City of Steam (Blackburn Chronicles)

by Dominic K Alexander

  She watched as Devin shot down towards the ground and disappear below her. She followed his movement, but he was gone, so she slowed. The air cleared slightly and she saw him standing in a clearing. Instead of landing to attack, she sped the wind and threw her fists out slamming into him as hard as she could. The sound of broken ribs filled the air as they both tumbled to the ground, Devin moaned in pain as he rolled away from her.

  Mac also didn't escape unscathed. Her leg snapped when they hit the ground and she came to a stop in the stagnant water not far from where Devin had landed. She lay dazed regretting her decision and waiting for his attack. Devin was not the one to attack her.

  A massive bog beast moved flawlessly towards her almost floating on the substrate below. It moved with grace and was near silent as it came. Mac pulled herself back and away before trying to get to her feet. Her broken leg couldn't support the weight and pain shot through her as she fell to the earth tears blinding her. Several more bog beasts stood in a circle around her. They held their arms into the air and vines crisscrossed over her head giving no escape. Then, Devin's twisted laughter once again broke the silence.

  "I really am glad you were able to find your true powers, Mac." Devin walked smoothly towards her burrowing his red eyes deep into her. "It would have been an utter waste to have killed you and not taken all the powers you possess." She gathered her strength for a fight before a loud screaming rang through her ears. She cupped them unable to escape the incapacitating noise. Men, women, and children yelled for their lives. "Are you enjoying the sounds of your burning people?" He started laughing again and motioned to one of the bog beasts.

  Two wet earthy hands lifted Mac off the ground and held her firmly into the air. She cowered from the pain brought on by the beast lifting her, but there was no escape. She tried to block out the noise, but it became louder as she fought.

  Devin reached his hand up placing it on Mac's chest. There was a flash of red and the noises in Mac's head immediately ceased and were replaced with an immense burning sensation in her heart. Her heart had broken with everything Devin had done to her; the death of a city, the torture of her family, and the fake love he shared with her, and now he would be able to take her powers without issue.

  She could feel the energy leaving her body and became weaker as the seconds passed. Minor aches and pains flared as if they were critical wounds. Her leg felt as if someone was trying to saw it off with a dull blade. She tried to fight, calling to the elements, but Devin was too strong. She tried to struggle free, but the bog beast tightened its grip on her. Devin paid no attention to her feeble escape attempts. He kept his hand on her chest, eyes closed, head cocked back, and slowly stole her life energy.

  Mac's body went limp and the pain began to fade into nothingness. Her arms fell to her side and the bog beast loosened its grip slightly. It didn't matter, it was too late. She didn't have the energy to try to escape or run away. She was too weak to use the elements for help. In a moment of pure desperation, she did the only thing she could still do.

  Devin opened his eyes and looked at Mac as the last bits of her energy began to flow into him. There was a flash of bright light and a loud crack. The bullet tore into his scull leaving a crater at the back. He fell to the ground, eyes staring in horror; unable to move.

  "Where I come from, we don't have magic to solve our problems." She said in an almost inaudible whisper before sliding from the grip of the beast and falling to the ground unable to move away. It had been a moot point since the bog beasts were sure to kill her and Devin would eventually heal anyway, but it was a point well-made and she could be a little more satisfied being defiant to the end. Then it came.

  The bog beast lifted her off the ground, but instead of crushing her or tearing her limbs off, it started with its deep hollow eyes directly into hers. A warm sensation quickly took the cold. Weakness was quickly replaced with strength and she felt as refreshed as she had ever been since coming to this world. The beast set her down on her feet and gave a slight bow before moving to the others who stood around Devin's motionless body.

  Mac looked towards the cluster of bog beasts and upon Devin. She watched as the wound in his head slowly bubbled and closed healing itself faster than anything she had ever seen. Mac looked to the beasts who looked back at her. She dragged herself to him, then knelt over his body, and placed her hand over his heart. She could feel the shattered energy within his soul. She could feel the pain and loss of everyone and everything he knew. She could feel the conflict within him as he considered her eyes for the first time at the cabin. And she could feel the energy flow from him, back into her, until it was all taken. Before she could finish a large hand pulled her away.

  One of the bog beasts looked down at her shaking his head slightly. She wasn't sure why he wouldn't let her drain Devin clean until it turned back to the body and they started tearing him limb from limb. There was nothing left but small pieces which were taken by the beasts and carried in different directions likely to be scattered all over the bog. Mac had taken enough of his energy that it would be thousands of years before he would be capable of any kind of power, and it would be just as long if he could be put back together to heal. If nothing else, he would suffer a much-deserved death.

  23.

  The extra energy flowing through Mac was surprising to her. Everything was different in her eyes. The bog was brighter and she could feel everything in great distances. The air flowed with her and the earth was softer on her feet. She felt connected to everything. The feeling was exhilarating. It was almost as if the world around her had a pulse that beat in sync with her own. The heart beats of the wildlife beat with her, the flow of the reeds surrounding them flowed with her. The feeling was intense and addicting.

