Disclaimer – I still don't own the Hunger Games. Also, my apologies for the error in "Slippery". Landslide is originally by Fleetwood Mac. Thanks upsettomcat for correcting me.
Greater infirmities
Ridge Therne – District 11
He was flying! He was so high up that all of the rocks below him looked like little grains of sand. He was even above the highest pillars on the statue with the Cornucopia jutting out of it.
The arena was larger than he realized, Ridge thought. He had only been around in one circle, allowing the mutt to steer, but already time was waning. It must have been close to dawn based on what he could see from the sky. The darkness was waning and the sky turned to an odd shade of grey.
Landing was going to be interesting, Ridge thought. He had just assumed the creature would return to its nest at the top of the mountain as it had the previous night, but it wasn't going that direction. Rather, it circled from its current position back past the Cornucopia towards the very opposite edge of the arena, a place Ridge hadn't yet explored.
Down they went and Ridge clung tightly to the mutt's back. Flying is just like falling, he thought, forcing himself to keep his eyes open as the ground grew closer and closer. They landed gently just before sunrise.
"Same time tomorrow?" Ridge asked tentatively as the creature circled twice. It looked like it was ready for bed. It growled, in what Ridge could only hope was an affirmative answer and then slowly seemed to turn into stone.
Margery Kelta – District 8
"He's got to land sometime," Margery muttered in frustration. They'd been keeping their eye on Ridge's flight pattern all night, following him as best they could through the arena, despite the darkness. Leoric had fallen asleep shortly after waking her for her watch. He'd done well, kept them concealed from the Careers and from Ridge. After all, after she had rejected his alliance he might be out for blood just as much as Leoric was.
For now they seemed safe, though. The mutt, presumably with Ridge still on its back was making its way to the other edge of the arena. The sky was getting grey enough so she could make out its silhouette as it descended in the distance. Margery tried to memorize its location, knowing that, if he had the beast at his command, Ridge could truly be a threat.
"Leoric," she hissed. He woke up instantly.
"What did I miss?" he asked.
Margery told him what she'd seen, then looked over her shoulder towards where the Careers were. The three of them were getting closer. If they didn't move now they risked being seen and taken down.
"Three of them, two of us," Leoric calculated.
Margery shook her head. "It's not worth it, not yet. They're better armed and we're outnumbered. Judging by the look of the blonde, she's out for blood too." The girl, Killian's district partner, looked thoroughly inflamed and reckless. With any luck, Margery thought, maybe one of her allies would say something stupid and she'd take them out herself.
"So we go after Ridge," Leoric proposed. Margery nodded in agreement and the two of them snuck off, concealing themselves in the shadows of boulders.
Saphyra Cullen – District 1
"Damn!" Saphyra cursed again, striking the boulder. She didn't care that both the allies who were with her were standing back, keeping their distance. They should. They should have known better than to infuriate her, than to take her ally. The universe, the gamemakers, whoever did it. They all should have known better.
It had been hours since Killian's face had appeared in the sky and Saphyra still couldn't let go of her fury. It didn't make sense, she knew. They'd only really known each other a few days, and he was competition too, when it came down to it, but her emotions were swinging her out of control. All she could think about was how unfair his death was.
And now someone would have to pay. With Killian dead, Saphyra had to avenge him. He'd easily been the most fun of the group but now, with him gone, it was down to her and the two boys. She groaned at the prospect and briefly considered just taking off, fleeing by herself and taking out the two of them first.
No, she self-corrected. She still needed them, still needed their strength combined with her own. Ibrahima was still out there. He had to have been the one who had taken out Killian; no one else would have had the guts or the skill.
Saphyra smashed her fist into what she promised was the last boulder before rejoining her group. Her knuckles cracked, but the slight pain helped her focus, helped her battle the darkness closing in from her. She felt like the darkness of the night, already wrapped around her, was the darkness of her withdrawals, of Killian's death, of all the terrible aspects of the games all rolled into one. Well, it would not get the better of her.
"Sorry, guys, but when someone knocks off your district partner, you'd want to do the same," Saphyra snapped before either Nero or the smart-mouth could get a word in. Then, exercising her dominance, she lead them back in the direction of the Cornucopia.
Raivel Aukins – District 3
"They're not going to let us stay here," Bailey whispered, her voice terrified.
"You're worrying too much," Raivel assured her. But was she? He knew, of course, there was only one winner, they couldn't hide here forever, but surely they'd be safe for a little longer.
"You know, if they want us out of here, all they have to do is say so. Something dramatic, like a fire or a flood. Have they done that, no?"
