Chapter 12.5 – Aurora Lights
The young woman could not believe what she was seeing. She had come out on temporary leave so that she could study and observe the seemingly random patterns of the aurora lights; track its appearances across the cold and unforgiving terrain and collect her observations in a small notebook that now lay forgotten at the bottom of her satchel. It had started just as all of her minor adventures had before; riding out on a magic powered hovercraft that had been built for her to cross the ice in a short amount of time. She had found the perfect location to operate as an observation viewpoint; she had then hugged her robe tightly around herself as she sat down on the empty section of the hovercraft to watch as the colors began to dash across the sky and swirl in a mesmerizing pattern.
It was always a sight that left her breathless. The lights were a majestic wonder of the world; leading her thoughts to wander on what other beauty took residence on distant continents. Her imagination painted a vivid picture based on what she had read from the library, but most of those books were far too outdated to be reliable. She pushed up the spectacles she wore out of habit, though they weren't in the need for any readjusting. She scolded herself for allowing curiosities from her childhood to resurface now, when she had finally found time to study one of her continent's own natural beauties. She had to discipline her mind… the council had always grilled into her memory that a wandering mind was an unproductive one.
Today was going to prove to be one of the most exhausting days of Karen's life. As she settled down and looked up at the sky, she came to that realization too.
"What on…" She spoke to herself, eyes wide in disbelief. It was rare enough to sight an airship in the skies over the lands of ice; it was quite another matter to see one of those ship battles she had read about playing out before her. As she squinted to see what was going on, she fumbled for the pair of binoculars she carried in her bag. Her search stopped at the sound of a thunderous bang. Karen gasped when she saw half of one ship completely fall apart, its remnants plunging towards the ice below. She stood upright, her duty to follow protocol and inform her liege running through her mind as she placed her hands on the console and started up the machine. It gave a soft hum but did not move, waiting for her instructions.
Despite her obligation to notify them if there was anything awry happening out here, Karen did not set her coordinates towards the secret entrance that led back to the palace. No, she set it straight for the scene of the crash… her conscience told her that she needed to at least investigate that there was no one on board before she headed off to Glacia. The many rules and strict orders she was given to follow lingered on her mind as she flew in the direction of the fallen ship, her eyes watching as the end half of the ship took an abrupt nosedive and slammed into one of the continent's many glaciers. If Karen had still been at her vantage point, viewing the crisis with her binoculars, she would have seen the parachute with its two desperate users being flung around like ragdolls from the rupture of their ship. Karen's eyes were trained on the smoke that was raising from a source only a few hills away, however, and she would not see what would become of the two Red Rogues in the sky.
Dread filled her gut as she stopped near the small crater that had formed in the ice; the remains of this side of the ship scattered for many miles across the terrain's surface. The bow had struck head first into the ice and had splintered all the way up the rest of the structure – but it had held. Most of the detached planks that Karen could find were from the site closest in proximity to where the Thalia ripped in two. She hesitantly got off of her hovercraft and took a few steps forward, examining the remainder of the ship with a critical eye. It would be dangerous entering there… it could cave in at any moment.
Karen fought the urges to just turn away; the guidance in her mind violently scolding her that what she might do next would reveal a secret that she had sworn to protect since the day she was born. Her moral instincts won out overall.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" She called out, her voice strong and seemingly loud in the quiet of the area. There was no reply. She scanned the gaping entrance for any signs of movement but she saw none; she could only see the electrical sparks of a few ruined light fixtures dangling loosely here and there. She appeared to be looking down a hallway, and at the very end was a door that was barely hanging on its hinges. It was too dark to see what was in the room from where she stood, so she did what she would usually consider the unreasonable thing to do – she entered the ruined ship to investigate. Karen manoeuvred around some shattered objects and ducked under exposed pipes until she got to the door. She only needed to give it a gentle shove before it collapsed.
With her view entirely clear and the light filtering in from behind her, Karen spared a quick glance around the room, noting that it was likely someone's bedroom of some sort. The green walls, broken dresser, and a mattress that was likely not meant to be propped up vertically were evidence of that. She coughed and waved a hand in front of her face to clear the dusty air. As she looked down to watch where she stepped, Karen froze up in sudden indecision.
There, on the dusty tarnished floor, lay an unconscious blonde girl. She was faced down and pinned by a few fallen planks that were formerly the ceiling. The girl's attire had been slashed and torn in several places from the ship's descent and eventual crash. Some black and white fabric (and what appeared to be the remains of a bandana) were strewn around and stuck in spots, leading Karen to believe that this foreigner had been flung about quite ruthlessly. The girl's body was tattered and heavily bruised, still trickling blood in various places. Karen wasted no time in kneeling down and taking in a quick analysis for injuries. She placed two trembling fingertips on the girl's neck, trying to find a pulse.
There was one. It was faint, but it was there. Karen, being adept in the medical field, went straight to work. She casted a few sacres to provide the girl energy that had been lost after her ordeal, soothing the pains of torn ligaments and sealing up some of the worst wounds. Knowing that she had to conserve her strength for the rest of the trip, Karen bandaged the lesser cuts with a roll she carried in her satchel. Feeling how cold the girl's skin was, Karen slowly took off her warm robe and wrapped it around her new patient. It would suffice for now. Now came the difficult part; moving the peculiar blonde out of this deathtrap. Hearing the whines of the walls, she knew she wouldn't have much time. First, she would attempt to carry the foreigner. If she wasn't strong enough, Karen would simply have to try dragging her along instead.
Though the girl was not as heavy as Karen had expected, she knew that her arms were not strong enough to carry her this way the entire duration to her hovercraft. That was fine, she would soon learn, as she weaved cautiously around the obstacles blocking their exit. She set the girl down at the very edge of the wreckage and ran back to her hovercraft, starting it so that she could position it as close as possible to her patient. Karen began to pant as she lifted the girl up and over the edge, setting her down carefully on its base. She wrapped another blanket around the foreigner, wanting to make sure that she would not develop a case of hypothermia. Karen herself felt slightly chilled in her short sleeved outfit, but she knew she wouldn't be out here long enough for it to matter.
Now came what Karen felt would be the most difficult part of all; sneaking back into the palace with their newest guest. Karen had absolutely no doubt that she would get quite a verbal lecture from each of the council members, assassinating her character for making such a bold choice without the approval of the council board or the head of royalty, the current Prince of Glacia. She had sworn vows to upkeep the laws that had been placed on every citizen of her country; but now Karen realized that she didn't care as much about them as she thought she did. If obeying the law meant the death of an innocent individual… Karen wouldn't have that on her conscience.
She placed her hands on the console again, feeding it with some magic to get it moving. As they headed in the direction of the secret entrance, Karen prayed that she had made the right choice. There would be repercussions if she hadn't… and she didn't want to think about it.