  She thought of Devin and became angry. How could he ever abuse a power so great? She fell to the ground crying, feeling the pain he caused to everything around her. Everything seemed so sad and abused. Pain welled into her stomach and she wanted him dead. She wished she had could take the rest of his energy, or at least burned him. She wanted vengeance for all the pain he caused the world.

  But, this wasn't how she thought about things. Life wasn't all about death and vengeance. A person must do what a person must do to protect themselves and the ones they love, but to kill in the name of getting back at someone is murder, and she knew it, so why have these feelings now? She sat back onto the mud.

  Devin's energy. He had been so dark and evil and she had taken his soul energy into herself. Now it tried influencing her own decisions. She put her hands in her knees slowing her breath and thinking about the situation. There must be a way to repress the anger. She thought and she continued to breathe slowly. Don't let it take you. Breathe.

  The anger and pain slowly melted away and the feel of the world again came back to her. She stood and turned to start walking before almost running into the biggest bog beast she had ever seen.

  The monstrous creature stared at her with the same hollow eyes as the other beasts, but it didn't move or attack. Mac couldn't help but think it was assessing the situation and trying to see if she was going to attack first.

  The moisture in the air was warm and thick and the smell turned Mac's stomach, but she forced herself not to throw up or move at all since she didn't want to inadvertently do something that might be construed as a threat. So she stood watching and waiting.

  Several long minutes passed before the beast took a step forward and knelt before Mac, bringing his massive head close and looking deep into her eyes. She didn't move away not wanting to look weak. Her body slowly began to get the sensation of pins and needles she had when her arms or legs fell asleep. Then, without any warning, she lost all control of her body and slumped down into the cold wet mud. Pain crept into her body fast and hard bringing a grand maul seizure. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the earth around her slowly dimmed into total blackness.

  The warm summer sun beat down on Mac when she opened her eyes. The pai
n had vanished, but her stomach rolled over and she vomited...twice. She tried to examine the area through tear filled eyes, but her surroundings still spun as if she was riding a carousel.

  Finally, after a minute, everything began to normalize and her bad case of the spins stopped. The mud that she had fallen into was no longer there, and was instead replaced with a beautiful green grass. She tried to stand, but her stomach threatened to empty itself again so she decided it best not to move.

  "Drink this." The bog beast said in a commanding tone while standing over her and holding out a large filled skin. "It will help with your stomach.” Mac watched him for a second waiting for another attack, but it didn't come and her stomach continued to churn, so she took the skin.

  As she pulled the stopper from the top she was hit with the deep aroma of honey mead. Without a second thought she took a long pull from the skin. The sickness in her stomach was replaced with a warm fuzzy feeling and the need for a nap.

  "What did you do to me?" Mac said in an unintentionally chipper tone. "Where are we?" She looked at the beast who stared into the distance ignoring her. "Do you at least have a name?"

  "My name is Selek." The beast said before pointing off in the distance. "Come, look." Mac struggled to push herself up. She wasn't sure if she was still sick or if the mead was stronger than she thought, but as she got to her feet she wavered slightly before finally steadying herself.

  Looking off in the distance she saw a field filled with beautiful green grass and purple flowers. A young girl ran through the field being chased by a boy of the same age. Their laughing was a pleasing change to what Mac was used to in this world.

  A festival was taking place by where the children were playing. Laughing, music, and dancing filled the air. Drunken men groped the women pouring them more drinks and the women smacked their hands while giving a sly smile. Platters of food filled the long tables and the people helped themselves ripping hunks off like wild animals letting the juices and crumbles fall to the floor. Others stood watching the flames of the large bonfire in the center of the festivities. Several people played instruments while smoking pipes and keeping the crowd in high spirits. It was truly a full-blown celebration and everyone seemed to be merry.

  Mac looked to Selek about to ask why they were watching this and noticed he was still pointing. More interesting was that his face, if that's what you could call it, had an almost pained expression scrawled across it. She followed his long limb and finally saw who he was pointing at.

  "You see." He said. "There, there he is." A young boy no older than four sat outside the festivities, alone. His brow was furrowed and his cheeks were reddened as he looked at something in his hands that Mac couldn't quite make out. She slowly moved closer to the boy wondering what was wrong with him.

  She stood only a couple steps away, but the boy seemed to pay no attention to her in any way. She leaned down to see what he was holding and saw the bright blue and green feathers of a humming bird cupped in his hands. The bird was limp and Mac could feel the anguish coming from the boy because if it. A tear streaked down the boy’s cheek and he cupped his hands tightly over the bird before whispering to it.

  "Please come back." The boy said. "Please, don't leave me alone." Tears continued to streak down his face as he rocked back and forth asking his bird to come back. Then, a bright green light filled his hands and the air chilled slightly. When the boy opened his hands again the bird took flight buzzing around the child's head. It landed on his finger and he pet it, then it flew around playing with the boy again. Mac stared, seeing what had happened, but not believing it.

  "H... How?" Mac asked Selek who now stood watching over the boy still looking sour. "How could this boy bring back the dead? That isn't even possible."