"Isn't that a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Bailey asked.
"Miss Therms, you are far too smart for your own good," Raivel laughed. "See, that's why they're not messing with us. We're clearly the underdogs."
"But how many of the others are left? Maybe we've got to do something."
"You want to take them on?" Raivel proposed. It wasn't a bad idea. After all, there were three of them, well rested, each with their own strengths. "I'm game if you want to -"
"No!" Bailey interrupted sharply. "Well, maybe. I don't know." She was shivering now.
"Are you cold?" Raivel asked, offering her more of his blanket.
"No, I'm okay," she protested, moving away from him.
"Hold on," he stopped her right where she was, but she'd moved already. He'd thought he had seen something when she had moved from the sunlight to the shadow. "Move back to where you were."
"Why? What?" Bailey asked.
"Don't get upset. Calm down, just do it," Raivel instructed He reached out and took her hand to help steady her, it was ice cold. He was beginning to get alarmed now, but had to stay calm for her sake. She adjusted to where she had just been and he did see it. The sun was hitting her at such an angle that she had not one shadow, but two. Even her reflection in the pool looked like it had two shadows instead of the standard one.
"Do you see that?" Raivel asked, pointing to the two shadows. Bailey nodded in fear.
"What does that mean?"
"Well, maybe that explains your nightmares last night," he answered. She was pale, terrified. "We're going to fix this," he promised her.
"How?" she asked, her voice timid
"I'm going to the Cornucopia. That's where they want us. If there's any medicine here in the arena to fix it, that's where it will be. If there's not, well, that's how the sponsors will send it, because we do something heroic. Besides, I've been hoping to nab a couple more things from there." He plucked the large gem he had swiped earlier out of his pocket and laid it in front of Bailey.
"A little light to keep you company until I return or Mobie wakes up."
"Shouldn't we tell him? Wake him up and see if he wants to go with you?" Bailey pleaded. Raivel shook his head.
"There's no sense putting more of us in danger than we have to in order to get some favors out of our sponsors. It would only worry him and he'd try to stop me."
Raivel was already on his feet, ready to begin his adventure. Bailey grabbed his hand one more time.
"Be careful," she begged, her eyes wide with fright.
"I'll see you when I see you. Don't let anybody but me in," he joked, flashing the key at her. She smiled, but he could already see terror looming behind the smile. "It's going to be alright," he promised as he left. He could only hope he was right.
Ailis Neilan – District 3
"Where is it?" Ibrahima muttered for the five thousandth time. Ailis knew he wasn't talking to her and bit back another comment. She'd already asked if she could help, already knew what he was looking for. She'd offered her help and so had Candice, only to be snapped at in a manner very unlike him. Since then she and Candice had spent the night taking turns keeping watch just in case.
Ibrahima, it would seem hadn't slept at all, but had been digging through the mouth of the Cornucopia since their arrival, convinced his district token waited in its mouth. He refused to let Ailis near it, perhaps fearing that it would once again be taken from him. As though Ailis would do such a thing. She couldn't fathom how he thought an enormous diamond would help anyone but him win the Games. To him, it was a link to what he had left behind, of course.
Candice had been restless all night. She was supposed to have taken the last watch, but Ailis had let her sleep. She could use it. After all, she'd had a frightening day being by herself, being brave enough to light the fires and then return to her allies.
She hadn't had to come back, Ailis thought, but she was glad for the little girl's company. As much as the lost diamond was Ibrahima's link to home Candice was hers, reminding her of her dear friend Aliza to whom she so badly longed to return home. She was every bit as ditzy, every bit as scatterbrained and Ailis just had to watch out for her.
There was something else troubling her, but Ailis had been trying not to think about it. It wasn't just the three of them here, the boy from one's corpse hadn't yet been removed. Even now in morning light, his body remained.
It couldn't be a trap, she thought. She had felt that he had no pulse, his face had appeared in the sky and his cannon had sounded. Why then was his body still here? And why had he looked at her and called someone else's name. It wasn't even as though he had looked past her toward the unknown that had been calling to him, he had looked directly into her eyes and said "Sienna."
And then he had died. In truth, it was the first death she had assisted with. She couldn't let on the revulsion that she felt at depriving another of life; it wouldn't be the last time if she was going to make it out of this alive, but Ailis took no joy in it. Yes, she knew the boy would have killed her had their plan been unsuccessful, would have had no qualms enacting the same punishment that he and that dreadful girl had extended to Freida, but that didn't mean she needed to relish in joy now that he was no more.
"Is it morning?" Candice asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"It is. You can rest for a little while longer if you want," Ailis comforted her.
