by Dan Decker
“Barc, you’ve been through a lot. I want to hear all about it, but we don’t have the time right now. I need to know what happened to Jorad and Soret. You say they’re dead. Did you see it happen? Is that their blood over there?”
Barc nodded. “That’s Jorad’s blood, but it wasn't where he died.” He looked Adar straight in the eye, with a brief hint of a challenge that quickly turned to fear. Refusing to break eye contact, Barc’s voice wavered as he spoke again. “I stabbed him with the dagger.”
Adar was taken aback. Barc hadn’t ever struck him as a man that would have violent tendencies. Sure, the man would gossip and tell stories with the best of them, even threatening and bullying when he could get away with it, but Adar doubted he’d ever hit another man. What could Jorad have done that would have provoked him to such drastic action? All of this over Soret?
How had Barc been able to score a hit on Jorad anyway? Jorad had been practicing with weapons from the time he’d been old enough to walk.
Adar cleared his throat, hoping to cover up a growl that he found escaping of its own accord.
Barc braced as if expecting Adar was going to do something to him. The man was quivering, his head covered with sweat, which he wiped away with the grimy handkerchief.
Adar frowned. “Did you kill him?” His voice was too quiet, and Barc was unable to hear it from the noise outside the home. He repeated the question again, this time at an audible level.
Barc shook his head. “No, he walked away.” He paused. “From each time.”
“Bleeding Melyah! How many times did you try?”
“Just twice, you don’t understand. He—”
Adar cut Barc off, he had a dozen questions he wanted to ask, but he focused on the most important. “Why are you so sure they’re dead? Did you see it happen?”
“No, they disappeared into that rock. I saw it get destroyed when the ship crashed.”
“Were you able to see them when the ship went down or had the door disappeared by that point?” Adar was surprised that he wasn't feeling more anger towards Barc and he had to fight to keep his curiosity at bay about what had happened between Barc and his son. The tension between the two had no doubt come to a head, but Adar needed to know what Barc had seen.
“The door was gone. How did you know?”
Relief spread through Adar when Barc confirmed that they'd already closed the arch before the ship had crashed. Jorad, Soret, and the others were miles away. They could have been on the other side of the world for all Adar knew. Or they could have been at the center of the earth. Adar had no idea where the Arches were located. He hadn't been able to do much research about them before he'd been banished from Rarbon.
What little he had completed had been done carefully. Adar hadn't even mentioned the existence of the Arches to Semal. He had meant to do it but not before he understood more about them and how they worked. Or before he’d thought through the ramifications of bringing another person in on the secret.
All he knew for certain was that the ship had destroyed a door into the Arches, but the not the Arches themselves. The rock from which they had emerged into Zecarani—the one that the ship had taken out—hadn't the necessary room to contain the vast network of hallways that made up the Arches.
“They’re not dead. They’re just fine, in fact, they’re better off than we are. They don’t have a ship of Hunwei outside.”
Adar stood. He wanted to grill the little man for the details of what had happened, but they didn’t have the time. Any minute now, a Hunwei could come bursting through the door and he needed to be prepared.
“Your boy killed Thon and Gorew.”
“So I’ve heard,” Adar turned back. “You saw this happen?”
“I was right beside him.”
“I’m sure he had a good reason. Come on, let’s hope they’re gone. I’m going to need your help.”
Barc looked surprised. “Just like that, you want me to work with you? You’re not going to kill or punish me for what I did to Jorad? Melyah, man! I stabbed your son.”
Adar shook his head. “I’m sure you did less damage than you thought. No, I need your help.” He grunted, such help that Barc could provide. Almost anybody else would have been better, but he'd make do with what there was.
“I don’t think you understand. Soret chose to go with Jorad over me, after she’d just watched him butcher several men she grew up with. A man that has that kind of power over a woman… He did something to her, he changed her in some way.”
Adar snorted. If Soret had still chosen to follow Jorad, there was more to the story then Barc had let on. “We have a bigger problem just now. If the Hunwei figure out their ship isn’t going to fly again, they’re going to head back to the town square and take those ships instead. We must keep that from happening.”
Adar turned, half wondering if Barc was going to try to take a stab at him while his back was turned. Adar didn’t think so, Barc seemed to be struggling with guilt for what he’d done to Jorad. If so, he wasn’t likely to try the same thing on Adar, particularly when Adar hadn’t killed any of Barc’s friends.
“I stabbed Jorad in the back too.” Barc’s voice was soft, as if speaking to himself. It was hard to hear over all the noise coming from outside.
“Did he walk away?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll have to sort out what you did to Jorad later, but I want to make something clear to you. You owe your life to him. I’m not surprised he didn’t kill you because I raised a better man that. He would have been well within his rights to take you down either time you went at him, but he didn’t. Think on that.
“Regardless, you have a second chance. My son still lives, and you’ll have a chance to make amends should you want to, but for now, we have to deal with the Hunwei. Come.”
Adar walked over to the door, still half-expecting Barc may try to do something when his back was turned. If Barc did try to make a move, Adar would do his best to keep from hurting the man, though he didn't believe Barc deserved the consideration.
