Hunting For The Sun

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Not Always Sunny

Or

The Attack of the Hogs

So someone found what they were looking for, I guess. Ori and I spent the rest of the day outside, wrapped up warm against the deceptive chill of the late January sun. It was only about ten in the morning, so we had all day to spend walking and playing football. I couldn't say what all the others were doing. I know that Raven was filing that spell, Persephone helping her. Cloud and Adura had gone to the North Wing to practice on some of the target ranges there. Draco, however - well, he was a mystery even to himself back then. Skye was still festering in prison. It had been about a week since we left her there. How far had we got? It was like a niggling pain in the back of my head. Like a ticking clock or a fly in a jar or a flickering light -- something mindless and tiny, yet so important. She would be perfectly safe in that prison. If we couldn't get in, nor could anything else. It was still against the law to torture people... I hoped. But who knew? The people we were dealing with were the ones who made the laws. They could change at a moment's notice. I felt like a terrible friend, leaving her there, but there was very little we could do. She was safe. Something fairly rare in that day and age.

At about midday, Ori and I were walking along the ridge on the valley closest to Hogwarts. We had given up on a game of tennis, both finding that we had a tendency to, in Ori's case, smack the ball into oblivion, or, in my case, draw a gun and shoot it. We had been amusing ourselves greatly with one of those machines that fires the balls at you. I soon turned the dark green tarmac of the court into a mess of white flour marks and plastered us both in it. Ori started complaining that I was making him grubby and attacked me with his racket until one of the Elders asked us if we would mind leaving before he reported us to Raven. I couldn't be bothered to explain that it was simply reflex for me to shoot the little green things, so we went back inside and changed our clothes before going out for a walk. So there was Hogwarts. I could see its majestic towers and dark, glassy lake shining in the cold sun about a mile to the South. Flowing out of it and across the bridge and around the lake was a dark mass. It looked like ants or something, but I knew what it was.

'They're really mobilising,' I breathed.

'Now's our chance to get in,' Ori said, grabbing my hand. 'We could do it. Us two.' His eyes were alight with the possibility of leaving everyone behind and running off one some mission. I could imagine him sitting on his mother's make-up table, making war paint out of lipstick and eye shadow.

'You freakin' crazy?' I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

He laughed. 'Do you even feel the need to ask? Come on! It's not that far.'

He narrowed his eyes, shading them with a hand and gazing out into the distance.

'They aren't wearing uniforms,' he murmured.

'How can you tell at this distance?' I demanded, squinting.

'Vampire sight,' he shrugged. 'I guess I'm not totally human.'

'Maybe it was because she was dying,' I thought aloud. 'Her humanity and mortality were weaker... or not as strong as yours in the first place.'

'Combination of both,' Ori deadpanned. He hated it when I started thinking. I assumed that it was a throwback from the time when he was born. 'Shall we?'

I lifted the hem of my black leather flying-jacket to check that my pistol was at hand. It was. I straightened the goggles on my head.

'It's a long way, especially down this ridge,' I said. I wanted to go, but I wanted to find an excuse to do it an easy way.

Ori winked at me and walked to the sheer edge of the ridgeline. It was almost vertical to the bottom where it met the plains, far below. I stepped up behind him, looking along the horizon.

'What are you plotting?' I asked him with a wry smile.

'Ohh, nothing,' he grinned, throwing himself off the edge with a monkey-like leap. He hit the slope about ten feet down and skidded on his feet the rest of the way, holding his arms out like he was snowboarding. He hit a rock and rolled into the grass and out of sight. I sighed, not too worried about him. If he could still see, he was probably still strong.

I walked more slowly to the edge and sat down carefully. I placed my feet sideways, right further down than left, and stood up. I had to lean forward immediately to balance myself, and I locked all my muscles to stop the jarring pain of the rough dirt from making me fall. My teeth were snapping together in my mouth and I had to pull my goggles over my eyes to stop the dirt getting in. My knees were on fire and my thighs scorched with the effort of supporting my frame in such a difficult position. I was going incredibly fast, my hair torn back in a streak of red behind me. I felt the slope start to level out and tried to tip myself back a little, but I lost my balance. I tipped forward dangerously, windmilling my arms. I opened my mouth in shock and a cloud of dust and some flies zoomed in. I coughed and retched, tilting back again. As I slowed, my boots shuddered across the ground and flung me head over heels off the last edge. I crumpled into a heap in the grass, landing on something warm and soft. It didn't entirely break my fall, but I suppose it helped.

I moaned in pain and flopped backwards. My teeth felt loose and my bones ached.

'Nice landing,' said Ori's muffled voice.

'Guh?' I groaned, rolling off him.