  "Magic has existed in one form or another since the beginning of all things." Selek said still watching the boy. His expression tense. "Some grasp onto it trying to not let it get away. Others fear the unknown and try to run from it, or worse destroy it. Then, there are those who realize there is no way of destroying or even controlling it, so the embrace it with open arms. They allow it to work with them and not for them. These individuals are the most powerful of the magic users. They don't just survive, but they create and care for all the world has to offer."

  Mac thought about it for a minute while the boy and the bird continued their play. She smiled at the rekindled friendship.

  "I suppose it makes sense." Mac said looking at Selek. "When I was given the ring and took Devin's powers I could feel everything around me. The flow of life ran through me and I wanted nothing more than to envelop myself in that feeling. It was intoxicating, so it would make sense my people want to embrace more of everything when everything feels so amazing." She looked back to the boy.

  The bird circled his head then picked at his hair before doing it all over again. The giggles coming from the boy lightened the previously morose mood. As the bird made another lap around his head a large hand reached out of nowhere and snatched the bird mid-flight. The hand squeezed hard into a fist. They could hear the bones pop under the pressure. Mac turned to the murder and saw a burly man standing several inches behind her. He threw the lifeless body into the grass and glowered down at the boy.

  Mac stood with her jaw dropped at the sight before letting out a shrill shriek. She swung full force at the man, while leaning in and putting all the force she could muster behind the punch. And, she connected with, nothing but air. She fell through the man and hit the solid ground letting out a moan.

  "No matter how much you want to or how hard you try, there is no way to affect the past." Selek said. "These are nothing more than visions of the past and you can’t affect them in any way."

  "Had I known..." Mac started while burning daggers into the man. He reached down, grabbed the boy by the back of the neck, and lifted him off his feet. It was amazing his neck didn't snap from the attack. If that wasn't enough, the man swung his other hand hard connecting with the boy’s face, then threw him back to the ground. Mac turned away, tears in her eyes. With every swing of his hand the boy screamed out in pain.

  "This is heresy." The man screamed. "You will bring death to us all. The Gods will come down and smite everyone in our village. Is this what you wan't, Abel? Do you want the village to burn for your sins?" The man continued to beat the boy until there was nothing but a blood covered lump in the field.

  "I... I’m sorry...father." The almost inaudible pained mumble came from the bloody lump and the man just stared down at him, then swung one more time, full force, knocking Abel completely unconscious. Without another word Abel's father turned and went back to the festivities, drinking and dancing with the drunken women. He left his son in the grass to die.

  Mac looked to Selek for answers, but he now looked at something moving in the distance. He had what could only be construed as a smile. Mac saw a young girl wrapped in plain brown wool clothing slinking through the grass like a cat hunting its prey. She looked around making sure the adults were not paying attention then moved closer to Abel before stopping to look again. This went on for several minutes until the girl was kneeling behind Abel.

  She ran her fingers through Abel's hair before leaning down and whispering something in his ear which was too quiet for Mac to hear. She then kissed his head gently and disappeared into the grass, heading out into the woods. Abel's chest rose as he finally started breathing again. Mac watched him stir slightly in the grass and slowly open one swollen eye. His blood covered mouth twisted up slightly into a smile.

  The vision slowly faded into a cloud of smoke and Mac stood next to Selek in the dark. Before she could say anything, a new vision appeared before her. Stone walls and buildings grew up around them. An angry mob crowded the towns center yelling and screaming over each other. The noise was deafening and Mac couldn't distinguish a single coherent thought from the group.

  The crowd made it impossible to see what they were yelling or angry at, so Mac looked for a solid footing in the
wall and climbed to the top sitting on its edge. Her stomach turned over as she saw Abel bound to a post and gagged, blood pouring from deep fresh wounds. He couldn't have been more than ten years old now.

  Rocks were being hurled through the air at him. Every strike tore a fresh patch of skin from the boy and his screams were muffled by the gag in his mouth. His body flailed back and forth as he tried to push himself away, but the ropes simply held him in front of the projectiles. His father stood several feet away with a satisfied look on his face. Mac sat frozen staring at the horror.

  The rocks finally stopped being thrown and the crowd quieted letting only whispers pass their lips. Mac looked for the source of the disruption when she noticed four cloaked figures glide towards Abel. When they reached the crowd, the citizens moved as if Moses had just parted the red sea. Mac could tell these people feared whoever these newcomers were.

  As Mac leaned forward to get a better look at the group, she noticed one of them was the young girl who had whispered something in Abel's ear years prior. She walked with a satisfied look on her face having no fear of the angry mob around her. The mob looked upon her and the others with great disdain, but they didn't move a muscle.

  "You don't belong here, Coilin." Abel's father yelled while moving quickly to block the group. "I demand that you leave now. There is nothing for heathens here."

  A tall man at the front of the group watched Abel's father come at them, but only sniggered at the demands. "Let us not forget, Mathias, my heathen blood runs through your veins." Mathias froze glaring at his brother. "Plus, Abel is my nephew and I have come to offer him a room in my home."

  "Abel has been found guilty of bringing a great evil to our town." Mathias said. "It has been decided he will be stoned for the crime."