The questions about the events leading to Jorad to killing Gorew and Thon buzzed around Adar's mind despite his desire to ignore them for now. It was clear anything Barc had to say on the matter would be jaded by his hatred of Jorad.
Despite everything else Adar had learned, he was glad that he'd run into Barc. He knew Jorad had escaped and could now focus on getting back to the ships and mounting what defense they could.
When there was time, Adar would grill Barc on who else he had seen enter the Arches. Adar hoped Tere hadn't been able to return before the ship had made it impossible to access the Arches, but he wasn’t counting on it.
It would be much easier if Adar could just find Tere and deal with him here when there wouldn't be anybody from Rarbon to witness what happened. Karn would be with Tere, but Adar knew Karn wouldn't stand in the way when Adar went to finish the conflict with Tere.
Adar realized his hands were balled into fists and after a deep breath, he relaxed. He didn't need Barc thinking that he was about to seek revenge for what the man had done to Jorad.
As Adar approached the door, the noise from the ship began to get softer. In fact, now that he thought about it, he realized it must have been getting quieter for some time. The roar of the fire had grown in intensity.
Adar went to the door and opened it a crack, hoping that the Hunwei were gone. The heat from the fires wafted in, but the alley was empty. He eased it open a little further so he could get a better view.
He was just about to poke his head out when a chair screeched on the floor behind him.
Adar held a finger to his mouth. Barc stopped, confused by Adar's actions. Adar pointed to his ears and comprehension crossed Barc's face. The man wasn't stupid, he just had other things on his mind. Lucky for him, the noise from the fire would cover up everything else unless a Hunwei were close by.
With a reproving glance towards Barc, Adar leaned out the doorway and looked at the ship. The sh
ip's door was still down, and the whole vehicle was becoming engulfed in the flames of the burning buildings. Hunwei still surrounded the ship.
“Melyah!” Barc cried.
Cursing, Adar turned to chastise the man until he noticed smoke drifting into the room through the open door that led to the kitchen.
Chapter 16
Nine bleeding burning fires! Adar thought as he watched the smoke spread into the room, Hunwei outside and a fire inside. All I need now is for Tere to show up as well. Why not Isak and Erro too, so I can fight everybody at once? With his luck, Kura would show up in the middle of it all, demanding to know what was taking him so long.
Sweat trickled down Adar’s neck and onto his back as he walked over to the kitchen. When he walked in, he was relieved to see it wasn't on fire, though the ceiling was covered with smoke.
On the left side of the room was a window that looked out into the alley, but there was too much smoke outside to see through it.
A wood burning oven under the window had three loaves of fresh baked bread resting on the top that were still in the pans. Various pots hung from hooks on the ceiling, and a large wooden bowl that had been covered with a towel had formed into a domed shape.
He immediately went to another partially ajar door directly across from the one that he'd just used to enter the kitchen. Smoke came over the top and around the sides.
Adar covered the distance in three steps and swung it open. Billows of smoke and a wave of heat assaulted him, so he went to his knees and crawled forward into the room. It was bathed in a reddish orange flickering glow that came from the fires outside the building.
The smoke came through a small broken window and an open door that was tossed by the firestorm outside. The shattered pane of glass was a twin of another several feet over from the first. This window was still intact.
As his eyes adjusted to the garish light, he looked around the room, surprised there didn't appear to be any signs of fire in here. The building still held for now.
Shelves lined the walls of the room and one right by the door had a variety of baked goods, most of which had been pushed to the floor by the wind. To one side was a bar with a cake on the counter. His stomach growled when he saw it, but the force of the smoke made him smell and taste ash, so he put it out of his mind.
No doubt, it’s all ruined by now. He snorted, ignoring the rumble in his stomach. I don’t have time to eat anyway. A drink of water, now that I wouldn’t pass up. Some barrels stood in the middle on the other side of the room. Wheat and beans, if he guessed correctly.
Adar had thought the building wasn't on fire at first, but when he scrambled to the door with the blasters on his back clattering with his sword, he peeked out and realized the wooden porch outside was burning. The heat coming through the doorway kept him from getting more than a cursory look.
A part of him had hoped there still might be a path to the Arches, but that was dashed as he saw nothing but fire and smoke blocking his way. He suppressed a growl when he thought of Tere sitting safely on the other side.
He continued to crawl on all fours to the unbroken window and after taking a deep breath of the smoky air, stood until he could see out. The smoke obscured his ability to see and just as he was about to go back down to the floor for another gulp of air, a gust of wind that slammed the open door against the wall also cleared the area. He observed that another large group of Hunwei had just emerged from the ship. They moved as though the heat from the fire didn't bother them.
Those invisible shields that protected them from his sword must also keep them from the feeling the heat. He wished for the tablet so he could use the tower to destroy them. One of the Hunwei approached the burning building to the right of the ship and stood in the actual flames. When Adar realized his finger was fondling the trigger of his blaster, he moved it away. There were way too many for him to do anything other than draw their attention and die.
