Chapter 6: Catching Up

Battered and bruised, Aria, Killian and the blue haired girl slowed to a stop as they reached the Black River. Aria reached inside her pack to check on Fang before turning to Killian, now safely on the ground grooming Ebony. With a scowl, Aria reeled back and punch Killian right in the arm. "Ow!" He exclaimed, clutching his now throbbing arm. "That's for being a mysterious idiot! Some secrets are better off being shared for the benefit of the group!" Aria stated. Killian sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I deserved that." He said sheepishly. Nearby the mysterious blue haired girl was dipping her feet in the lazy current of the river, watching both of them with a confused stare, the way a tourist might look at the locals while they speak rapidly in a language completely alien to them. Killian sat down on a moss covered stone and let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for hours, "I can do magic. I learned it while I was away." he said, looking up at Aria. He could tell that she would not be satisfied with that answer. He sighed once more and got comfortable, " I don't like going back to the night of the forest fire. It all started so fast, and before I knew it, there was no way out. Branches were falling all around me with showers of sparks stinging and burning me from head to toe. After a while, I couldn't even breathe, it felt like needles in my lungs, I was on the ground, gasping for air. I thought I was gonna die Ari." Killian said, looking over at his friend who stood there, taking in the story without showing so much as a tear. She walked over to Killian and threw her arms around him in a hug, "I missed you." She said, squeezing him a little tighter. Killian cracked a smile at her antics, "I missed you too Ari." He said, hugging her back. Aria looked up at him and frowned, "But how did you survive?" She queries, watching his smile turn back to a frown. His eyebrows knit together, " I don't remember exactly. All I remember was being on the forest floor, not being able to breathe, and then it all went dark." He started grimly, " I woke up in someone's house, a wizard who went by the name of Herman the Hermit." He said, cracking a smile as Aria snickered, "You can laugh, it's a pretty funny name." He said with a chuckle. "Anyway, Herman was the only reason I survived. I don't know how he found me, but he healed me, as best he could anyway. He taught me some of the things he knew and helped me find Ebony here." Killian said, patting the wing of his feathered friend who cooed quietly. Aria looked up at him, not sure how to respond, she just sat there before looking up and yelling, "Crap! Where's the girl!"