Flicker of the Flame: A YA Epic Fantasy

by Evelyn Puerto

  After many heartbeats, Naco stirred. “All they ever told us was that the sea is unsafe.” His voice held an element of wonder and surprise.

  Tereka brushed a tear from her eye. “They never said it was magnificent.”

  The rest of the day sped by. Poales stayed busy making farsight tubes that let the pirates see faraway things as if they were close. He also built something shaped like a triangle with a curved bottom and a metal piece that moved between the two sides. When he showed it to Tereka she frowned, unable to imagine its purpose. Poales said it would help with navigation. After he explained its use to Minyan, the pirate laughed and slapped him on the back. “Sure you don’t want to sail with us forever?”

  “I’m honored, b-but after my stint as a miner and now a pirate’s helper, I’d like to try something safer. Like being a fugitive.”

  Minyan’s chuckles told Tereka that Poales had pleased him, but he wasn’t as appreciative of the rest of them. He did nothing but bark orders at them. He set Savinnia to mending a pile of worn gray and brown clothing while Tereka tended the sick and injured. Relio, Naco, Sebezh, Hinat, and Alikse spent much of their time below decks, rowing or scrubbing.

  Her work didn’t keep her too busy to overlook the clothing the pirates wore. While most of it was a mix of villager gray, trader brown and guardsman black, there were a few odd touches. Like those whose tunics were long, extending not just beyond the hip, but nearly to the knee. And these tunics wrapped around the wearer, rather than buttoning up in the center. Some of the pirates wore brightly colored sashes around their waists, securing their tunics in place.

  One of these was a man suffering from a stomach complaint. While he drank the herbal tea she brewed for him, she fingered the end of his sash. She’d never felt such soft and smooth fabric. It was a puzzle. No villager would wear such odd clothes, not even the konameis. Or if they did, they’d keep those garments well hidden. The Riskers wore colors, but the fabrics were the usual wool and cotton.

  Could it be the pirates raided other shores? She stared straight ahead, unable to move. Perhaps someone had survived the Endless War. And they lived to the east. From where, according to the prophecy, an invader would come.

  The man’s moans interrupted her musing. If she didn’t heal him, she wouldn’t live long enough to be troubled by anyone, villager, Risker, or invader.

  By the end of the day, Tereka’s head ached from the sun and staying on guard against the leering glances and ribald comments of the pirates. But no one had tried to touch either her or Savinnia, whether put off by the knives Minyan had publicly given them or by the hovering presence of Naco or Alikse, she didn’t know.

  What she did know was they’d been fed, and, so far, they’d escaped the Prime Konamei’s guardsmen. Maybe, just maybe they had a chance to get away. If Minyan kept his word. And Sebezh kept his mouth shut.

  As the sun moved toward the west and the land to the east glowed with golden light, Minyan pulled the ship into a small cove with a rocky shore. The mountains formed cliffs on either side of the inlet, their slopes ablaze with red and yellow and orange. Tereka’s breath caught. She never thought she’d see the autumn leaves again.

  A small boat was lowered to the water, rowed by two of Minyan’s men. He ordered Tereka’s group aboard. Once they were on dry ground, the pirates returned to the ship and the boat was raised.

  As the ship sailed out of the inlet, more than one of Tereka’s group let out a sigh. Minyan had been true to his word but he’d left the eight of them with nothing more than the tattered clothes they’d escaped in, a knife each, one bow, and a quiver of arrows. Between them, they had a few waterskins and a small bag of provisions containing hard black bread, dried meat, and dried fruit.

  “Now where?” Sebezh’s voice was hard. “We’re stuck here on these cursed rocks.”

  “Don’t you see the trail?” Tereka pointed to an opening in the trees. “The coastal mountains are lower and narrow here. On the other side, we’ll be in the northern end of the valley that leads to Gishin.”

  “And we’ll turn ourselves in?” Sebezh spat.

  Relio cuffed him on the head. “No, stupid. We’ll head for the inner range of the mountains. Girly here says the Riskers will help us.”

  “I’m not going to no savages. The pirates would have been better.” Sebezh crossed his arms.