All he saw was fire and smoke everywhere he looked. He didn’t see a building on the other street that wasn’t on fire. As he watched, the building to the left of the ship came down, bringing with it the one on the other side. Sparks and burning timber flew everywhere. The Hunwei that had been standing in the flames was buried under a pile of burning rubble.
The satisfied smile on Adar’s face was wiped away as the Hunwei easily dug himself out of the burning heap. Another building fell, but this time, none of the falling timbers landed on any of the Hunwei.
Adar clenched his teeth. Maybe Melyah has decided it would just be easier to bring the nine fires here instead of sending us there.
He did a quick count of the enemy and was at fifty-two when the Hunwei moved, heading into the alley that ran right past Adar’s position. After that, he had to go back down for air.
The first batch of Hunwei to leave the ship had about that many as well. The sound of his gasps as he pulled what air was left in the room into his chest were lost in the chaos coming from outside.
Crawling, he approached the open door from an angle so that he was not facing the heat. He pulled up his blaster and considered taking out a couple of stragglers but once again, he discarded the idea. He was glad that his mind had caught up to what he was doing on instinct.
With the fire and flames outside the door here and the Hunwei using the alley outside the other door, shooting at them now would be the same as suicide. He knew this, but somehow the heat was getting to his head and he’d almost forgotten.
He'd been hoping there would only be a handful of Hunwei and that he'd be able to take them out one by one as they approached the ships at the town square but he now realized that wasn't going to be possible.
Melyah, he thought. Getting to the ships before them is impossible. Killing them isn’t even an option. The longer I stay here, the better my chances are of burning to a crisp. To punctuate the thought, he was forced into a coughing fit. When he was done, he realized that his mouth was dry, his tongue was sore, and it seemed as if half the ash in his room was coating his throat.
Kura!
Her name popped into his mind, and he bolted upright from where he’d curled up on the floor while he’d been trying to clear his lungs. He should have sent her away. Instead, he had filled her heart with hope that he’d find a way out of this Melyah forsaken place.
Before the ship had been buried in the rubble of the flaming buildings, a break in the smoke showed him that it had indeed gone directly into the alley. Not only could he not get to the Arches, he doubted that access point would ever work again.
He wished the Ou Qui hadn't disappeared so quickly. They would sure come in handy now.
He looked up as a thought occurred to him. He stood and touched the ceiling, stretching to cover the last several inches. The wood of the floor above was hot.
With a final look out the front door, which was once again blocked by smoke, he ran out of the room slamming the door shut behind him. The kitchen was filled with more smoke than before, but by the time he got back to the living quarters of the home, there was comparatively less of the stuff. He felt safe to stand, albeit in a small crouch.
Barc had moved and was watching through a crack in the door, his face pale and white. He didn’t notice as Adar crossed the room.
Adar ran to the stairs and went up, sparing a glance for the boot print in Jorad's blood. A flash of anger at what Barc had done to his son rushed through him, but he pushed it away. When he arrived on the second floor, he wasn’t able to do more than just poke his head up. Flames climbed the walls, there were holes in the ceiling. In one place, he was able to see the haze-filled sky as part of the roof had burned up as well. It hadn't just been his imagination that the wood was hot. He didn't know how long they had, but he didn't want to find out either.
Back downstairs, he shouldered Barc away from the door so he could determine what to do next. He didn't have time for an explanation and didn’t even bother to mutter an apology. Anything he said would have been drowned out by the roar of fire
that now surrounded them on every hand.
Through the crack, he could see the Hunwei as they marched by, several looked towards the partially open door, but none of them made a move towards it.
When it had appeared that the last one had passed by, he waited for several more heartbeats. A crashing sound came from the front of the building. Barc ran to the kitchen and came back.
“It's all afire in there.” At least, that is what Adar thought he said, based on the formation of his lips.
Adar nodded and looked up at the top of the stairs. Flames were visible now, and black marks were starting to form on the ceiling. They didn't have long. He counted several more seconds, opened the door further, and stuck out his head.
He couldn’t see more than several feet ahead in either direction. He waited, hoping for a break in the smoke but none came. They needed to run. After several more seconds had passed with his heart pounding in his chest, he swore and ducked back in.
“Confound it!” he said shutting the door back down to a crack. Barc looked at him, but Adar didn’t waste any words. The black marks on the ceiling above them had spread. Before much longer half the wood would be blackened. “We’re going to have to risk it.” The only thing to do was go out the way the Hunwei had gone and hope for the best.
Shaking his head, Adar flung the door open and stepped blindly into the alley, hoping the Hunwei weren’t about to step out of the smoke.
If they do I’ll get the drop on them since I know they’re here, he thought as he brought his blaster up. He looked in the direction of the ship, the force of smoke and heat made it impossible to face that way for long. His eyes stung, and he coughed.
Visibility wasn’t much better when he looked the other way. With a beckoning motion to Barc, he stepped forward, hoping that the Hunwei hadn’t stopped just ahead of them. He gripped his blaster and placed his finger on the trigger, thinking of the two men he’d killed earlier with one shot. If he were to catch the Hunwei off guard, he might be able to take down half a dozen, assuming they were grouped together. The only problem was they were similarly armed and could shoot back.