by Simon Archer
“What would distract them?” Elle mused. “All of them, something serious.”
Kaia leaned on her elbows, running her hands through her hair. She was clearly stressed about the whole situation and angry that we weren’t just putting me up as a sacrifice.
“What does it matter?” she growled. “Just set the whole damn village on fire! Put everyone in danger for his sake!”
“Kaia!” August snapped.
“Someone would put the fire out before they lifted a finger to come help,” Elle sighed.
I sat back in my chair, biting my lip in thought.
“Elle,” I muttered after a moment, “how would they put out the fire?”
She blinked and gave me a look like I was asking something obvious. “With water?”
“Okay, but how? How would they get water, say, to the town square?”
“With buckets? From their house?” She tilted her head. “Why?”
“What would they do if that didn’t work?” I narrowed my eyes as I tried to think through my idea. “If water couldn’t put the fire out?”
“Water puts out fire,” Kaia scoffed. “You can’t create magic fire just because you want to.”
“It’s not magic,” I stood quickly and walked around the table to the kitchen. I heard them get up to follow me as I looked through the cabinets. Finally, I found the jar of grease August used for cooking and picked it up. “What do you do when this catches on fire?”
“It doesn’t.” August frowned and shook his head. “I keep the fire under the pan and remove it when it’s done. What are you getting at?”
Leave it to these people to communicate telepathically and still not know what a grease fire was.
I took two pans and poured the grease into one of them. August had already lit candles for the evening, so I ran outside and grabbed a dry leaf from the ground. Using it as a match, I lit one corner with the candle and then dropped it in the pan.
The fire billowed through the pan before exploding upwards. Kaia screamed and jumped back while both Elle and August looked at me as though I was mad. I held the other pan about a foot above the first, so the fire wouldn’t reach the ceiling.
“Elle, grab salt,” I instructed.
“Ren!” she cried. “We have to put the fire out. I need water!”
I was about to stop her when I paused and nodded. “Okay. Get some water.”
August watched me in confusion. He was calmer than the girls, so much so that I gave him an assured smile, appreciating the confidence he seemed to have in me. Finally, Elle returned and rushed to pour a pitcher of water on the pan, but I stopped her.
“Just do me a favor,” I told her. “Start with a small, small amount of water first.”
She looked almost terrified, but her trust for me won out. I watched expectantly as she tilted the pitcher so that only a dash of water came out.
As soon as the water hit the pan, the fire intensified. Some of the flames leaked out from under the higher pan. I heard the metal pitcher clatter to the floor, spilling water everywhere as Elle jumped back. There was only a short flare before it returned to a more manageable size.
“Salt?” I asked again, making sure to keep my voice calm, hoping to inspire more confidence in the terrified girl. The fire was getting pretty hot, though, so I was ready for this demonstration to be over.
Elle shuffled nervously around the kitchen before finding August’s jar of salt. I nodded at the fire, indicating to her to use the seasoning on the flame. She was hesitant, but finally took a handful and tossed it at the fire.
I sensed her shock when the fire retreated from the salt. Once that had been accomplished, I lowered the top pan to smother the fire in the bottom before finally setting them both on the counter.
Kaia was the first to speak. Well, it was more of a shriek.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
August had a small smile on his face, in wonder at the experience. Meanwhile, Elle had a look on her face that I’d had my first few days here. It was a bit satisfying.
“What was that?” she asked.
I explained the concept of a grease fire to them all. I learned about them when I was young and accidentally turned the wrong burner on our stove on high. I was lucky not to burn down the house when I poured water on the flame, not knowing the difference between a grease fire and a normal fire.
So that became our plan. There was a market in the center of town, and it was conceivable that a jar of grease could get knocked over. The fire would be harder to explain, but all we needed was for one person to carry an open flame into the center of Eon for any reason, and the rest could be called an accident.
Kaia was hesitant, but Elle pointed out that one of her friends would probably help if Elle convinced them to. It would be untraceable to the family.
So, I would turn myself in. Either the soldiers would release Solem, or Elle and Kaia would find him. Once he was safe, Elle would send me a signal using the connection we’d formed, something recognizable.
After that, all I had to do was keep the soldiers distracted just until someone ran to tell them about the fire. They might hesitate, but once they heard that water made the fire worse, they’d be confused, intrigued, and scared enough to abandon me long enough to put it out. According to August, if a high authority from Eon asked for their help, they’d be obliged to act.
If I escaped by myself while the soldiers were distracted, it couldn’t be tied back to Elle and her family. They couldn’t be held responsible. They would be safe, and I could…
Actually, I didn’t know what I would do after that.
At least they’d be safe.
20
Kaia agreed to give us one day for me to work on the next part of my escape plan. Assuming all went well up to that point and the soldiers freely abandoned me, all I needed was to get myself out. The problem was, we didn’t know what I’d be getting out of.
So for one full day, that's what I did. I practiced getting out of every type of restraint we could think of. Ropes, chains, August even managed to borrow a pair of metal cuffs from a friend. Were my life not at stake, I would have asked so many more questions about that relationship.
