32 Saving Indigo

---Aaron---

"INDIGO!" I yelled as I barreled towards her fallen figure lying on the street. I skidded to a stop on my knees. "Indigo! Indigo—oh no." There was so much blood. It was gushing from the knife wound in her stomach and formed a puddle around her. I felt her pulse gingerly, fearing what I would find. Nothing. "Indigo!" I was panicking so hard. "Indigo!"

I heard a rustle behind me. Spinning around, I saw the man who stabbed Indigo trying to crawl away, the long gash on his back bleeding through his shirt. With a roar, I jumped up and kicked him hard in the ribs. He collapsed on the floor, groaning. "It's all your fault!" I picked up my sword and stabbed him. He screamed and writhed in agony. Retracting my sword, I pulled back to stab him again.

"Aaron! Stop!" Katherine appeared at my side and grabbed my wrist.

"He stabbed Indigo!" I was seeing black spots; I was so angry. Angry and filled with pain.

"Aaron, calm down. You already stabbed him." Katherine's soothing voice tried to reason with me.

"He killed Indigo! He killed her!" My breath came out in ragged gasps. I had to avenge my friend. I had to kill the man who killed her. Wrenching my arm from Katherine's grasp, I brought the sword down on the man lying in front of me.

Clang! A sword blocked my blow, quivering slightly from the impact. "I don't want to fight you Aaron, but I will if I have to," Katherine's quiet voice spoke. "You should take a look at Indigo. Maybe it's not too late." My anger dissipated. Dropping my sword, I sank to my knees, all the fight having gone out of me.

"Indigo," I whispered. "Can you save her?"

Katherine placed a hand on my shoulder, calming and strong. She nudged me, and I looked up to see Rachel kneeling next to her fallen friend, pushing every last drop of magic she had to heal Indigo. The yellow magic branched out and spread, its tendrils swirling. It gave the area around them a warm yellow glow.

Ashley was up and about, casting spells. "Oblitus." The curious people who poked their heads out of their houses to investigate withdrew, without a single memory of what they've seen. "Obscuro." An invisible spell was cast, and the magic was hidden from the sights of nosy wanderers. It would appear to anyone else that we were huddled around our fallen friend, giving medical attention. No one would see the yellow magic wrapping around Indigo and healing her.

"Katherine." Rachel said weakly. "Katherine, I need some power." Immediately understanding, Katherine placed her hand in Rachel's outstretched palm. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Katherine sent some of her magic through to Rachel, who used it to continue healing Indigo.

Gradually the wound closed and some color returned to Indigo's cheeks, even though she was still deathly pale. Rachel felt her pulse and shook her head. Still nothing. Katherine furrowed her brow in concentration and I watched as blue sparks danced down her fingertips and mixed with the fading yellow of Rachel's. "Heal." I heard Katherine whisper faintly. "Heal."

A few tense minutes later, Indigo's eyelids fluttered. I gasped and rushed to her side, pushing Lucian and Ashley aside. "Indigo?" I asked, breathless. "Indigo, can you hear me?" Rachel placed a hand on Indigo's chest. "There's a faint heartbeat," she reported.

I grasped Indigo's hand in mine. "Please wake up, Indigo," I whispered. "Please." She was not going to die. No way. She was my good friend, and in the depths of my heart, I wrestled with whether I liked her more than just a friend. She was a wonderful person, sweet and kind and smart. I remembered the first day we met at the Academy, when the sun hit her hair just right and gave her a halo. She was beautiful, and her smile was forever imprinted in my mind. Indigo. Indigo. I can't lose you.

Indigo heaved a gasp and her eyes fluttered open, wide and startled. She looked up at me, fear clouding her eyes. "Indigo? It's me, Aaron. How do you feel?" I asked cautiously. We just brought her back from the dead. Is she…okay?

"Aaron. Is it really you?" She realized her hand was in mine and squeezed. I squeezed back, looking at her expectantly.

"Of course. You're alive, Indigo. You're okay now."

"I—" Indigo struggled to sit up. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around at all of us. A relieved smile broke out on her face. "I'm still alive. Oh my gosh. I thought I wouldn't make it. Thank you for healing me, Rachel."

"Don't mention it," said Rachel with a smile. "That's what friends are for." I looked at Indigo's pale face and then at the puddle of blood around her. She might be alive, but was still very weak from blood loss.

"Aaron, we've…we've got…company," Katherine gasped out before sinking to one knee, using her sword to prop herself up. "Ughhhh…"

"Kath! What happened?" My head snapped up, and I looked at Katherine worriedly.

"I'm okay…just a bit faint…take care of Indigo," she said. "And those people…" her chin dipped towards my left, and followed her gaze to see a trio of guards approaching us. In the background, several others have captured the thieves we decapitated earlier and were herding them away.

"Uh, is that the—"one of them started, looking at the man lying on the floor.

"Yeah. He stabbed my friend and nearly killed her," I said. "You better make him pay for what he's done."

"We're really sorry about this," another guard said. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, with short brown hair peeking out of his helmet. "We haven't had any crime cases in over a decade. And travelers usually don't get attacked."

"Well too bad," Lucian said. "Our friend here almost died. See all this blood? I expect free medical treatment."

"Of course, of course," the guard replied. "I'll take you to the doctor right away."

"That's alright. We can wait until tomorrow." I cut in.

"But—" the guard started. Ashley coughed into her hand. "Perplexor," I heard her whisper. The guards looked around, blinking. "Uh…what happened?"

"I don't know," replied his teammate, scratching his head. "I think we're supposed to take that guy away."

They dragged the man away, still contemplating what they were supposed to do since none of them could remember. Ashley met my gaze and smiled a little.

"Katherine, did you use your magic again?" Indigo asked, looking at Katherine with concern.

"Yeah." Katherine tightened her grip on her sword, without even the energy to look up. "Rachel needed more power to heal you."

"I'm sorry," said Rachel, also looking a bit pale in the moonlight. "I know I shouldn't have asked, but your life was in balance and I—"

"Don't worry about it," Katherine waved Rachel off. "This is what friends are for." Then she collapsed.

"Kath!" I let go of Indigo's hand to catch Katherine and prop her up. She fell limply against me, already unconscious.

"Aaron, take care of Katherine. I got Indigo." Lucian said to me, helping Indigo stand. She leaned heavily into him, still weak from blood loss. I carried Katherine in my arms, her hair falling into her face.