Blaze of Magic

by J. A. Culican

  "Picked you?" His eyes narrowed and he huffed, a trickle of smoke rising from one nostril. "You picked it up, that's all. I held it once, remember. I know what it does."

  "No," she said flatly, "you know what it does to you. It's different with every person. It fell out of your hands because it rejected you. But—"

  "It didn't reject me, Bells. It was taken."

  She shook her head slowly, never breaking eye contact. "You lost it because it let you. I'm telling you what I know. The sword talks to me—not in words, exactly, but like an entirely different language that expresses itself without words."

  Jaekob let his bandoleer and war harness fall from his shoulders and set them on her bed. "Now you're trying to tell me the sword is intelligent? Like a person?"

  "No, of course not. It's obviously not a person. That doesn't mean it isn't intelligent, even if it is artificial."

  Jaekob grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned down a couple of inches. "If it's intelligent, then it can lie. It could tell you what you wanted to hear. I was stupid to tell you to trust the thing. How do you know it tells you the truth?"

  "Because it isn't programmed that way. It may not speak in words, and what it says might be open to different interpretations, but it doesn't lie. I wish you would trust the sword again, Jaekob. It's important."

  "Programmed? Like a human computer? You're telling me this ancient artifact, which goes back beyond even the pyramids in Egypt, is a computer?" He stared at her with his eyebrows arched.

  She shrugged. It was as close a description as she could manage. "The humans had a saying that 'magic is a technology we don't yet understand.' In a way, that applies here. There are glyphs etched into the blade, but most are too small to even see with the bare eye. Together, the glyphs form some sort of circuit that allows the sword to be highly intelligent in its own way. I think the way it talks to me is just a reflection of its design, like a signature from the designer."

  "Oh, yeah? And did the designer tell you what his intentions were? You say it's just a reflection, but of what?"

  Bells put her fingers to the bridge of her nose and pinched, eyes closed, pausing long enough to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It would do no good to get angry, starting a real argument. That was the last thing she wanted or needed to do with him. Pulling her hand away, she looked him in the eyes.

  In her head, she pleaded with him to understand as she said, "I need you to trust the sword. It's important. Without the sword, your attackers might very well win. Why can't you trust the weapon that keeps dragonkind alive, safe, and free? I have to believe we've already weakened them because the fungus attack has stopped, right? They wouldn't have stopped it unless they had to. Think about it."

  He stared at her and let his hands fall away from her. She felt a wave of disappointment washing through her as he said, "I can't trust that hunk of metal. We know nothing about it but some old stories from some old secret society."

  She drew her hands into fists, frustrated, but stopped herself in time to put them behind her back. It was safer that way. "The sword saved us all. I think it has earned some trust. It won't lead us astray. After all, it shows me dangers coming our way, and we've always been able to stop the threats because of the warnings. Why wouldn't you trust it?"

  "Bah!" Jaekob stepped away from her and began to pace back and forth across her bedroom. "If this thing sees danger coming, if it really sees trouble before it reaches us, then the sword should have told you to find me. Instead, it had you sneak out all by yourself. If I hadn't shown up, you could have been hurt in that fight. That makes me think it was the sword's intention the whole time. So, tell me, why didn't it have you come get me?"

  Bells' cheeks began to tingle, along with her scalp, and a shiver ran down her shoulders. She had really hoped not to have to bring this up, but she wasn't going to lie. Not to Jaekob. She tried to look him in the eyes, but couldn't. "The sword simply doesn't trust you. It thinks you lack the will and fire to fight—"

  "Dammit, I'm in the fight. Like when I saw you leaving, I followed you. I stood by you in every battle, just as you did for me. What part of that sounds like I'm not ready for a fight when it's needed?"

  "Yes, you've been there—mostly because I'm there, according to the sword. It says you care about me enough to fight for me, but what about the rest of the world? Are you ready to fight for that? Because it seems to me that you've been trying to avoid having to fight since the beginning. The sword sees your hesitance. Maybe you would sacrifice yourself for your friends, your family, even me, but what about your people? What about all the people? You just don't see them as being worthy of a sacrifice."