  Tereka scowled and put her hands on her hips. “Stay here then. I’m going to Mikkeliad. To see my aunts.” She strode to the path, smirking as the others gasped and muttered.

  Loudest was Relio. “I knew that girl had a story. Never expected this. Quick, don’t let her get away.”

  On the trail, the sound of crunching on the thick bed of leaves underfoot told Tereka the others were following. Now, if she could just find her way to the nearest Risker camp.

  For three days, they walked without seeing anyone. Which didn’t surprise Tereka. East of the coastal hills, the land was marshy and seemed to support no life except reeds, mosquitos, and the occasional squawking bird. The water was brownish-green, smelled of sulfur, and tasted of rot. The reeds had bleached to a pale gold. Ahead of them lay the mountains, their colors blazing like mocking beacons.

  After the third day, the land tilted sharply upward and dried to rocky terrain. Small bushes and trees dotted the landscape. They marched on. The sun moved low in the western sky, a wind picked up and a cold rain began to fall.

  “This is supposed to be Oznobal, not the beginning of winter. What kind of weather is this?” Sebezh asked.

  “The first month of autumn in the north. What else do you expect?” Tereka wiped the rain from her eyes and turned to Poales. “What do you think? Keep going?”

  He pointed at a clump of trees. “Those pines would be the best shelter.”

  “Looks good to me.” Sebezh took off at a trot, Hinat behind him.

  “Stop!” Poales took a few running steps after them. “I hope no b-bandits thought that was a good place to camp.”

  Tereka shivered. Bandits. She and her friends were already weak and tired and starving. She tottered after Sebezh and Hinat. In a few heartbeats, they drew near the trees, then sprinted back. “Bandits!”

  “Did they see you?” Tereka’s heart lurched.

  “Yep.” Sebezh looked over his shoulder. “See?”

  Near the trees stood two men, a pair of horses nearby. Poales squinted. “They’re not in black. So not guardsmen.” He narrowed his eyes to slits. “Can’t tell if they’re wearing brown or gray.”

  “If there are only two, what does it matter?” Relio jerked his head toward the men.

  Alikse nodded. “We’re eight.”

  “And if they have bows?” Naco asked.

  “It’s tricky shooting in this weather.” Tereka pulled the bow from her shoulder and took three arrows into her hand. “And they’ve seen us. Nothing to do but keep going.”

  “No sense getting more soaked than we have to.” Naco fell into step beside Tereka. “Let’s see who they are.”

  They kept walking. Gradually, the rain tapered to a fine mist. Tereka kept her eyes fixed on the two men, who remained under the shelter of the trees. Both had bows in their hands but hadn’t yet nocked arrows.

  “What do we tell them?” Savinnia asked.

  “We could start by saying we were attacked by bandits,” Tereka said. “That’s believable.”

  Poales pressed his lips together. “And that after they robbed us, they rode south, so we’re heading north to avoid them, and will cut over to Gishin.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Relio. “But if they don’t buy our story and won’t leave us alone, we’ll have to kill them.”

  Tereka opened her mouth to protest, then let her head droop forward. Relio was right. They couldn’t risk anyone reporting them to the nearest ephor. She rubbed her hand over her mouth. She didn’t want to kill anyone. She hoped they would be gullible. Stupid. Distracted. Anything but sharp and discerning. She felt queasy as they closed the distance.
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  The two men stood like statues, their faces and clothing obscured under shadows cast by the trees. When Tereka was about thirty paces away from them, the taller one stepped forward. “Peace and safety.”

  Her head jerked up. She knew that voice. She took a few quick steps forward. “Peace and safety to you.” She looked into the man’s warm dark eyes and felt all the tension melt away. “Da.”

  59

  “Da? Is it really you?” She stood frozen, staring at the brown-skinned man with dark hair holding his arms out to her. It couldn’t be. She was dreaming. How could Da have found her?

  Waukomis was with him. They both stepped away from the trees, then jerked back. A man wearing black guardsman’s leathers had grabbed Da’s cloak from behind. He pressed a sword to his throat. Another had seized Waukomis and held a sword under his chin. Four other guards slipped out from behind the cover of the trees and arranged themselves, two on either side.

