Hello and Goodbye

The boy pushed the boulder off of the girl trapped beneath. Her left leg was bent at an awkward angle, and her shirt was covered in blood. He checked her pulse. It was there, but only faintly. Her breathing was shallow and pained. He put his hands over the hole in her shirt, applying pressure to the wound underneath. She let out a weak groan and her eyelids fluttered. A moment later she opened her eyes. She focused on him and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Shhh, don't try to talk." he said to her. "Everything's going to be okay."

As the last word left his lips, she gave a weak cough which was followed by a deeper one, this one bringing up blood. He shifted so he could prop her head up on his legs and still put pressure on the wound. He know he was fighting a losing battle, but he had to try.

"Who are you?" asked a weak voice.

He glanced down at her, "My name is Romio." he replied. "Can you tell me yours?"

She closed her eyes, as if she was trying to remember, and took a shuddering breath. "Juliyett."

He smiled, "I like that name."

She coughed, more blood coming up. "I like yours too." she responded, her voice barely audible. Then her body seemed to relax, her head leaning into his legs more. He checked her pulse. She was gone.

The Hidden Cave

a cave up ahead, but all he saw was a rock wall. He checked his compass and and did a mental walk through of his trek thus far. He hadn't taken a wrong turn. Great. The cave had to be here. He couldn't go back home empty handed. It had been a uphill battle just to get the funds and permits to go on this trip. So many people had tried to stop or discourage him from going. He had to come back with something. He  sat down on a nearby boulder and pulled out the worn journal that paired with the map. As he read, the sun shifted the shadows. He looked at the rock wall and noticed a shadow that shouldn't have been there. He walked over to the wall and took a closer look at the shadow and a moment later let out a shout of relief and excitement. The cave was hidden behind a boulder that blended in seamlessly with the wall behind it, unless viewed from the right angle or the right time of day.

The Infiltration

He stared at the 3-D display before him. The subtlest path to the tower was highlighted for him. As he stared at the path he ran through scenarios that could arise. He also contemplated, briefly, bringing someone else in. No, it would be best if he did this alone. Infiltrating the citadel alone would be hard, but not impossible. Adding another person would add more opportunities for things to go wrong. Most importantly, it would open him up to betrayal; something he had experienced before and never wanted to experience again. Ever.

He sighed and leaned a little more on his hands. On the other hand, having another person could speed things up. The timing had to be perfect. The High Protector would only be gone from the tower for an hour at most, and he had to be in and out of the citadel before then. If the journey to the tower was off by even a minute, he would be captured and killed. The Protector had an uncanny ability of knowing everything that was going on in the citadel while he was in it.

This was not going to be easy, but it had to be done. The outcome would be worth it. Well, it would be if he was successful.