'No problem,' he shrugged, standing up and brushing the dust off his navy slacks and white dress-shirt. He straightened his dark blue jacket primly. He had selected the smart outfit that morning, saying that it was like his birthday, and it was only right that he should dress up a bit. It suited him, though. He seemed to revel in looking smart, and I wondered what he had once been. The first time he was alive - that is. I wobbled but he caught me neatly and pushed me upright again. He lifted the goggles off my eyes and propped them back on my head. A tendril of hair escaped and I blew at it feebly.

'Come on,' he grinned. 'Let's get walking.'

I grunted, and we began the three-quarter-mile trek to the castle looming in the distance. Ori was babbling all the way. I didn't listen to most of it, still trying to dispel the ringing in my ears. When we reached the walls, he turned to me.

'Do you get me?'

I frowned, wondering whether I should pretend that I had listened or not. It was a hard moral decision, but I really did not feel up to lying to him.

'I'm sorry,' I mumbled. 'I couldn't really hear you. My ears are ringing.' True enough.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. 'Never mind. It was nothing.'

But I could tell from his voice that it wasn't.

'Tell me when we get back ... or in the jail cell,' I smiled. He nodded, ruffling my hair. I growled at him and looked up the wall. It was a good ten feet high; maybe as much as twelve. Neither of us could do this on our own.

'How are we gonna do this?' I asked, scratching my head.

'With difficulty,' Ori answered, not very helpfully. I sighed.

'Give me a leg-up.'

He bent down and cupped his hands. I placed my foot in his interlacing fingers and took a little bounce before standing up. He grunted slightly, rocking forwards, before rising painfully slowly. I was terrified that he would drop me, but he resisted the urge. When he had reached standing height, I put my left foot on his shoulder and pulled myself up, digging my nails into the cracks in the stones. I reached my arms over the top of the wall, dragging myself up as best I could, snapping all the muscles in my stomach, probably. I hooked a knee up and shifted around until I was lying along the wall. I reached a hand down to Ori and pulled back with all my weight to drag him up. Being one heck of a lot taller than me, he got up fairly easily (I hate being a short-arse). We sat there for a while, looking down at the long stretch of overgrown lawn leading up to the massive front gates, out of which flooded reams upon reams of people. I turned and held onto the edge of the wall, slipping down backwards. My nails snapped off as they skittered down the bricks, but I made it relatively unharmed.

Ori dropped down after me, and we ran straight across the lawns, crouching low. I slammed up against the wall an instant before him, panting slightly. We edged along in the opposite direction to the doors. I darted around the corner and through an open archway. A few soldiers still milled around in the corridor, gathering weapons. We straightened up, trying to look like we knew where we were going, and marched officiously into the building,

The halls were cool and ornate, but with many piles of swords and scabbards mixed with guns and flak jackets. We darted among them, trying to head downwards.

Dungeons are downwards, offices are upwards.

If the person we were looking for was here, then they'd be in the dungeons. Ori had told me once that he could tell if a person was 'one of us'. I hoped that that sense remained with him.

'Dungeons?' he asked, pushing a wooden door open slightly and peering inside.

'That's what we're looking for - for now.'

'Jolly good.'

Whenever someone official-looking came around a corner, we turned our backs and huddled around a stack of weapons. This seemed to be working very well, until we actually found the door we needed.

'Here it is!' I exclaimed, showing a long, torch lit stairway spiralling down into the darkness.

'Lost, are we?' asked a cold, harsh voice. I spun to see a tall man with lank, greasy black hair and a hooked nose, through which he breathed heavily. His eyes were black, and it was like looking down a well on a dark night.

'No, not at all,' I smiled, stepping in front of the door.

'What would you be doing down there?' he asked nastily, a smirk curving his lip.

'Making out,' Ori answered quickly. The man raised an eyebrow. Ori looked down, faking a blush.

Thank the gods he still looks so young

, I thought, blushing on command.

'What?'

'Well, y'know ... we uh ... may never see each other again and ... uh...'

'I see,' the man said, stepping back. 'Well, that may not be the best place. There's still a few of the more important prisoners down there. I haven't seen you two before.'

'We're new, that is - we came up recently, just yesterday. We're a way away from Hogwarts but we didn't want to get left out of the fighting and...'

'Yes, yes. Well, get on with it. But the last train's leaving at two,' he informed us, then swirled his cloak around himself as he stalked up the corridor. I breathed a long sigh of relief and kissed Ori enthusiastically.

'You lying bastard,' I grinned, hugging him tightly.

'Worth it for the credit of being seen with you, baby,' he smirked. I blushed and poked him.

'Come on, let's get on with it. He said there were important prisoners down there.'

I took a torch from a bracket on the wall and started down the steps. The flaring gold light showed the floor about ten steps before I reached it, and I stepped into the musty darkness with relief. I really didn't want to go down any further.