"Is it still there?" Candice asked and Ailis knew she had been fretting about the second shadow. Ailis braced herself before checking. Perhaps whatever it was had disappeared in the night. She adjusted so that she could see Candice from every angle. One shadow was cast where it should have been, opposite the sun, but the other stretched out at a ninety degree angle from the other. Ailis shook her head in disappointment.
"I'm sure it's nothing," she said, insisting that her voice not betray the doubt in the back of her mind. Nothing in the Hunger Games happened accidentally, at least not something as out of the ordinary as a second shadow appearing on a tribute. This wouldn't have happened without a purpose. But why Candice?
"Do I have one too?" Ailis asked, hopeful that maybe they would all get shadows. Maybe this was just a product of the bored imagination of a couple of Gamemakers. Now it was Candice's turn to shake her head sadly.
"I used to think shadows had a life of their own. Whenever I was out in the evenings or early mornings I would never touch the shadows of the other workers or of anything. They just look like a real person, only not."
"It's just a shadow. A shadow can't hurt you."
"It feels different, though. Like I'm getting dragged out of here, kind of lifted up, the way I imagine he feels right now," Candice pointed towards Killian's body as it began to dissintegrate. Ailis took a deep breath before she said what she was thinking. What if Candice was right? What if the shadow that had seemingly latched onto her was indeed malevolent? What if the darkness in the catacombs, this darkness eating up the corpses, and the darkness that now hung onto her were connected somehow.
"Search the body," Ibrahima demanded, appearing suddenly from the Cornucopia.
"It just disappeared," Ailis stated. He was furious, not having slept all night in frantic search for the diamond. "Ibra, I know you're upset, but we'll find it. Get some rest, Candice and I will look."
"I can't believe we lost it!" Ibrahima growled, his eyes flashing to the place where Killian's body had laid.
"Hey, we searched the body. That was the first place we looked," Ailis reminded him, fighting to keep her tone calm, but growing ever more and more impatient. "We just have to remember, that's not the most important thing right now. We have to make certain that we're prepared in the case of an attack. Killian's allies know by now that he's dead and they'll have pretty solid suspicions that we killed him. Now, they might be making their way back here at this very moment and they've got that archer from district two. Do you think we can hold this position?"
"Are you threatening me?" Ibrahima snapped.
"No, of course not" Ailis said, speaking slowly. "I just want to make sure we can defend ourselves if the time comes. If not we should reconsider our strategy to something more sustainable."
"Much must be risked in the Hunger Games. We have the advantage and I see no reason to abandon it, especially not if it gets me one step closer to destroying that ungrateful brat from seven."
"I thought it was Killian you were after," Ailis said hesitantly. "We got him. Yes, we do need to eventually eliminate the others, but if we do it hastily. . ."
"Last time I checked I was the one who was trained, not you,"
"You also haven't slept in 24 hours!" Ailis reminded him.
"Ailis," Candice's voice came.
"We're sorting something out," Ailis told her. "Now look, if you only had to fend for yourself and didn't have allies to look out for, by all means, act irrationally and spend the rest of your games bent on this testosterone fueled blood feud against Jonas and whomever else has ever done you wrong. Maybe you'll even secure that diamond, wherever it is."
"That mirror showed it here," Ibrahima argued, latching onto the least important part of her argument. Ailis struggled to maintain her calm. In his exhausted state Ibrahima was quickly becoming irrational.
"The mirror could be a trick. In any case, that's hardly the primary focus. You can live without a diamond, but some things are irreplaceable,"
"Ailis," Candice's voice came again, more urgently. Ailis turned around, expecting to see the other tributes threatening the girl, but she saw only Candice, standing exactly where she had been. She only had one shadow now, though.
"It's gone!" Ailis exclaimed.
"I can't see," Candice's voice replied, quietly.
"What's wrong with her?" Ibrahima asked, immediately forgetting their feud.
"I don't know," Ailis whispered. "Candice, here's my hand, take it. I'm right here, can you feel me?" Ailis was desperate to comfort her friend and Candice did take her hand. To her surprise, though, the little girl didn't seem nearly as scared as she had been before.
"I don't know why we were so scared of the dark," she muttered. "It brought me a feeling, a feeling like I'm back home."
"Candice, you're not home. You're here, you're still with us. And the only way you're getting home is if you listen to me, stay here. Hold me hand." k
"I'll always hold your hand," the younger girl said, smiling. "And I'll hold my sisters' hands and my parents' hands. You know when I get out of here, there's no knowing what I'll do. Whatever it is, I hope I can see, even in the dark."
