Black Stained

Chapter 26: Like fire and ice

The rocky surface of the mountain embedded Aral´s skin as she pushed her hands onto the walls. Her companion looked on by her side, his brows furrowed in confusion. ´What do you look for?´ He asked softly. His voice echoed into the darkness around them.

Aral just shrugged. ´Any sign of magic, really. I can't say until I've felt them.´ Before closing her eyes she looked back over her shoulder at the blond haired man, his eyes weary and focused. ´When I search for them I´m gonna need to concentrate, very hard. So if you don´t mind...´ She nodded at his illuminated wand. Eric´s eyes slit toward hers, the blue light reflected in his. Without uttering a word he dimmed the light until darkness wrapped around them completely. She couldn't see him anymore, but still felt his somewhat comforting presence.

The hairs on her neck rose when she felt his breath near her ear. ´You won't hear or see me, Potter.´

Aral only turned round again and faced the wall. Taking in deep breaths she cleared her mind and heart. She focused on her hands, and the connection they had with the stone of the mountain. Then further, to where the stone connected to other parts of the mountain and further and further. Until she could feel almost every corner and piece of stone within the great mountain. Every path and cave, small rivers passing through them. It was cold and unmoving, but then... Some spots of heat, of light. Living creatures. The thrumming she felt in her fingers was too small to determine if it came from dragons or the team. Most she felt in the upper layers of the mountains structure, some more at its base. She let her magic spear down to the roots of the very mountain itself, looking in every corner under every rock. Like spun threads she layed out routes within her mind to follow. Where those living creatures were and what paths to take. It could have been just seconds, minutes or hours that passed. Time slipped away from her as she looked. It was mostly the old magic from the mountain that touched her in her search, an ancient being full of magic. And some of the smaller twinkling lights, probably the creatures - dragons and others - living within the mountain. Then Aral felt something.

Sucking in a breath her magic suddenly halted. Balked, almost. It had found something- felt something within the darkness. Aral´s heart had been beating quickly in her chest, straining at the exercise. But now it quickened its pace even more. Her magic balked, but at the same time felt connected, somehow. Tentatively Aral let her magical tentacles feel around, looking for it again. An image flashed in front of Aral´s eyes. Or more that of a sound. It was an inhuman screech which barreled into her. It pushed her magic back. It was like a mirror had been held up. Dark and thrumming with power. Images now flashed before her eyes. Dark images of creatures she hadn't seen before. Hateful, deformed things, dwelling in the dark. But not only did she see them, she now felt their eyes on her. As if they had sensed her looking. Eyes flinging open she started gulping down air, like she had forgotten how to breath. Involuntary her mind drifted toward that dark pit of magic still within her, which had opened up wide in the war. At a time when she herself had done terrible things. Even though her eyes were opened she could not see anything. And suddenly it all began to feel as before. She was alone in the dark. She could only feel her knees scratching on the rough stone surface. The comforting presence was gone.

The pain in her knees made her go back in time. See a different place, with different walls. But that same darkness had veiled her sight then. And then she had been kneeling in front of a monster. The dark lord. But it didn't feel like a memory to her anymore. Her heart thundering in her chest, bile rising up, she looked around in that darkness. Figures started forming out of them. The death eaters, who had silently watched as she had been tortured and broken. And a dark laugh rolled out of the darkness. A high pitched voice greeted her mockingly. Fear clouded her mind. She didn't want this. She had to escape this place. Her mind focused on Draco. She needed her friend here, needed his steadying healing. A throbbing pain started in her arm. That ugly mark still there. She hadn't escaped at all... She was still there with the dark lord and his followers. They still taunted her and pained her.

´Aral.´ Someone said. She wanted to ignore it, banish it from her mind. But it didn't sound as the voice of the dark wizard, nor like those of the death eaters. Was it Draco? Had he found her? She didn't want to let herself hope. But then again that voice...

´Aral!´ And in that darkness she felt something other than her hurting knees. A hand on the side of her face, warm and gentle.