  He stopped pacing, drawing to an abrupt halt, and spun on his heels to face her directly. "Why don't you get what I'm saying? It shouldn't come to that. People shouldn't require a sacrifice. We are Pures, dammit, not humans."

  She felt his hurt through his aura, pounding at her like a hammer, and she felt a knot of pressure in her chest, her stomach flipping. She instantly regretted saying it, but she had. Yet, it was the truth. She put her hand on his arm and said, "Yes, I agree. People shouldn't require sacrifice, but sometimes, the need arises and sacrifices need to be made. You're their leader, and it's people like you who have to decide when, if, and how those sacrifices get made. You decide who gets saved and who doesn't, and I know that's a burden no one should have to carry, but if you don't think they need to be saved, then the sword..." Her voice trailed away. She struggled to say what came next.

  Jaekob frowned and took a step backward, his eyes glowing faint red. His jaw jutted forward. "If I don't see it, the sword... What? Just say it."

  Bells let out a long breath. "The sword believes you are disinterested, willing to remain blind to the problem. It thinks that if you wish to remain blind, deaf, and dumb to the problem and the solution... Well, that is evil, when so many suffer because you lack interest."

  As his jaw fell, Bells looked away. Seeing his reaction was too painful, but not as much as feeling it slamming into her through their shared bond. A wave of nausea hit her. Seconds of silence ticked away as he stared at her and she stared at the floor. At last, though, she couldn't bear the silence any longer. She looked up and her gaze roamed his face; his expression reminded her of cold, hard steel, now. He'd buried the hurt with anger.

  He half shouted at her, "No one has ever called me evil." She expected him to say more, but instead, he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

  She picked up his gear, which he’d left lying on her bed in his haste to get away from her, and set it on the nearby sitting chair. She went to her bed and lay down on top of her blankets with the sword next to her, and though she tried to blink back tears, that was just one more fight she lost that day.

  Bells paced back and forth along the same path Jaekob had used an hour earlier and found no more comfort than he had. She was Mikah's guest and, though an honored one after recent events, she had nothing to do and no way to burn off whatever that feeling was in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to do something, anything, just to distract herself from the terrible thoughts racing in her head. The walls seemed to breathe in and out, closing in on her.

  "I have to get out of here. I'll go crazy sitting here waiting for him to come back and tell me everything is okay." At her side, a wave of warmth came from the Sword of Fire. Apparently, it approved. She snatched her hooded cowl off the coat rack on her way out the door, locking it behind her.

  When she got to the foyer, the attendant saw her and smiled. He was a fae, and they were on good terms. More surprisingly, the dragon standing at alert in the foyer met her eyes and tipped his head. She tried to keep her surprise from showing, as it was the first time the house Guardians had even acknowledged her. Usually, they just did their job and ignored her, as they did with everyone.

  She walked out the front door and barely managed to control her sudden urge to smile, at least until her back was to the Guardians. "I wonder what that was a
ll about," she said under her breath.

  Bells wasn't sure where she was headed, though. Mostly, she just needed space, needed to get fresh air away from the cage her room had become. She headed north, mostly because she was more familiar with that area.

  As she walked down the street, she was surprised to see how many people were out and about. Not just dragon patrols, either, but everyday people. There were fewer than when she had first arrived, but far more than there were recently. Among the mix of dragons and elves and fae she passed, several tipped their heads and a few even smiled. There was a look of recognition, though she didn't know them. She was polite, nodding or waving back each time.

  The homes of the wealthy gave way to more ordinary dwellings. She found herself headed north still, which was fine. With no destination, north was as good as any other direction. A door banged open to her right, grabbing her attention. A dragon came out, looking at her as he walked directly toward her. Unless she wanted to run, she couldn't avoid him, so she lowered her head respectfully and awaited the dragon at his front gate.

