A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 19: My breath of air. (Part 1)

Chapter 19: My breath of air.

Water flushed from my lungs spurting out as I coughed. My eyes flew open immediately blurred and dazed. A face in front of mine and a deep red hair. Lara? As my eyes focused the hair faded to white and I was sure who it was now.

"Thank god you're alright," she heaved on the edge of tears.

I coughed again and rose to a sitting position, "Well I've had worse." I felt the back of my head and found blood. "Thanks for saving me. Where did you learn CPR?"

"You know what that is?" she asked surprised.

"Of course I do," I huffed. "I was pretty much forced to learn First Aid."

"Oh... then you know what I did," she was beginning to blush self-consciously.

I had to look away, "Don't be embarrassed or I'll be as well. It's a completely normal medical procedure."

"Y-yeah," she nodded and shook herself. "But what do we do now?"

I looked around. We were lying on the bank of a smaller channel. The current must have dragged us in. Unlike before however we were in what looked like a tunnel and there were no trees in sight. A golden orb hovered above Lara shedding light around us and against the nearby wall Marley was resting unconscious.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well after I got hit I tried to swim after the boat but then it shot away before I could reach it. The current pulled me under and before I knew it I was washed into this place. I found you and Marley washed a bit further away. Marley was breathing but you weren't."

"I see.... So in other words you have no idea where we are?"

"Sorry," she apologised as if it was her fault. "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"No, it's just your hair was red," I said simply. It had only lasted a brief second and probably due to my addled mind.

Lara widened her eyes excited and grabbed her hair looking at it, "It's still white...."

"I said 'was'. I was probably just hallucinating. Is your hair colour that important?"

"Well, my hair used to be red before I came here." She laughed tiredly, "To be honest I kind of miss it."

"If it makes you feel better it looked nice while I saw it," I shrugged and stood up. "Let's find a way out of here. I'd carry Marley but you're clearly stronger than me."

"Right!" Lara picked her up instead, throwing the girl over her shoulder as if it was nothing.

We were still wet but inside the tunnel the chill of the wind was gone and Lara's light emitted a soothing warmth. The tunnel ran in either direction a few metres high and several wide. Aside from the stone walls and water, the banks were made of a thick sand. It didn't take us long to reach an impasse. The tunnel cut off and into the water. Just from looking at it I could see the current as the water pushed back the way we came. If it had been strong enough to pull us in, leaving that way wasn't an option.

"Do we head the other way?" Lara asked.

"It's the only thing we can do." I winced and touched the back of my head again as a sharp throb expanded through my skull.

Lara looked at me downcast, "Sorry, healing magic is one of the few things I can't use. Ironic right? Me being the Hero and all."

"I'll be fine. Once Marley wakes up she can give me a check." The pain throbbed again. At times like these, magic sure would be handy. Most my usefulness was preparation based and without my apothecary set, there was little I could do to help myself.