The Firejack War: Book I

by P. L. Smith

  "Bah! Wait here. Move slowly, don't hurt eyes," ordered the goat.

  Jak and Lethan both nodded, although neither was sure if he could see them well enough to tell. They moved slowly around the corner, taking time to allow their eyes to adjust to the light. Lethan recognized the familiar flickering yellow glow of firelight and could smell the smoke.

  "If it's a fire why isn't this place full of smoke?" asked Jak a bit bewildered.

  "I was just wondering the same thing."

  The Yali hopped into the air and spun back facing them.

  "No smoke. Smart Baego! Baa! Broken rock."

  "Is that your name? Baego?"

  The Yali nodded excitedly, his tall horns pitching forward.

  "I'm Jak, and this is Lethan. Do you live here alone?"

  Again the massive horns nodded.

  "Baa! Come now."

  They turned the corner and still had to squint against the light of the small fire. The cave opened up into a large room filled with piles of brush, leaves, and goat droppings. The stench was overpowering.

  Baego sat abruptly in the corner, tore a leafy twig off a branch and munched on it loudly. Lethan didn't want to breathe, didn't want to come closer, just wanted to get out. He noticed Jak's nose was scrunched up as well, but still she moved forward, warming her hands at the fire. She moved to the other side of the room and glanced up.

  Lethan stayed put and surveyed the room in disgust. Obviously their new friend had been here for quite a while. The floor of the cave, instead of covered in rock was covered in a thick dirt like layer of broken down leaves and undoubtedly droppings.

  "Lethan."

  "What?"

  "Come here."

  Lethan shook his head not wanting to get any closer to the source of the smell.

  "Trust me. You'll be happy you did."

  Lethan growled and held his breath, moving quickly over next to Jak. He immediately got a chill and realized he felt a small breeze. He looked at Jak quizzically. She merely pointed up. His eyes panned up following her finger, and he saw a jagged line of faint light in the ceiling. Now he understood what Baego had meant by broken rock and where the smoke was going.

  Lethan exhaled finally and was pleasantly surprised to find the air much more appealing. Jak lifted her eyebrows a couple of times and smiled.

  "See?"

  "Broken rock. Good air."

  Baego nodded happily. Jak and Lethan nodded back, smiling.

  "So, Baego. How long have you lived here?" asked Jak.

  "Bah! Not long. Just since..."

  Baego seemed to be thinking, but the silence grew uncomfortable after a time. Lethan was just about to speak when Baego continued.

  "...Baego was buckling."

  "What does...?"

  "A kid, or a baby," said Lethan.

  "Oh. You've been up here alone since you were a baby?"

  Baego nodded happily, but then shook his head back and forth quickly.

  "No, Baego not alone. Lives with rats and bird. Baa!"

  Jak and Lethan winced again at the noise. Baego went back to munching on a branch seeming not to notice.

  "I think he's been living with the rats a little too long," whispered Jak.

  Lethan nodded.

  "Not exactly all there..."

  "...and Baego visits friend Maji, too!"

  CHAPTER XII

  Rows upon rows of armored foresters and Yumans alike stood together, waiting. With each shifting of weight and scratching of rear, the fighters clinked and clanked in their heavy plate.

  Glad we aren't trying to sneak up on the blasted Firejacks.

  Dagan spit and looked down the row. What was left of his Minotaurs and a number of Calypso's Centaurs, made up the front line. The Yumans were carrying sharpened sticks and clubs behind them, while the foresters preferred to fight with what they had: hooves, horns, and antlers. Timonax, the young Minotaur at his side, pawed the ground with his hoof impatiently.

  "Calm yourself my friend. The fight will come soon enough."

  Timonax snorted, paced a bit, and then nodded trying to relax. The young bull's horns were just starting to curl up, barely into his maturity. Dagan doubted the youth had even seen battle yet. He would have been too young to fight ordinarily. No doubt he had had to stay behind during their initial assault on the highlands, to his benefit.

  "Remember Timonax, do not charge blindly. Watch the weapons. Timing is key. Stay low when they fire and charge when they reload."

  The young bull nodded, his horns looking heavy on his head. Dagan felt a ringing in his ear and scratched at it with his finger. The ringing only seemed to grow louder, but as it did so, it lowered in pitch, to a buzz. Dagan's eyes snapped forward. Something was moving in the trees, something orange.

  "Prepare yourselves! They're..."

  But before he could finish a crack as loud as thunder ripped through them. A mist of red filled the air next to Dagan. He turned but couldn't understand what he was seeing. Timonax was standing beside him with a look of horror on his face as he stared down at his chest where there was a perfect hole clear through him that Dagan could have easily fit both his fists into.