  "You're Bells, yes?" He didn't wait for a response before continuing. "I saw you in the fight, the battle earlier. I saw what you did. You turned the battle around on our attackers."

  "Yes, that was me," she said as her mind raced to think what his interest in her might be. "I was there, at least.

  He smiled. "Don't be modest. Victories should be claimed. Anyway, my son was caught up in that. He isn't a Guardian, but he is a dragon, so he wasn't even trying to escape. If you hadn't shown up, it sickens me to think what might have happened to my son. I just wanted to say thank you."

  "You're welcome, of course," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady. When the dragon patted her shoulder, it was hard not to flinch in anticipation of a blow. Fae got far more cuffs than congratulations. He didn't comment, though, and merely nodded again before heading back inside, leaving a slightly confused but giddy Bells behind.

  A couple of blocks later, her head was still so much in the clouds that she almost bumped into a huge troll. She looked up and found he wasn't alone—there were half a dozen of them in two columns of three, and she had almost walked into the ones in front. Rather than running her over, though, the whole unit came to a stop.

  "I'm sorry," Bells said hastily, and flinched before she remembered she had the sword. But then her eyes were drawn to a scar on the troll's face, a mark that almost resembled a lightning bolt. She had seen it before. It only took a moment for her to remember where—he was one of the attackers she had subdued with her sword. She looked up into his eyes.

  Normally, trolls would be talking about whether or not to eat her, whether they intended to or not, and with six of them around and everyone giving them a wide berth, it was entirely possible that they could have tried. Today, however, they were all silent except for the one she had almost ran into, who looked down at her and pulled his lips back, baring tusks and fangs. As frightening as it was, it was an expression she had never seen before, but she had heard of it. That was a troll's smile. She looked up into the troll's eyes.

  He grunted, then said, "My life is yours. What you orders for us?"

  Bells straightened up, her earlier fear gone. They were under the control of her sword. "Go about your business. Whatever orders you have, follow those, please."

  He bared his bottom teeth at her as well, and then called for the unit to march. It was amazing... Six trolls in one place and not in a war band. Very unusual, indeed.

  Bells felt like she was walking on clouds by the time she reached the market plaza. She hadn't intended on going there, at least not consciously, but as long as she was there, she could check in on her cousin's store, Hawking’s Wares. Maybe he had some repair work he could use help with.

  As she crossed the plaza, she saw more people shopping than she had seen when she first came to the city. Only a few stores had reopened after the outbreak and the battled, and those lucky merchants were taking full advantage of it.

  Just as with the other neighborhoods she had passed through, many people waved or nodded, and one even insisted on giving her a tomato from his stand. She accepted it but insisted on paying—and he had refused, saying it would dishonor him if she wouldn't accept his gift. She had done so reluctantly, but once she tasted the tomato, she had no reluctance eating it. By the time she got to the front steps of her cousin's shop, the tomato was a delicious memory.

  The first thing she noticed about Hawking's shop was that the windows had been replaced and the sign out front had been repainted to cover up the damage, as had the entire storefront. It was almost as if the recent rioting and subsequent fighting had simply passed over his store.

  The second thing she noticed was that the same door guard was back, but he gave her access without any of the usual hassle. He even tipped his head at her as she went inside. That was new.

  She went up to the counter by the front door and asked one of the clerks ringing up orders, "Is Hawking in?"

  "Yes, he's upstairs. I'm sure you know the way." The elf smiled at her.

  That was a new experience, too. As new as most of the goods lining the many shop shelves inside, she noticed as she looked around. They weren't as full as they had been before the riots and looting, but he was clearly doing better than many.

  She went up the stairs and headed to Hawking's lounge, where he normally conducted his business while the clerks handled the day-to-day stuff below. As she opened the door, she felt a tickle in her mind, a familiar touch. Inside, Hawking sat at a table with a pen in his hand, and he looked up.