A few of the escapes banked on the fact that I couldn’t seem to be injured with weapons. The fact that I’d shattered two daggers by hand was certainly helpful. Still, I spent at least an hour trying to break chains by hand, but I couldn’t seem to even bend the metal. If that happened during the real escape, my only other option was to slam the restraints against the wall until they shattered. And if I was bound with rope, which couldn’t necessarily be fractured the same way metal could, I’d have to get a little bit more creative. Still, with a full day to prepare, August made sure I was ready for anything, even the worst-case scenario.
This is why I was a bit surprised no one felt the need to search me when I turned myself in.
I feigned a nondescript pain for about ten minutes while the soldiers argued about whether to seek medical attention or not. Finally, Varill realized how pointless the idea was if I was just going to die, anyway. Three more minutes trying and failing to stand, ultimately having two soldiers pick me up while I hung my head in performative agony. I didn’t want to resort to the next part, but I had to kill time somehow, so for about two minutes, I employed the tactic of begging.
Seeing Varill’s smug face as I pleaded for my life was enraging, but I kept my composure, stretching my act as long as I could, right up until the moment relief came.
I heard shouting down the road before any of the soldiers. Of course, I was the only one listening for it. I pretended not to hear as it got louder until finally, someone began to bang on the front door of the prison.
Everything stopped as one of the soldiers threw open the door. I closed my eyes and expanded my vision so I could see the children at the door. There was a boy about fourteen with a young girl, maybe six or so, trying to catch her breath next to him. The boy was close to tears, and the girl l
ooked horrified as they told the soldiers of the fire in the square.
Varill nodded at his right-hand soldier to take care of the kids. The man marched to the door, shoving the other soldiers out of the way before barking at the pleading children. “Tell the adults to get water and put the damn thing out!”
That was exactly what I was hoping he’d say.
The children became sobbing messes as they described to the soldiers how the villagers had thrown buckets of water on the fire, but every time they did, it got bigger. I watched the faces of the soldiers shift between confusion and utter horror before they finally all looked to Varill for instruction.
The Captain had to contemplate for a moment. Finally, when he seemed like he’d made a decision, a new voice came shouting down the road. This time, everyone heard it.
A man closer to Solem’s age came running into view, screaming at the soldiers.
“The whole market’s up in flames, and it’s only getting worse!” He screamed. “Kistro and the Council said to get your asses up here and help out before the whole damn village burns down! The window’s already destroyed!”
Varill’s right-hand man rushed through the short hall back to his Captain’s side. “Sir, if Eon’s Council demands our help--”
“I know!” Varill barked. “Correy, Hunt, restrain the stranger, then follow us. Everyone else, get up to the square, now!”
I just kept from cracking a smile as Varill led most of the soldiers out of the building. Two of the smaller soldiers stayed behind for a moment, grabbing a rope that was in the corner of the cell. They were quick to bind my hands behind my back as well as my feet and shove me to the ground before they left, locking me in.
I only waited long enough to hear the front door to the jail close before maneuvering my arms to the side of my waist. Kaia had sewn a hidden pocket within the pants, and with just enough stretching, I could remove a small knife. They called it a dagger, but it was much closer to the size of a large pocket knife.
Laying on my side, I could angle my legs so the knife could reach the rope around my ankles. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about precision since the knife couldn’t cut me. Finally, enough of the threads were cut that I could tear the rope apart.
Some more maneuvering and strange angles, and within five minutes, I was free. Now all I needed was to break down the door.
I braced myself, focusing all my energy in the direction of the door. It was wooden, and it shouldn’t be nearly as difficult to break as a metal weapon. With one final deep breath, I launched myself at the door.
I expected to hit a hard surface, for sure. I didn’t exactly expect that hard surface to hurt so much. I stepped back from the door, still completely intact, and immediately felt pain through the entire right side of my body. If I couldn’t feel the wood with my hand, I’d swear it was made of steel.
I braced myself and ran at the door again. Nothing. A third time. Nothing.
After that, my head throbbed from the pain of being thrown against the wood. I leaned against the wall and looked around the door. There was no other way out. I jumped when I heard a voice on the other side of the door until I realized it was Elle’s.
“Ren? Are you in here?”
I stumbled over to the door and looked through the small window to see her. “Why the hell are you here? If they find you, they’ll hold you responsible again!”
“I couldn’t let you do this by yourself.” Despite the severity of the situation, her voice was soft. It was a comfort in the midst of the panic I was experiencing.
I sighed and leaned against the door. “I can’t get out. It’s just wood, but it won’t budge!”
“It’s the jail. It’s meant to keep in prisoners no matter what class they are, so it’s fortified as a Diamond Class building.”
“What does that mean? Buildings have classes?” I frowned.
“Yes, just like weapons,” Elle explained. I couldn’t help but wish she’d explained that earlier. “All it means is that they were built with materials of high rank by craftsmen of that level.”
“So, how am I supposed to get out of here?” I sighed and slammed my fist against the door.
