'Man...this town is old...' Falcon muttered, running his finger along the well's rim.
Aurelia glanced at him, her eyes reduced to slits. She was perching on the edge of the well, trying to roll a pebble around in circles. 'It's not.'
'You have a well.'
'It's a wishing well, Falcon. It's just here.' She kicked the stone towards him, hitting him on the knee.
The two of them were on the outskirts of Lapis Valley near the forest where they had been tricked by '453' before. Falcon remembered the terror of being a foot away from the rabid wolf and how Aurelia had come to his rescue. Once again, he was glad she was there. He knew, together, the two of them were a very strong team.
'A storm is coming...' Falcon glanced up at the furious sky, full of dark clouds rolling in upon Lapis Valley. The grey mass had cast a dark shadow onto the night, adding to the anxiety Falcon was currently feeling. Inside, he knew Cyan was close to them, yet he felt so far away, unreachable...and dying...
Falcon sat down on the edge of the well, feet firmly planted on the ground. 'Make a wish, Aurelia,' he said, taking out a coin from his pocket.
Falcon watched her close her eyes and murmur something, then toss the coin into the black depths of the well. He couldn't bear the heavy uncertainty crushing his heart. In the past, he had always been sure of his success, and nobody else had been caught up in danger along with him. But tonight, he thought his chest might burst open from the heavy emotions clouding his heart.
'Relax...' Aurelia placed a soothing hand on his palm. 'Believe in my team...everything will be fine...'
'How do you know?'
'Because I wished for it.'
Falcon made a show of slapping his palm on his forehead. 'Now it won't come true...' he frowned.
Aurelia giggled. The merry chuckle pierced the dense silence, and Falcon used it as a tether to adhere to the grim reality.
Seconds ticked away at a snail's pace, while Aurelia threaded grass into a delicate bracelet, holding it out to Falcon. He smiled and took the bracelet from her, tucking it into his jacket pocket beside the fake ring. He had insisted on carrying the box so Aurelia wouldn't have to approach '453' once the man turned up.
'It was my assignment,' he had argued. 'I get to carry it. Besides, you have been carrying the box this whole time. It's my turn now.'
'What is wrong with you?'
'I just don't want you in danger.'
'Considered it very soon, didn't you.'
'This is different,' he hadn't given up. 'Please.'
After promises of several containers of ice cream, she had relented.
Aurelia got off the well and started pacing back and forth. 'It's midnight, Falcon.'
'We don't know when he would show up. He might come near morning.'
She hummed, distracted, pacing back and forth, back and forth. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, Falcon glancing at her for minuscule seconds whenever she wasn't looking.
He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but it must have been an hour. Finally, Aurelia turned towards him with panic in her eyes. 'He's not coming, Falcon.'
'Of course, he is,' he knew he was convincing himself more than he was convincing her.
The ominous feeling that had been surrounding him like a bad omen increased until his heart was thudding. He took several low, deep breaths trying to make his head stop swimming. It was after another half an hour that Falcon turned to Aurelia and said in a hushed whisper. 'He's not coming...'
'Why?' she wrung her hands, crushing straggly blades of grass.
'Because he knew of our plan. Who else except your dad and us knew of it?'
'Cyrus...' Aurelia gritted her teeth, finally voicing what Falcon had been thinking for some time.
'Exactly...which means we need to go to the town hall RIGHT NOW.'
Aurelia's lower lip quivered. 'Dad...'
'And the ring...for all we know, Cyrus already has the real ring in his possession.'
To his immense surprise, Aurelia's body sagged. He caught her before she hit the ground, holding tight to her trembling limbs. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, catching onto her chin for a second before splashing onto Falcon's jeans. He held her close, his own anxiety threatening to spill over as he made her look into his eyes.
'Aurelia, come on...your father is in danger. We need to go to the Town Hall,' he whispered.
'It's too late...' she kept shaking her head dejectedly, tears rolling down her face. 'I have failed them all. Grandpa, Dad, Cyan, they are all gone.'
'How do you know that...we haven't even tried to save them yet. If you give up now, you won't be able to live with yourself...' Falcon entwined their fingers, keeping her close. 'Come on...'
Aurelia got up slowly but didn't let go of his hand. She shook her head and added, 'Sorry...I shouldn't...'
'No...it's okay...' he pulled her hand and started running towards the village.
'I will murder Cyrus...I'll finish him with my own hands,' Aurelia growled.
The clouds roared as the Town Hall came into view. He prayed for Xander to have put up a struggle and for the ring to be safe. Cyan's face swam into view and his entire body shuddered with barely suppressed rage.
The huge mahogany doors were open. Falcon's heart plummeted down the canyon of despair, but he held Aurelia's hand tightly and pulled her along with him inside. The inside was vacant, the late hour and approaching storm keeping the people out. With his heart thundering in his chest, he clamored up the stairs and burst onto the landing, panting and sweating like a marathon runner at the finish line of the race track.
Despite the long corridor leading to the meeting room, Falcon could see the door swinging open, as if someone had left the room with their life on the line.