  Dagan watched as the spark of life left the young bull's eyes, and his body collapsed. Dagan reached out and grabbed him before he fell and lowered him to the ground, but there was nothing he could do. He looked around. There was a mess of foresters and Yumans running about. Some were charging forward, some running back. Spears were raining from the sky, followed by smoking coals.

  He lurched to his feet and spun around, looking to bring about some kind of order, some way to rally his fighters. A Centaur Dagan didn't recognize was a few paces away. The Centaur stopped suddenly and looked up. Dagan followed the Centaur's gaze. A spear whipped down from the sky and hit the Centaur squarely in the chest. The force propelled him back, and he nearly fell. He looked down at the small dent in his plate and then at the splintered spear on the ground in front of him. He looked over at Dagan and laughed harshly, the kind of laugh that follows the narrow escape of death. But the laugh ended abruptly as a heavy shower of burning coals smashed the Centaur to the ground. Dagan had to dive away to avoid the burning spray. He snorted the dirt out of his nose and leaped to his feet. A few foresters looked at him, eyes full of fear, silently asking what to do.

  "Everyone to me!" bellowed Dagan.

  A group of retreating Yumans stopped in their tracks and joined the group around him. More and more of the force gathered together.

  "We're not retreating! That time is gone. We fight now. There is nothing else. Nowhere to go. We live or we die, but we do not run! We charge. Hold the line. Get in close, too close for their weapons to be any good. Kill every last one of the pathetic little insects! Paint the forest orange with their blood!"

  The force erupted in screams and yells. Dagan turned toward the oncoming threat, leveled his horns, and charged, not waiting to see if the others followed. They did. As they ran closer and closer, the weapons lost their accuracy, the Firejack line hastily adjusting their range. The foresters and the Yumans hit the Firejacks as they were still trying to reload their weapons.

  A mist of orange and crimson filled the air as the two lines collided. The fighters mercilessly smashed through the Firejacks, pawing, smashing, ramming, and sticking. Yalis skewered the Firejacks, their heads dripped with orange blood as the Firejack corpses dangled from their horns. Centaurs and minotaurs swiped the Firejacks from the air, where the Elapis stomped them into the ground with their sharp hooves.

  Dagan pushed through swinging his fists and his horns, smashing at the giant bees, not stopping or turning around to see that they were dead. He leaped over a log and nearly slipped on the slick orange blood. He looked sideways, and to his surprise, could see a few of the foresters had picked up sticks of their own to use as clubs. Some had even scavenged spears and were stabbing away at the buzzing drones.

  There was a log nearly the size of Dagan's arm, next to him on the ground. He
hefted it and pushed forward again, swinging the club through the air as a Firejack dove right at him. The log connected, and a sickening crunch sent the crumbled shell of the Firejack to the ground. He faced the next one, but it was flying away from him. He tried to chase after it, but the adrenaline of battle was fading, and the Firejack flew too fast to reach. Dagan's chest was heaving. He spun around looking for more enemies, but all were either being dispatched, or retreating quickly into the trees.

  As the last few buzzing bodies were smashed into the dirt, a silence settled over the scene, other than the heavy breathing of those who lived, and the moaning of those who were dying. Everyone looked around, waiting for the buzz of another Firejack, but the only ones left were dead at their feet. A wave of relief and elation swept through the force, and their yells of victory echoed throughout the forest.

  ****

  Lethan looked down, despite telling himself not to, and watched the pebble he had kicked plummet thousands of feet to the rocks below. He shrank back against the cliff wall.

  "You all right?" asked Jak.

  "This trail isn't exactly made for... someone my size."

  "It was barely made for someone my size," said Jak peering over the edge.

  "Da... don't do that," said Lethan clutching at the wall trying to look anywhere but the edge.

  "You're not afraid of heights are you?"

  "No. I'm just afraid of falling off and getting smashed to pulp."

  "Just don't look down."

  Lethan forced a smile through gritted teeth.

  "Baah! Come along. Not far now."

  Baego, their guide, bounded further down the trail, hopping along as though the steep cliff wasn't even there. His great horns caused him to lean away from the wall and out over the edge as he clipped along. Lethan felt sick just watching him.

  "Come on Lethan. I'll go in front and you can focus on me. He says it's not much further."

  Lethan nodded quickly, swallowing hard.

  "I'm okay."

  He took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes. He squeezed the solid rock behind him, and his vertigo seemed to dissipate.

  "Okay, I'm going to try to squeeze past you."

  Jak had to use his legs as holds as she worked her way in front of him. Lethan didn't realize he was holding his breath until Jak was safely ahead of him, and he exhaled deeply.

