Fire Keep

by J. Scott Savage

  “I have no idea,” Marcus said, rubbing his bad leg. “I was too tired to notice. So what’s it going to be today? Are you going to throw axes at me, scare me, poison me, or hit me over the head with a stick?”

  The boar and fox looked at each other with what appeared to be genuine curiosity. “Why would we do any of those things? They certainly don’t seem conducive to meaningful study.”

  Marcus sighed with relief. “Tell me about it.”

  It turned out that the land elementals were really quite amazing teachers. The first thing they taught him was the relationship between the elements.

  “Each element needs one of the others to feed it,” Lanctrus said. “But they also have the ability to cancel one another out. Fire evaporates water. Water washes away land. Land blocks wind. And water, land, and air, all extinguish fire.”

  “Which is a good thing,” Darnoc, the boar, said. “Because of all the elements, fire is the most dangerous, the most unpredictable.”

  “This is so totally cool,” Marcus said. “You guys are amazing.”

  “Well,” Darnoc said, “we are trained in the transference of knowledge. But it’s really not all that difficult when you consider that of all the magics, land is the most powerful. The most refined.”

  “Too true,” the fox agreed.

  Taking their time and making sure Marcus understood each step, they taught him how to dig deep holes and to create walls of rock and dirt. He couldn’t bring stone to life the way they could, but he did manage to command a rock to fly several hundred feet.

  “They key is to learn to think like whatever it is you wish to control,” the two heads said together. “To command a stone you must see the world through the viewpoint of a stone. To communicate with a plant, you must see through the eyes of a plant.”

  Marcus half smiled. “Plants have eyes?”

  “Of course,” the fox said. “Everything does. They may not look like what you think of as eyes, but every plant, animal, mineral—every speck of dust—can see in its own way.”

  Riph Raph snorted. “I don’t think so.”

  The land elementals looked at each other. “Would you like to see through the eyes of a fern?”

  Marcus’s mind had been drifting for the last hour or so. It wasn’t that what they were saying wasn’t interesting. It was just that he couldn’t take his thoughts off of Kyja. Even if Graehl changed his mind about leaving, Marcus was escaping tonight. But the idea of seeing what a fern saw suddenly pulled his attention back.

  “Yeah,” he said, leaning forward. He looked at Riph Raph. “Do you want to see through the eyes of a fern?”

  Riph Raph gave his tail a disgusted swish. “No. I. Do. Not. Skytes see the world from the sky. Why would I care what it looks like to a lowly plant?”

  Marcus shrugged. “I think it would be cool.”

  “Close your eyes,” Lanctrus said. “Let land magic flow through you while forming the image of a fern in your mind.”

  Marcus shut his eyes tightly. He tried to picture a tall fern with broad green leaves.

  “Let your senses and the senses of the fern become one,” Darnoc said. “Feel the rich soil in your roots. Let moisture pump through the veins in your leaves.”

  Marcus held out his arms. He heard Riph Raph snicker, but thought it might actually be working. He could feel wind blowing across his hair, but it no longer felt like hair. Instead it was a soft fuzz covering his entire body. His arms no longer seemed to weigh anything. They reached up and out for sunlight.

  And suddenly, he was in a forest. He could feel the dirt, the sun, the wind. He could see the trees and plants around him—see an ant crawling across him. Only it wasn’t exactly seeing. It was more like a combination of smell, touch, and taste.

  His eyes snapped open, and he was back. “Dude,” he cried grinning. “That was so awesome.”

  Lanctrus-Darnoc smiled. “Become one with your surroundings, and you will learn much.”

  “Could I do the same thing with an animal?” Marcus asked, looking at Riph Raph.

  “Oh no,” the skyte said. “Skytes don’t become one with anything. And nothing becomes one with me.”

  “Seeing through the eyes of an animal is difficult,” the land elementals said. “It can be done, but only with a creature that has had a profound influence on your life.”