´ARAL.´ The person now urged louder. Slowly her senses returned to her. She felt another hand on her shoulder, pinching to wake her up. And felt the breath on her face as the person called her name again. ´Aral, please.´

Then, at last the darkness got pierced by a glowing blue light. At the tip of Eric´s wand. It pulled her back from the agonizing darkness and pulled all of her magic back into her. Centered her, steadied her. She didn't see those dark figures around her anymore. Nor did she hear any high pitched voice, or inhuman screeching. Only her name carried by Eric´s voice and the light coming from him.

She was panting now. Her heart had been thundering at great speed. Panic had taken a hold of her when she couldn´t remember where she was anymore. When she thought she was back at Malfoy Manor again. She rested a hand on Eric's arm. As if she was still realizing he was here, that she was here in this mountain with him. She had been staring at the ground, but lifted her head to gaze at the man. She didn't see pity in his eyes, nor the usual irritation. No, it was understanding.

´You thought you were back there, didn't you?´ His voice was rasping now, as if he had been calling her for days.

She didn't do or say anything to answer, but somehow her eyes had said it all. He loosened his grip on her. His eyes roamed her face and then quickly turned away to scan their surroundings. But it didn't seem like he was really looking, his eyes seemed glassy and drowned in thoughts.

'I sometimes think I'll never leave that place.' His comment left his mouth before he could've stopped himself. Head turning down to the ground, he sighed. 'Tell me what you saw.'

Not the memories, not about those flashes. His appearance returned to the icy, calculated Eric she had met the first time.

'I was able to feel some live creatures, but they were too isolated and far away for me to determine if they are people or dragons or- something else.' Her eyes met his again when she spoke those last words, her voice betraying the worry she felt.

A knod confirmed he understood. 'Then we will have to be careful.'

An inkling of doubt rose up within her. The question spread across her features for Eric to see. His light flickering as he was still taking deep breaths from the moments before. Apparently she wasn't the only one to take a beating from her magic.

He looked her up and down, his eyes calculating. Then he motioned with his hand for her to take the lead. Together they started down the path that would either save them or doom them.

Taking a few breaks here and there, they were able to move quite a distance toward the closest source Aral had felt. Eric had mentioned, in the very few instances he decided to speak, that the ordeal had only taken a few minutes. Ten atmost.

Good, Aral thought. That way she hadn't spent precious time on vague, unnecessary past things. And time was becoming very precious.

Continuing at a fast pace Aral's mind was whirling with thoughts. The only thing able to distract her was the pulse leading her path. Find, find, find. Like a hunting dog, concentrated on finding its prey.

'Hey, hey, hey.' Eric, after being silent for something like 10,000 hours, suddenly halted. Warned, Aral froze too, watching, feeling, listening to anything remotely wrong or alarming. Slowly her body turned toward Eric, her brow rising giving him a questioning look.

He had sat down near an alcove. Uncorking the canteen he waved his hand, telling her to sit down too. Surprisingly, he didn't drink from the canteen himself, but rather shoved it up her nose, while quietly demanding she take a drink.

'I'm fine.' Giving him a tired smile. Her face seemed to be betraying her more and more to the guy she didn't particularly hit it of with at first.

This time he had his eyebrow raised, but in a 'oh really' way.

'It's just… I know I can survive long enough without water. I think it's better to save it for later. You never know when you need it the most.'

'Indeed you never know when,' he urged on, while pushing the canteen into her hands. Just to get him of his back she took a small sip, the water more welcome than she had first noticed.

'We should keep moving.' Aral made to stand up, but Eric stopped her. Saying, 'you'll only make it more difficult if you keep on going, we should take a rest.'

'But time is precious. Who knows how long we or the others have.' Aral countered.

'I know, but,' biting his lip he scanned her face, the determination blazing in her eyes, 'we have to keep taking care of ourselves so we can help the others.'

Puzzled, Aral eyed the guy in front of her. 'You know, you keep surprising me.'

Silently they sat together and even though he had been the one to stop and call for rest, Aral could feel Eric was itching to race down the meandering paths in the mountain just as much as she was. But he was right. They should rest.

Now that her body wasn't doing anything to distract her mind, thoughts started whirling again. Most of all, she was thinking about Charlie. Hopefully he is still alive, helping. He has to be.

Weasleys always keep fighting. Her body must have been exhausted because not long after sitting down she started slouching against the wall. After noticing Aral immediately straightened her back. No slouching, no tiredness, would slow her down.

