"I could've killed you," a voice whispered, but Caleb didn't know where it came from. All around him, in every direction, was darkness, the only sounds being his breathing and the enchanting bell-like voice that flitted in and out of the area. He couldn't pinpoint where the voice came from, as it echoed of the darkness like it was a wall, bouncing back at him. It both infuriated and satisfied him. He wasn't sure why though, but he supposed he was satisfied with the belief he was in a room. Something he could escape and had done so several times before.
"You'd be dead, and no one would know," he was sure it was a girl, one close to him based by the fact her voice was clearer, louder, not an echo or amplified version of the sound. Caleb didn't really mind how loud she was, he was just pleased that there was another person in the darkness; the room. But…he wondered… Then suddenly, there was a weight on his chest, where his heart was, erasing his train of thought. It wasn't a heavy type of weight, but it wasn't light either, leaving him to ponder what it was. Was it her? Was the girl touching him? But surely if she was touching him, he'd see her. Why couldn't he see her? Placing his hand in the same spot as the weight, he felt a shock of something powerful…and then warmth. It was a nice kind of warmth, familiar, but he didn't understand it. Caleb didn't know a weapon that felt warm, so it must be the girl, but the familiarity of her touch…
"—Sleepy boy…I should've killed you," she whispered again. Why, he'd wanted to ask. He wanted to know why she kept saying it, why she wanted to kill him or if she did. Because it was obvious in the way she spoke to him, so soothingly, so calmly, that she had some regret; reluctance. For what he wasn't quite sure, but he wanted answers. The question was on his lips, ready to be asked. But the warmth disappeared and the voice was gone, before he had the chance to.
*****Rebel Fire******
When Caleb finally woke up, it was night. The sky was pitch black and the skeletons of the trees cast ghastly shadows in the light of the yellowing moon. Phobos had caused two of three suns to go blue with cold, ice now encasing them and leaving one sun to provide light to Meridian. He was doing the same with the moon; drawing power from it when it was full, slowly turning a bright moon to an old yellow. Caleb looked around from his position against the base of a tree, taking in the area in case the girl was still here. But she was gone. Just like he expected her to be. She may have caught him by surprise, but he doubted she was a good fighter, though she was an ally to Phobos and it was best not to judge before he was properly introduced with enough information to make assumptions about her character.
Taking in differences to himself, he realized his head throbbed, no doubt from being hit in the face… or hitting something in his fall. But the other difference, he noted, was the warmth he felt was gone too, proving it was her, the red head, who touched him. He sighed, the warmth was welcome if it meant to get away from the chilly breeze encasing the clearing. The water rippled in the wind as clouds were mirrored, there darkness reflected in the murky waters. Groaning, he pulled himself up, sweeping his thick trench coat tail out behind him, as he decided it was best he head back. The other members of the rebellion weren't always quite so caring or patient.
Leaning on the tree for support, he took a step forward. Wobbling, he caught himself before he fell, taking in a breath as he pressed a head to his head. Spots clouded his eyes, invading his sight in an unwelcome party of blurring vision. What had she done to him? It was more than a smack to the head, he knew that for sure. Maybe she had injected him with something, slipped it to him in his sleep. Because she had said she should've killed him, she could've, so why not? But she wouldn't have. He could hear it in her voice; regret and reluctance. So she wouldn't and she didn't, he knew she didn't. But what had she been searching for? Phobos had sent her here for a reason. Something important if it was a personal order that could've been carried out by Cedric. Unless it was because there were more important matters being taken care of by the snake. Shaking himself from his stupor, he shivered. The cold was biting at him through the thick coat, the clearing providing little coverage from the wind except for the few trees positioned around him.
Caleb decided to try again, a few minutes to recover being far too long. If this was a battle, he would be dead by now, killed more than once, actually. Taking another step forward, he found his shaking legs had held him up easily enough. Moving on his own now, he walked onwards. The rebels were going to kill him for being gone so long. Pushing past different trees, he motored his way through the woods, unwilling to let anything stop him as he ignored the different creatures that hissed and howled at him. He would make it back to the Infinite City first. Then, he would see about the girl.