

He held out the stone to the younglings. And Aral could hear him muttering to himself.

'Come on, come on.'

A few dragons hesitantly crouched closer. Moments later they sniffed at the stone.

Aral could only stand and watch everything unfold in front of her, a puzzled look on her face.

Then first one, then a second and the rest of the group started crying out softly. A soft cry like they were talking to a mother.

Then they got louder and turned their cries toward the ceiling of the cave.

'Eric, what in Merlin's beard is going on?' Aral questioned slightly worried.

Without facing her Eric blurted out his theory.

'They haven't left their elders behind, nor did the goats happen to be walking inside the mountain. And there isn't a lake above us.'

He turned around and threw the stone to her.

'It's a scale.' He explained. 'A dragon's scale.'

Aral looked up, mouth slightly agape. Then looked down again at a grinning Eric.

And this time when debris started falling down again they did not run.