“I-” Elle stopped speaking suddenly. I was about to call out to her when I heard her voice shush me. When I couldn’t see her face, it was hard to tell if I was hearing her in my head or if she was speaking out loud.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
I heard her answer so softly, and I was sure it hadn’t been out loud. “Follow my lead.”
I flinched away from the door when she started screaming. For a second, I wondered if I was supposed to scream too when I heard the voice of one of the soldiers.
“What’s going on? Get away from that door!” It was Varill’s right-hand man.
Elle must have sensed him coming to check on me, or come get me to throw me into the fire, who knows. I heard Elle’s footsteps and assumed she ran up to him. She sounded so panicked I was almost concerned.
“Oh my gosh, you have to help!” she gasped. “My little brother wanted to come to see the stranger, and I-I don’t know what happened! We thought the door was locked, but he, he opened the door, and my brother fell in, and now I can’t get him out! Please, you have to get him before he kills him, please!”
A smile pulled at my lips, impressed with how fast she could think on her feet. I got the feeling the soldier was doubtful because there was a second of silence before Elle fell into a loud wail and began pounding on the door calling out the name, “James.”
The soldier finally cut her off, banging on the door himself.
“Alright, alright! Ren So!” he called out. “I’m coming in there, and if a single hair on that little boy’s head is harmed, I swear I’ll kill you here and now!”
I rushed to stand against the wall behind the door, so he wouldn’t see me when he opened it. What would happen after that, I honestly had no idea. I got the feeling all the immaculate planning we’d done was close to falling apart.
A key clanged around within the door before it swung open, nearly hitting me in the face. I kept my focus, and as soon as the soldier stepped out from behind the door, I lunged and tackled him to the floor.
It didn’t take him five seconds to throw me off. I hit the wall, quickly standing to my feet, trying to focus my energy on the parts of my body that hurt so they wouldn’t distract me as much.
If I had to guess what Elle was thinking, it would have something to do with the fact that I had the classification of a child with a few weeks of training, she was a Nickel Class fighter, and this guy had to be Platinum, at least. That’s how I saw it, anyway. Still, my desperation and adrenaline had kicked in, numbing me to the possibility that we could lose, and what that would mean.
The soldier drew his sword and came at me. I barely ducked out of the way, but he did ram his weapon against the wall which shook him up for a second. It was long enough for me to retreat next to Elle. I saw my knife on the floor where it must have fallen when I tried using my shoulder as a battering ram and grabbed it while the soldier wheeled around to face me.
He couldn’t help but laugh. I could hardly blame him. He was one of a dozen soldiers, all the highest-ranking citizens of Solivann, and here stood a scrawny kid with a pocket knife.
But his laughter gave me an idea.
I swiped at him with the blade. It was nowhere close enough to reach him, only meant to be a scare tactic. He didn’t even flinch.
“This isn’t even going to be fun, is it?” He laughed darkly, taking a step toward us. “How about this then? I won’t call my men, kill the stranger and his accomplice, and take the reward all for myself. Sound like a plan?”
I swallowed hard but kept a steely expression. “I’m not a big fan.”
“No?” He gave a feigned pout. “You wouldn’t be, would you?”
The soldier pulled back his sword and swung it in our direction. Instead of retreating, I tried to block his longsword with my finger-length bla
de. As soon as I felt his weapon slam into my hand, I dropped the knife and pulled back my hand as though it was hurt.
It took me a second to realize it was. Luckily I hadn’t been cut, but the skin that made contact with his sword felt raw, and the bone beneath it felt bruised.
I didn’t have time to worry about that. I heard Elle’s voice in my ear as she stood behind me.
“What are you doing?”
I just shook my head, hoping she’d trust me. What I really needed was for him to drop the weapon. If I could get him to do that, we could retrieve it. He had lowered his guard, believing me to be an incompetent opponent. I was banking on that.
He took another step toward us. Instead of backing into the hall with Elle, I did the only thing I could think to do next. I charged at him again.
Surely my only advantage was that he wasn’t expecting me to do that, but it gave me the split-second window I needed to throw myself into him. He stumbled back against the wall, and I pulled away before he could throw me off himself.
I charged him again. My goal at that moment was to stay close enough to him that his longsword would be too awkward to be effective. I made sure to hit closer to his right side, hoping to throw his dominant arm off-balance as much as possible.
He expected me this time, so he blocked me with his shoulder, throwing me back. I barely managed to stay on my feet, but he’d pushed me just far enough away that I was on the other side of the blade now. He was quick to draw it and made sure to hold it at an angle that was ready to impale me.
“You don’t even know how to fight,” the soldier scoffed.
Without taking my eyes off of him, I began to focus my breathing and my energy toward Elle.
“Why would they send an assassin like you?” He continued to taunt me. “What, did you just start your training yesterday?”
I kept watching him, not wanting to give any indication that anything was happening. The problem was, nothing was happening. I couldn’t see anything out of the corner of my eye. Blood pounded in my ears as my pleas for Elle became more desperate.