  Marcus laughed. “With my luck, it would be Chance, and I’d finally learn why he tells all those corny jokes.” He stood up. “Listen guys. This has been great, and I’d like to learn more. But right now, I have to go.” He glanced up at the sun, estimating the time to be well past afternoon. His stomach rumbled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since the night before. Why hadn’t Graehl brought him lunch? What if he’d left already? Marcus couldn’t let Graehl leave without him.

  Moving as fast as he could, Marcus hurried across the meadow to the dining cabin. By the time he got there, he was out of breath and nearly in a panic.

  “What’s wrong?” Riph Raph asked flying above Marcus’s head.

  Marcus slammed open the door. “Graehl,” he panted. “Is it time? Are we—” He froze when he saw who else was in the room.

  Master Therapass and Tankum were at a table covered with maps, plates, and glasses.

  The wizard looked over with a stern expression on his face. “Marcus, it is time for us to talk.”

  8: Unwanted News

  Marcus shook his hair out of his face. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell me? What are you doing?” He had so many questions. Not the least of which was how Tankum and Master Therapass had arrived without his noticing.

  The wizard waved him to the table. “Have something to eat.”

  “Are you kidding?” Marcus said. “I don’t care about food. Where have you been, and what have you learned about Kyja?”

  “You will be told everything. But first, sit down and get some food in your stomach. Graehl says you haven’t eaten all day.”

  “How can you think about food?” Marcus slammed his staff on the cabin floor. “I’m not eating anything, and I’m not going anywhere, until you tell me what’s going on!”

  The wizard’s eyes flashed. He started to stand, but Tankum put out a hand.

  “Sit down, boy,” the warrior said softly. “This is the first meal Therapass has had since you left the city.” He handed Marcus a plate. “You may as well get something in you now. I don’t imagine you’ll feel like eating after you hear what we have to say.”

  That got through to Marcus. He looked—really looked—at Master Therapass and Tankum as if seeing them for the first time. Dark purple circles ringed the wizard’s eyes. His skin looked stretched over the bones of his face, and his fingers trembled as he cut his meat. Even Tankum, who was made of solid stone, appeared older and more worn. What could have happened in the last two days to effect this kind of change?

  Marcus dropped to the bench and took the plate. “Are you . . . okay?”

  Master Therapass gave him a tired smile. “I am here. That will have to do.”

  Marcus ate quietly, watching the wizard and warrior study the maps and whisper to each other. He’d never seen Master Therapass look so tired or so stressed, and as much as Marcus wanted to know what was going on, he had a terrible feeling that as soon as he knew, he would wish he didn’t.

  “Have something to drink,” Tankum said, sliding a wooden cup of juice across the table.

  Marcus downed the liquid quickly. After the day’s training, he was parched. Not until the last of the juice had gone down his throat did he notice a slightly bitter aftertaste. He spotted an empty vial near the corner of the table. “Did you put something in my drink?”

  Tankum glanced at Therapass. The wizard rolled up the maps and pushed away his empty plate. “Why don’t we all step outside.”

  As Tankum and Master Therapass stepped through the door, Marcus edged up beside Graehl and whispered, “Do you know what’s going on?”

  “No,” the tall man said. “They’
re holding something back. And whatever it is, it’s big. I think at least a few of the elementals know something. But they’re not talking either.”

  Marcus wanted to ask if Graehl had seen either of the men put something into his drink. But before he could, Tankum eyed the two of them. Graehl pulled back quickly, pushing Marcus ahead.

  Cascade, Lanctrus-Darnoc, and Divum were all gathered outside the building, as though they’d been waiting. Marcus shot a questioning look toward Cascade, but the water elemental never turned in his direction. It was almost as if they were intentionally avoiding making eye contact with him.

  Master Therapass pressed his hands to his lower back and stretched. “I’ve always liked this place. The peace and quiet gives you time to think—to reflect.”

  Marcus shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Marcus, I know you are anxious,” the wizard said without looking at him. “And I apologize for making you wait. Trust me when I say it was necessary. Now I must ask one thing more of you. Then I will answer all of your questions. At least the ones I can.”