'It's okay.' Eric himself started to find a more comfortable position. Holding up his wand he conjured some pillows and blankets against the cold. Although, he tried conjuring them. Somehow magic wasn't working straight down here and some ragged blankets and some lumpy pillows appeared. They had cast some warming spells before, but it must have been many hours already to have them wore off. Hours. It feels so strange thinking back when they entered this mountain unaware of the complications they would face.

Laying down after securing the alcove with spells Eric offered to take first watch.

'We might have to rely on our wits too in this place. You can sleep first.'

But Aral could clearly notice the bags starting to form under his eyes.

'I'm not that tired yet, you can sleep first.'

Shrugging he laid down. Aral chose to dim the lights they had conjured, only listening and feel with her magic if something was near. Only the occasional rat passed them.

When they switched places Aral fell into a deep sleep without any dreams.

The vibrations in the floor woke her first, second the hands shaking her wildly. Reflexes had her up and moving in mere seconds.

Eric didn't say or explain anything other than 'run!' and grabbed her hand and started running. Then she noticed the cracks in the walls, the dust and sand falling from above them and the deafening sounds of stone crashing down. Sand pricked in her eyes, blurring her vision, and dust made it hard for her to breath properly. Somewhere she heard a voice yell a spell and a large ball of light shot out in front of her, illuminating their path. Showing a narrow path bending out of sight, walled by stone starting to crack and shift.

Purely relying on survival instinct they shot down the path, to hastily having to break right before falling of an edge. Sweat dripped down already from their backs. Their lungs burning. They were standing right at the edge of a massive ravine. Aral's eyes were scanning for any paths or places to hide for the earthquake. Then Eric pulled at her arm. 'Here, a staircase!'

Well, not so much a staircase, more of a path made of unevenly placed cobblestones.

But a way out of harm's way even so. Slipping, barely catching their balance they rushed down the path. The deeper they went the less vibrations Aral felt, which in the back of her head seemed strange, but was a relieve. Then they found themselves on another ledge.

But not out of harm's way. The path got interrupted by rubble from what seemed an old mining shaft. Completely blocking their with. Remembering charms class from professor Flitwick Aral made ready to levitate, charm or simply blast her way out when she heard Eric swear under his breath.

A dangerous cracking noise sounded from above as dirt and small pieces of rubble trickled onto their faces. Eric turned and started casting a spell her mind couldn't register anymore.

She started chanting her own spells, everything that could stop a massive piece of boulder from falling onto them and crushing their heads. But when the first pieces started breaking and falling, her shield only held so much. Her eyes widened. Frantically she started casting more. Since when did her power get so weak? Alarms went off in her head and something in the back of her mind whispered a vague memory, but all was forgotten when Eric whistled loudly and stepped to her side. 'We can't stand here, we'll die!' He screamed, just barely understandable with all the thunder and cracking around them.

'Then where do you suggest we go?'

'We jump.'

First Aral thougth she hadn't heard him correctly, then she actually felt him push her of the ledge.

She was freefalling. FREEFALLING. Through a ravine that didn't seem to have an end but most certainly did. She saw Eric's body somewhere in the corner of her sight, but she could only hold her breath.

Her heart stopped beating for a second.

Time slowed as they descended. A loud crash and boom, and the feel of rubble hitting her back told Aral enough of what happened only a moment after they jumped. Then she saw a dark form on her other side. And before her mind could register what it was she had landed on its scaled broad back. The impact and her fall didn't help to get a hold of the beast and she slipped over its scales down the side. A scream escaped from her throat. Right before she completely fell off, a rope tightened around her abdomen and kept her dangling against the side of the flying beast. Its wingspan was short, thank merlin, for the ravine wasn't that broad itself. Looking up Aral saw the rope had sprung from Eric's wand. She didn't know if she should be grateful that he saved her life or angry that he pushed her of a ledge in the first place. Finding little crooks to hold onto Aral clambered up the back of the dragon to get a more secure place while riding its back. But following the length of the ravine the dragon started descending and went through an opening so small, Aral thought they were go fly straight into the wall and die still. But in the blink of an eye the dragon flew through the gap with ease. And what Aral saw then made her smile with relieve.