'Hello?' I called softly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped before I realised that it was Ori.

'Who's there?' asked a female voice. It was hoarse and rasping. 'Do you have any more sticks to beat us with?'

'I never did,' I answered. 'Where are you?'

'On the left,' she answered. 'Who are you?'

'I'm called Rae. I'm here to help you. Maybe.'

'Never heard of you.'

'Well, I didn't say you should've,' I answered, moving to the left and walking along the row of cells. Ori was oddly silent.

'I know that.'

'What's your name?'

'Neit. Well, not really, but that's what they call me.'

'Same here.'

'What are you here for?'

'Well, maybe you. Is there anyone else down here?'

'I think they shot everyone else. I had two others until yesterday. I used to talk to them, but they went. Unless there's someone too far away to hear, it's just me.'

'Well, then we're looking for you.'

'How nice.'

I stepped around a corner to find a largish cell with thick iron bars running vertically. It was so ... stereotypical. I hadn't really expected that. Inside it sat a dark haired girl with dirty, grubby skin. She wore what looked like it had once been white, but was now almost black with grime. It was sort of like a suit, but with a white vest under the fitted jacket. Her hair was tangled and matted and her eyes were wary. I lowered the torch to get the glare out of her blue eyes.

'Have we met?' she asked, frowning.

'I don't think so,' I replied. 'Ori?'

'Yes,' he replied, stepping out of the shadows behind me.

'Is she?'

'Am I what?' she asked suspiciously.

'Yes she is.'

'Am what?'

'One of us,' I replied.

'Oh God. More nutters.'

'No, really. We're busting you outta here,' I grinned, handing the torched to Ori. I drew my pistol and stepped back slightly. Neit scrambled to the bars nearest us and out of the line of fire. I held the gun in both hands and took aim along the barrel. I slipped the trigger back, and, with a satisfying twang and the smell of gunpowder, the padlock skittered free. I slotted the gun back and kicked the cell door in. Neit got to her feet and grinned at me, holding out her hand. I shook it warmly.

'I think this is the place for me,' she laughed. 'Now let's get out.'

I nodded and tapped Ori. He started to run, holding the torch out in front of him. I took Neit's hand and we followed.

We retraced our path, back up the steps and into the corridor. Neit bent and snatched a bullwhip from one of the piles and wrapped the thin rope handle around her fist, tying it like a bandage. She slid her hand through the leather loop and gripped the thicker part in her palm.

Draco!

What do you want?

I need you to help us.

Why?

Because I do. We went down to Hogwarts and got one of our members... the one who's your opposite. Can you come and fetch us?

Fine.

I grinned to myself.

'We have transport for the last leg of our journey,' I said happily.

Ori almost threw Neit and I over the perimeter wall and scrambled up all by himself. Shouts began to go out and a few people began to follow us.

'Oh holy shit!' Neit snapped, clutching her side. 'I'm so - out - of - condition!'

'Don't talk. Run,' I gasped.

We ran until we were about halfway across the plain, pursued every step by sentries and guards. The long grass made it hard to run and we were slowed down. Fortunately, so were our pursuers. I was gasping and stumbling, a fire scorching my lungs. I raised my bleary eyes to the ridgeline, where a cloud of smoke was rising. Two black shapes broke away from it and rocketed down the slope.

'That must be Draco,' I panted.

A roaring filled our ears, and even to my feet, the ground shook. The dust cloud trailed across the plain behind the two shapes, which grew larger every second. I put on a last spurt of speed as the two massive motorbikes roared across the hard ground. Draco and Raven skidded sideways, revving the engines as they stopped.

'Get on!' Raven shouted. Ori leapt up behind Draco and Neit and I behind Raven. She pulled away almost before we sat down, the front wheel lifting off the turf briefly. I snapped my goggles down over my eyes before wrapping my arms around Neit's waist and locking my legs against the many exhaust pipes. I cast a glance back, watching as our chasers lagged behind and vanished. Draco leaned over, tilting his knee out to stop the bike from toppling, and turned a smooth curve to one side. His hair flowed out behind him and he narrowed his eyes against the wind. I sighed before realising that I did.

I love you.

I know that.

Shit. He wasn't meant to hear me. I blushed and looked away, but all the hair available slapped into my face and got into my mouth. I spat and shook my head until it cleared, but Draco had looked away. He began to ride diagonally up the ridge, making it shallow enough to get up. Raven followed him, although slightly to one side. She was never the sort to eat dust.

The bikes leapt into the air slightly as they skidded onto the path along the ridge. Ant-like figures were still hopping across the plain after us. I laughed with joy, slapping my hands together as we raced into the wind.

~