  The last thing Marcus wanted to do was wait a single second longer to learn whatever secret the wizard was holding back. But he gritted his teeth and nodded. “What do you want?”

  “Demonstrate what you have learned over the past two days.”

  Seriously? Kyja was hurt, or lost, or sick, or whatever she was, and the wizard wanted him to perform a magic show? The idea made him so sick, he could actually feel vomit trying to force its way up the back of his throat. He looked to Tankum, hoping the warrior would agree that this was a stupid idea. But the stone face staring back at him was dead serious.

  “Fine,” Marcus spat. “Divum, throw every weapon you’ve got at me.”

  For the next half hour, Marcus avoided weapons, extinguished fire attacks, found hidden items, changed emotions, healed wounds, and viewed the world through the eyes of a tiny insect and the tallest tree in the valley. He answered every question the wizard asked him, and actually managed to surprise the elementals once or twice.

  Sweat poured down his face and drenched his aching body, but every time the wizard offered him a break, he shook his head and muttered, “Get on with it. What’s next?”

  The sky was growing dark by the time the wizard nodded. “Very good, Marcus.” He bowed slightly to each of the three elementals. “You have done well.”

  “They’ve done well?” Marcus gaped. “What about me? I’m the one who learned it all.”

  Master Therapass nodded. “Your progress is fine.”

  “‘Fine,’” Marcus grumbled. He’d waited two days, working so hard his muscles quivered, and all he got was fine? What was wrong with the wizard? Before, he’d seemed like a friend—almost like a father at times. Now it seemed as if he didn’t want to be around Marcus. Maybe he did blame him for Kyja’s death. Maybe the whole thing about it not being anyone’s fault was a lie.

  “Take a seat by the fire,” the wizard said, his voice brusque.

  Marcus turned to discover a roaring fire behind him, which was surrounded by a circle of smooth, brown logs. They hadn’t been there a moment before, but the wizard was already settling himself on a large stump at the top of the circle.

  “Watch yourself,” Graehl whispered as he walked by.

  “What does that mean?” Marcus asked, but Graehl was already past him, taking a seat as far from Master Therapass and Tankum as possible, on the opposite end of the circle.

  Marcus limped to the log nearest the wizard and painfully lowered himself to a sitting position.

  Once everyone had taken their places, Master Therapass looked around the group. At last his eyes settled on Marcus. “I know you all have many questions.”

  “Where have you been all this time?” Marcus blurted, unable to bridle his frustration.

  Master Therapass nodded to Tankum. The stone warrior unrolled one of the maps he was holding and turned it around so it was visible to everyone in the group. In the dancing light of the fire, Marcus could see that nearly every village and city was covered with arrows or circles.

  Marcus leaned forward “What are those marks?”

  “The arrows represent cities under attack by the Dark Circle’s armies,” the warrior said.

  But that was impossible. Arrows were all over the map. If each of them represented an army, that meant the undead had spread out across the entire length and breadth of Farworld. Marcus shook his head.

  “And what are the circles?”

  “Cities that have been destroyed,” the warrior said as calmly as if he were talking about a game of Trill Stones.

  Master Therapass rubbed his brow. “We have been doing our best over the last few days to hold off the undead where resistance is possible and to help in the retreat where it isn’t. It’s clear that the Dark Circle has been preparing for this for some time.”

  “Wh-why?” Marcus whispered. “Why are they attacking?”

  Tankum rolled the map. “They are making a concen-trated effort to find and capture you.”

  Marcus had come to live with the fact that he and Kyja were at the center of a battle in which people they cared about both fought and died. But to be the direct cause of something like this . . . He clutched his stomach.

  “We knew the forces of darkness would make a push for you,” the wizard said. “That is why we planned your escape when and how we did. The only way to assure your safety was to get you out quickly then hide you in a place where their armies couldn’t find you.”