  Her eyes darted from the guardsmen to Da’s face, his mouth open and his eyebrows drawn in tight. The guard holding him fixed his icy gaze on Tereka. “You must be Tereka Sabidur, fugitive.”

  Tereka’s knees shook so she was barely able to stand upright, let alone respond. Her mouth went dry. Da was shaking his head. Was he telling her to deny who she was?

  The guard pushed Da a few steps closer to Tereka. “Don’t bother coming up with a lie. We’ve been following this man you call Da for four days now. And we know he has only one daughter. So give yourself up.”

  Naco grabbed her arm. “Don’t do it. There’s more of us than there are of them.”

  “How do you know that?” the guard said. “We might have more nearby.”

  Blood surged through Tereka’s ears, pounding like the hoofs of galloping horses. “But you might not.” She shifted the bow in her hands, positioning it so she could easily nock an arrow.

  “You would be a fool to shoot at us, but it’s cold and wet and we’re in no mood for a fight. I’ll tell you this. We have orders to bring you to the ephor in Trofmose. If you come with us, we’ll let all the others go. Including your father and his friend.”

  Da raised his eyebrows and mouthed the word “no.” She didn’t understand why she shouldn’t take the guardsman’s offer. If she gave herself up, the others would rescue her, once Da was free.

  Relio stepped up to her. “Don’t do it, girly. If there are others nearby, he never would have offered to let us go. I don’t believe him. At all.”

  Tereka tipped her head to the side. “Never make a bargain unless you’re sure the other person is going to keep it. That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

  “Relio’s right.” Naco glanced over his shoulder. “But we need to do something now, before Sebezh decides to turn you over.”

  Her breath caught. Six guards. Two holding Da and Waukomis with blades to their throats. Four more with drawn swords. She didn’t want to kill them, but if they let the guards live, they would tell Kaberco. And he would never give up until he found her. “Be ready,” she said.

  She raised her voice. “How do I know you’ll really let them go?” She aligned the arrows in her right hand and gripped the bow tighter with her left.

  “That’s a chance you’ll have to take.”

  Her one chance to save them all. “Let my Da and his friend go, then I’ll surrender.”

  The guard snorted and the others chuckled. “Nice try, trader. Have your friends all drop their weapons. And you come over here first, then we’ll release them.”

  Sucking in a breath, Tereka asked the sky-god for every bit of skill he could give her, but Sebezh’s muttering disturbed her concentration.

  “You’re getting us all wet.” The guard frowned. “And if my sword hand gets cold and shakes, your da could get hurt. Come. Here. Now.”

  Still, Tereka wavered. Had everyone held on to the arrowheads from their fight with the pirates? She glanced out of the corner of her eye and let out a slow breath. Her friends might follow her lead, considering her da was standing there with a sword to his throat. If she turned herself in, would they rescue her?

  A shriek startled her and she spun. Sebezh was holding a knife to Savinnia’s throat. “You’re making the man wait, girly. Give yourself up, or she dies now.”

  Tereka’s heart skipped a beat. Her chest constricted and she could barely draw a breath. First Da and Waukomis, now Savinnia. She didn’t know how they would all survive. “Let her go, Sebezh.”

  He cursed. “Not a chance.”

  Savinnia gripped Sebezh’s arm as if to push it from her throat. Naco took a step toward them. Sebezh glared at him. “One more step and you won’t have a sister.”

  Swallowing against the tightness in her throat, Tereka turned slowly toward the guard. She hoped the sky-god was with her. She knew she couldn’t do it on her own. She forced herself to take slow, steady breaths.

  “My fingers are turning blue.” The guard scraped the sword along Da’s neck. “Drop your bow. My guards are coming for your weapons.” He turned his face to the men on his right and jerked his head toward Tereka. In doing so, he let the sword slip away from Da’s neck.

  Now. Tereka raised the bow and released three arrows in quick succession. The first pierced the eye of the guard holding Da, the second, the neck of the one holding Waukomis. The third buried itself in the throat of a guard on the left. The three she’d struck collapsed to the ground.