  "Come in, come in. I was hoping you would stop by, and here you are. A lovely coincidence, no? Come, sit down. I'll have brunch brought up." He motioned to another chair at his table.

  Bells sat and let out a contented sigh, relieved to take the weight off her feet. "Thanks. Oh, that feels good. I walked here from Mikah's manor. I see you've made repairs to the place and customers are back. Congratulations. How do you think you'll do?"

  He shrugged, then pointed at the stack of papers in front of him. "These work orders all have bills attached. I burned through half my stockpiles of materials and favors to fix this place up so fast, but if I can take advantage of the fact that most other merchants aren't open yet, it's worth it."

  "Hawking’s Wares is an icon here at the plaza. It's good to see you made it through the troubles."

  Hawking passed her a small bowl filled with little hard candies. "I think seeing the store back in business and spruced up again is the best contribution I can make toward the recovery of the city."

  Bells grinned at his typically merchant viewpoint, but he wasn't wrong. "I'm glad you're back." She picked out a small, red, teardrop-shaped candy and popped it in her mouth. It dissolved instantly and flooded her mouth with strawberry juice.

  "Yes, you already said that. So, what brings you here, other than my famous fae candies?"

  She frowned, remembering her last conversation with Jaekob.

  "What's wrong, Bells?" Hawking leaned forward, reaching out to touch her hands atop the desk.

  "I just had to get out. Jaekob and I don't see eye to eye on the sword. I spend a lot of time communing with it, learning valuable insights, but he just thinks I'm ignoring him. He doesn't understand."

  Hawking leaned back, pulling his hand off hers. "Of course not. He didn't have it long enough for it to bond to him, so he never experienced that. Neither have I, of course, but it's in the lore. Don't worry, he'll come around. After all, the sword did save the city—repeatedly, judging by yesterday's encounter."

  The door opened and a fae came in bearing a large tray loaded with food. Bells felt her mouth begin to water as she caught the scent of different cheeses and small cuts of meat on the platter with crackers. Her enhanced senses relished the savory aroma and her stomach growled.

  "Well," Hawking said, grinning, "the food arrived just in time. I see your stomach thinks so."

  Bells thanked the worker and eagerly plucke
d morsels from the platter. After her first cheese, meat, and cracker sandwich, she said, "I hope he comes around. The sword isn't going anywhere, not as long as it has bound itself to me, and it did save the city, like you said."

  "Some could argue that it saved the world, given what would've happened if the Crown of Pures and the Dragon Council had both fallen, as they would have if the city fell. Virtually all the leaders who matter live here. And imagine the world if you hadn't stopped that fungus infection from spreading."

  She shrugged. "I certainly didn't do any of those things on my own. Speaking of which, I noticed something weird. Wherever I go, people are waving or bowing or nodding at me, like they recognized me. One guy even gave me a tomato from his stand, free of charge."

  Hawking laughed and smacked his knee, then said, "To most people, you're a hero. They know about many of the things that have happened, and you earned their respect in a way I bet no fae ever has. It bodes well for our future as a race, and as a class. So, how does it feel to be famous?"

  It seemed like a joke, at first, but his expression was earnest and stayed that way. Her, a famous hero? The thought sent a jolt of exhilaration zipping up her spine, but at the same time, it was a little scary. She had never had the spotlight on her as she did now. "I've never been greeted by random dragons before. I think I have mixed feelings about all that."

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg, folded his hands in his lap, and gazed at her for a moment. "I was just thinking. You have all this newfound respect, and some fame, but people are also a little afraid of both the sword and you. And of the sword being wielded by an fae..."

  Bells closed her mouth with a snap and then gulped hard. "What do you mean, afraid of me? I haven't hurt anyone needlessly."

  A faint smile crossed his lips. "That may be true, but the fact is, you were able to do all these things. What other fae in the last few millennia has bested the Black Khan's forces, or thwarted his plots? What other fae stands above the Dragon Prince himself?"