"I'm going to go for a quick patrol. I don't like that it's been quiet all night," Ibrahima commented anxiously, clearly uncomfortable with the excessive sentimentality.
"Just check the mirror," Ailis suggested. "I've been checking it all night. No one has made a move in our direction." Ailis picked up the mirror and nearly dropped it again.
"It's dark," she whispered in fear.
"Like you said, the mirror lies," Ibrahima said, picking it up. It was dark in his hands as well. "It's just a deception," he growled and, before Ailis could stop him, he smashed the mirror on the stone floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Why?" Ailis demanded, but Ibrahima turned his back, not answering. He took a couple of steps away, presumably off to patrol, but he never got the chance.
"They are coming!" Candice intoned in a voice that seemed distant, as though it didn't even belong to her.
No sooner had the words escaped her lips than an arrow brushed straight between the three of them. The second wasn't so lucky, grazing Ibrahima's shoulders.
"We've got to retreat," Ailis thought, immediately. Candice was in no condition to fight and neither was Ibrahima, having not slept the entire night. "We grab some supplies from the Cornucopia and escape down the passage."
"It's blocked. We are doomed," Candice said, once again in that voice that wasn't hers, the despair that wasn't hers.
"Snap out of it," Ailis ordered, grabbing the younger girl and dragging her over towards the secret tunnel at the Cornucopia. To her horror, Ailis discovered that the tunnel was indeed covered by a heavy stone. She couldn't move it, but Ibrahima could.
"Ibra, we need you!" she screamed. Their ally had thrown two of his throwing stars at the still unseen allies, perhaps preventing their approach.
"We can't move the stone!" she hollered.
"Then escape some other way. I'm facing them. You go!"
"We're not leaving you," Ailis argued.
"And I'm not running from a fight. Not again. I can do this," Ibrahima promised, drawing a sword as he released another one of his stars. "Besides, you can do it."
Ailis was about to protest, but something in her voice made her certain he wasn't kidding, wasn't leading them on. Grasping one of the spears, she dug it beneath the stone blocking the tunnel and, using it as a lever, wedged the stone away.
"We're ready. Now come on."
"Seal it!" Ibrahima hollered back. At least two, no three tributes had come up the stairs against him. He was backing up, maintaining his distance from the other two. "I'll catch up to you the long way around or knock when it's safe."
"But. . ." Ailis protested.
"Just do it!" he demanded. Fearfully, Ailis obeyed his order, sealing herself and Candice in the tunnel below.
Jonas Tanner - District 7
The boy had determination, Jonas had to give him that. He smirked to himself as Ibrahima's two allies disappeared into the Cornucopia, leaving him unaccompanied in the face of his three adversaries. He didn't seem daunted in the least, rather, he was almost smiling, as though he had been anticipating this moment as much as Jonas had been.
"Let's get on with it, then," Ibrahima taunted them, holding his ground. He was strategically waiting for one of them to make the first move, to govern the next motion.
"Ibrahima, you could join us," Nero suggested. Jonas balked internally at the suggestion, but Nero seemed hesitant to attack their former ally. Ibrahima had one last star in his hand that hadn't been thrown, a star Jonas was certain had his own name on it. Jonas maintained his sword at the ready.
"Nero, roses are red violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you, but the flowers are dead, the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head," Ibrahima retorted. "That's what I've got to say about any alliance with the lot of you."
He was stalling, protecting something. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to respond; he would have just hurled his last star at them.
"Think this through, Ibrahima. We'll hunt them down once you're dead," Nero tried again. "Ailis, Candice, neither of them will stand a chance without you." Jonas was impressed that Nero actually remembered the two girls' names; he certainly hadn't been concerned enough to learn them in the first place.
"And we won't be kind about it," Saphyra seconded him.
That did it. The last star went hurling, but not at him as he had anticipated. Ibrahima must have truly been infuriated by Freida's death, for it went hurling at Saphyra. She dodged, but not easily. She laughed it off and charged Ibrahima. She dashed in, flailing her sword back and forth, too close for Ibrahima's throwing stars to be effective. The other boy switched to his sword. With one swift movement he nearly disarmed Saphyra.
Nero hesitated. He could sense it in the archer's posture, in his aim, in every aspect of his being. He wished Nero had mentioned his reason for hesitating before they had charged in, but he hadn't. As such, Jonas too found himself holding back, not charging in headlong into the fray.
Jonas was swift then. He couldn't allow a valuable member of their dwindling alliance to be sacrificed because of Nero's doubts. Saphyra was still trying to evade Ibrahima, but his focus was flitting away from her. He knew she wasn't the greater threat.