  One of the remaining guards shouted and turned on Da and Waukomis. Da plucked a sword from a dead man’s hand and raised it to block the blade swinging toward his face. Waukomis stumbled over the body crumpled at his feet, his neck bleeding where the dying guard had sliced it.

  Tereka grabbed three more arrows. Alikse and Relio held off one guard with their knives. They managed to keep just out of range of his sword by staying in constant motion, one retreating, the other advancing, forcing the guard to move from side to side to defend against them both. The last guard charged toward Tereka. She took a quick breath, nocked an arrow, and shot him.

  She spun toward Da. He parried a thrust of the guardsman. Then Waukomis, one hand clutching the side of his neck, lunged forward and stabbed the man’s calf. He screamed, and Da plunged his sword into his chest.

  That left Relio and Alikse’s opponent. From the spreading red stains on Relio’s arms, she could tell the sword’s longer reach was giving the guard an advantage.

  “Hey, give up, already,” Relio shouted. “You’re the only one left.”

  The guard spun and struck Alikse in the face, then lunged for Relio, who had jumped back, out of reach. He raised his sword, dripping with Alikse’s blood. He ran after Relio, who slid on loose stones and fell to the ground, his eyes wide as he scrambled back.

  Her hands shaking, Tereka nocked an arrow. She aimed and released it. No. Her shot went wide.

  A shout from Naco caused her to jump. He ran to the guard looming over Relio and rammed his shoulder into the man’s abdomen, knocking him to the ground. Naco fell on top of him. They rolled in the dust, then the guard went still. With a curse, Naco staggered to his feet.

  Had they killed them all? Tereka let her hands fall to her sides, panting. She glanced at Savinnia. The girl was kneeling, clutching a wound on her neck.

  Strong arms wrapped around her. “My dear girl, have I really found you?”

  She stifled a sob and clung to him. “Da.” After a few jagged breaths, she stepped back. She brushed a tear from his face. “Of all people to meet here… ”

  He smiled. “We made a good guess.” He gently ran a hand over her shorn head. “What have they done to you?”

  That was a story for another time. “Da! Did he hurt you?” She studied his neck. Blood seeped from a thin line under his chin.

  “Barely cut me, thanks to you.”

  Tereka pulled out an amulet and touched it to the wound. Once the bleeding stopped, she turned to Waukomis. He grinned at her while Poales bound the wound on his neck. “Thank you for coming for me. I can help with tha
t.” She rested the amulet against the bandage.

  Waukomis’ face relaxed. “Is that what I think it is?” He held up a hand. “No, don’t tell me.”

  Savinnia needed her help next. Naco had already bound her wound with strips from the hem of her dress. “Would you like me to help?” Tereka asked. Before waiting for Savinnia to nod, she touched the bandage with her amulet.

  “Thank you,” Savinnia said. “For whatever it is you do to heal so quickly.”

  “Come with me.” Tereka turned back to the others. Naco, Relio, and Alikse were standing, at least. She used her amulets to stop their bleeding. Savinnia bound them up.

  “Girly, what do you want us to do with him?” Relio shoved Sebezh, who was bleeding from his arms and face, to the ground at Tereka’s feet. She wanted to spit on him, slice him open from throat to groin, and leave him for the warboars.

  “What do you think, Da?”

  He frowned. “We’ll need to talk about that.”

  “You know these men?” Relio asked.

  “This is my da,” Tereka said, clinging to his hand. “This is his friend Waukomis, another trader.” She pointed at Relio. “Da, that’s Relio. The big one is Alikse. Naco. Savinnia. Hinat. Sebezh.”

  “I’m Tarkio.” Da pointed with his chin. “Let’s get out of the rain.” He slung an arm over Tereka’s shoulders and led her to the trees. Once under their shelter, Tereka wiped the damp from her face, a mix of mist and sweat. Two horses stood on one side of the shaded area, and a small fire burned on the other side, its flames dancing in the fading light. She shivered, the chill of the rain seeping into her veins. She stepped to the fire, holding her hands to its warmth. “Da, you wouldn’t have anything to eat, would you?”

  His hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him. “For you, anything.” He led her to a fallen log and helped her to sit. Savinnia joined her, then the others settled one by one onto the ground.