  “You said we were going to Land Keep.” Marcus knew that much of his pain was from Farworld’s struggles, but he’d assumed the recent worsening aches had been from his training. Now he wondered if they were actually a sign of the carnage spreading all across this world. “Are you telling me that the Dark Circle has defeated the Land Elementals?”

  Lanctrus-Darnoc coughed. “No. Land Keep still stands. But it is surrounded on all sides. Even if we could have gotten you inside safely, escape would have been impossible. With you trapped there, the Dark Circle could have thrown all of their forces at one spot. It is unlikely that the power of all the land elementals combined would have been able to withstand such an attack.”

  Marcus stared at the faces of the fox and boar, feeling betrayed. They’d known what was happening, but they hadn’t told him. “What about Kyja?” he said, turning back to the wizard. “You told me we were going to find a way to rescue her. We can’t stay hidden here. We have to do something.”

  Master Therapass stared into the flames, one wrinkled hand tugging fiercely at the end of his beard. “We’ve sent dozens of our best wizards to Land Keep, Marcus. It’s one of the things we were doing while you were in the dungeon. With the help of the Land Elementals, we’ve learned everything that is known about Fire Keep.”

  “And?” Marcus asked. “What did you find? How do we get her back?”

  A long silence followed. Master Therapass, Tankum, and each of the elementals looked at him with the same knowing expression—as if they all shared some kind of secret. Graehl was the only one who appeared as confused as Marcus felt. He leaned forward on his log, his body tense, hands fisted on his knees.

  Lanctrus-Darnoc flapped their wings slowly, creating a gentle breeze, which sent the flames swirling. “Of all the elements, fire is the most risky—the most unpredictable. It is capable of creating powerful protections. But at the same time, fire can be used to cause widespread devastation so great that it is all but unthinkable.”

  Marcus set his teeth. What did any of this have to do with Kyja?

  “As you know,” the fox and boar continued. “Each group of elementals is known for possessing certain traits. Fontasians are known for their lack of humor and imagination.”

  “We are known for our logic and judgment,” Cascade said.

  The fox’s whiskers twitched slightly, but it chose not to respond. “The Aerisians are unpredictable and boisterous.”

  “Instinctive and whimsical,” Divum said. “N
ot to mention able to find humor in any situation.”

  Marcus slammed his walking stick against the side of his log, the crack unnaturally loud in the quiet night air. “Who cares if you are logical or whimsical or boisterous? The bunch of you could be gaseous, for all I care. What does any of this have to do with finding Kyja?”

  Lanctrus-Darnoc looked at each other. “We apologize. Perhaps we are taking too long to get to the point.”

  “You think?” Riph Raph sniped. “Listening to you two is like listening to grass grow.”

  “Which would be a more educational pursuit than you might expect,” the land elementals said together. “But the point is that of all elementals, the Pyrinths—the fire elementals—are the most emotional, the most aggressive. By their very nature, the most dangerous. Which is why Fire Keep was created to be . . . inescapable.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Marcus looked from Lanctrus-Darnoc to Master Therapass. “There has to be some way out. Why would Divum have sent her there if she couldn’t return?”

  Flocks of tiny red and yellow birds chirped laughter. “I’m afraid that, as embarrassing as this is to admit, apparently now and then, even Aerisians make mistakes.”

  Marcus jumped to his feet, his body shaking as he leaned on his staff. “What are you saying? That we’re giving up? We’re going to leave her there? I won’t do it. Never!”

  Graehl was on his feet as well. “This is unacceptable. Explain yourself, wizard. Are you suggesting we abandon Kyja?”

  Master Therapass dropped his head into his hands. “I am saying that it’s already too late. Kyja is dead.”

  9: Betrayal

  Marcus felt as if the ground had abruptly shifted beneath his feet. His legs wouldn’t hold him up. He tried to reach out to catch himself but his arms refused to obey. Right before he blacked out, a pair of strong hands caught his shoulders, and he looked up to see Graehl’s face staring anxiously at him.

  Sometime later, Marcus woke to the sound of raised voices.