That moment of hesitation was enough, though. Nero had fitted an arrow to the string and let it fly. It struck Ibrahima squarely in the neck. Blood spewed forth, allowing Saphyra to sneak to safety away from him as Nero allowed another to fly. It embedded itself in Ibrahima's gut and the boy stumbled , nearly falling from the ledge. There was a look of determination in his eyes, though, even as the life faded from him, a proud look. He wouldn't fall. He wouldn't.
"Oh, you don't want to fall?" Saphyra taunted him.
"Saphyra, no!" Nero instructed, but he was too late. The girl was returning, closing in on Ibrahima. With the last ounce of strength he had, the boy pulled a knife and sunk it into her gut. She screamed and two cannons went off simultaneously.
At the same instant a large crack emerged in the floor, splitting directly between Jonas and Nero. The ground shook, just enough to widen the crack to Jonas's feet.
"Jonas!" he heard Nero yell behind him as he slipped into the earth.
He was tumbling down and the path became darker and darker. He tried to slow his descent, but with no luck. Jonas wondered what he would encounter when he struck the bottom. Could this truly be the end for him? Was he destined to meet his fate all alone in the darkness? For the first time during the games, Jonas truly sensed fear washing over him as he felt truly solitary in the face of his mortality.
"Perhaps I was erroneous, arrogant," he whispered. And then his descent slowed and he found himself sitting on a pile of rocks far beneath the sunlight, but alive.
He took a moment, paused and stood, brushing himself off to ensure that he truly was alive. By some miracle he had managed to keep his sword in hand, clutching it so tightly his knuckles were white.
"Now, to work again," he declared, shakily, and started walking an unknown path.
Esthelrir Grey – District 11 Mentor
"You have to eat something," Esthelrir insisted for probably the hundredth time in the past two days. Aeden hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, had barely spoken or drunk anything since the first day of the Games. Now Esthelrir was as worried for his former tribute as he was for his current one; even more so. At least all of the tributes in the arena seemed to be fighting for their lives while Aeden was simply shell shocked.
"What's happening to Candice, it's going to happen to Bailey," Aeden whispered, his voice catching, hoarse from disuse and terror. "She won't know who her allies are anymore." It seemed that was the case for Candice. She stared blankly at Ailis, keeping her distance as though she was afraid of her, afraid of everything. Unable to see, unwilling to trust, what sort of existence was that? Esthelrir had to admit that death seemed almost merciful in her case.
"You don't know for certain that will happen. Perhaps Raivel will succeed and get a cure." Aeden didn't answer, but bit his lip hard, so hard he nearly drew blood. Every breath the younger man drew seemed more shaky, more desperate not to cry.
"And Jonas is all by himself. I've failed again," Aeden whispered.
"Don't say that. You couldn't have prevented any of this," Esthelrir insisted. "Aeden, you have to take that weight off of your shoulders or it will crush you."
"You, we're having a little chat outside. Come join us," an unexpected voice interrupted from behind them.
"We're quite content where we are, thank you, Excelcia," Esthelrir replied, forcing himself to smile and look the first victor in the eye. If he'd had his preference he would have had a few choice words with her, but given her tribute's death and Aeden's sensitivity those words would have to wait.
"I wasn't speaking to you. Aeden. Get up. You're coming with me to have a chat." Aeden made no moves forward. Esthelrir sighed.
"This may benefit your tributes. Come, I'll go with you," he encouraged. Based on his deductions, Aeden wasn't being selected alone, Excelcia had also discretely brought Glade and Allorea apart; even now they awaited her at the door. Aeden didn't speak, but nodded at Esthelrir and they stood, following Excelcia from the hall.
The group had gone a little ways when Esthelrir heard Echo's voice calling behind him.
"Esthelrir, it's Ridge. You'd better come quickly!" The look on her face was so urgent something desperate had to have happened. Esthelrir glanced from her to Aeden, back to her.
"Go. I'll be fine," Aeden promised. It was Esthelrir's turn to nodd, returning to the room in hopes that his tribute hadn't done anything foolhardy.
"What happened?" he demanded before the doors had shut behind him. The room was silent, not a morose or somber silence, but one of confusion, Esthelrir judged by the looks on everyone's faces. "Well, what's going on with Ridge?" he repeated his question.
"Nothing. He's giving Margery and Leoric the slip. Kid's got a good head on his shoulders," Steric answered, unenthused. It was true. Ridge was seemed as peaceful as could be and completely out of danger. Esthelrir looked at Echo in confusion for a moment and then dashed out of the room again.
"A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are."