  "Ready?"

  Lethan nodded. He turned to face the trail, still grasping the rock wall. On quivering legs, he pushed forward trying to keep his eyes on Jak, and not the bouncing white fuzz ball with horns up ahead. With each step Lethan imagined the ground beneath his feet giving away. His hands traced along the wall feeling for holds. He wouldn't release one hand hold until he found the next one. The images in his mind made his head spin. He closed his eyes and hugged the rock tight.

  I'm going to die up here. I came all this way just to die on some cliff. To be smashed to bits on the rocks.

  Lethan took a deep breath and reached out feeling for the next hold. His fingers slid over the smooth rock of the cliff wall and found a protrusion.

  Good enough.

  He pulled himself along until his other hand could grab the hold. Lethan reached out again for the next place to grab, but his hand felt nothing but air. With nothing to cling to, he nearly fell forward, but his fingertips frantically squeezed his last hold keeping him upright.

  Lethan turned to see the trail had opened to the top of a bluff leading down the hillside, upon which sat Baego and Jak. Baego waiting patiently with a smile and Jak with a smirk, obviously very amused.

  Lethan straightened, and felt his face get hot. He strode forward with confidence and was nearly rewarded with a fall when his toes caught a rock ledge. This time Jak outright laughed, and even Baego joined; although, the way Baego looked from Lethan to Jak and back to Lethan, made him think Baego wasn't exactly sure why they were laughing.

  "Yeah, yeah, very funny. Laugh it up at the Lycan who's afraid of heights."

  Jak tried to stem her laughter and catch her breath.

  "All right I'm sorry. I have to admit that I am still shaking after that trail."

  Baego, who seemed to be lost to the conversation, tore at a dry shrub growing up through the rocks.

  "Not long now. Blah! Friend Maji's close."

  Baego leapt in the air, spun, and landed heading once more down the trail.

  "I've got to admit; he's pretty light on his feet," said Jak.

  "Maybe, but I still don't trust him."

  "He's a forester right? Or at least was, and he's friends with the Maji."

  "Maybe."

  "Only one way to find out."

  A smile spread across Lethan's lips.

  "Have I ever told you how much of a pain in the rump you are?"

  CHAPTER XIII

  "This is it?" asked Jak, looking confused.

  The goat nodded. Jak looked at the crack in the rock face. It would be a tight fit for her, let alone Lethan. The entrance was dark and forbidding, and Jak felt her skin crawl just looking at it.

  "Why would a Maji live in a cave?" said Lethan.

  "Bleh! Where else would Maji live?"

  Lethan and Jak stood silently. They didn't have an answer to that. To be honest they had no idea what a Maji was, let alone where one would live. Jak looked up at Lethan and forced a smile.

  "Like you said, only one way to find out," said Lethan.

  Jak swallowed hard and nodded.

  "In," said Baego.

  Lethan set his jaw and took the lead, squeezing sideways through the crack. He could feel warm air blowing on his fur. His heart raced as he felt himself wedge between the rocks. His blood pounded as he sucked in his chest, praying he didn't get stuck. Then he was through.

  The crack widened into a tunnel, and then shortly opened up into a small, well lit cavern, which Lethan was very pleased to see. He moved forward exploring the cavern, making room for Jak and Baego.

  "Wow. It's warm in here," said Jak as she slipped through.

  "And well lit, but those don't look like torches," said Lethan, pointing to the brightly glowing orbs hanging from the walls.

  "No, they don't."

  Jak and Lethan moved closer to inspect one of the orbs. It was almost too bright to look at, but the curious object held their gaze. Lethan reached out and touched it. He yelped and immediately sucked on his fingers trying to cool them.

  "It's hot like a flame, but it's smooth and hard," he said.

  "Is it a coal of some kind?"

  "Coals don't glow that bright."

  Lethan had to look away. He blinked and could see a dozen floating orbs in his vision.

  "How can you create light without fire? It's unnatural."

  They heard a scratchy laugh and turned towards Baego.

  "Maji not need fire," Baego said shaking his head.

  Baego pushed past them and walked further down the cavern. Jak and Lethan stared at each other in bewilderment.

  "What does that mean?" asked Jak.

  "I don't have a clue," answered Lethan.

  "I'm beginning to agree that maybe this wasn't a good idea."

  "Hey, look!"

  Lethan pointed to a strand of something stretched from one glowing orb to the other.

  "Rope to hold it up?" said Jak.

  "It doesn't look like its holding it up. Almost looks like your hivelace."

  "I don't know, but we are about to lose our guide."

  "I guess we can ask the Maji when we meet him," said Lethan.

  Jak didn't respond, her nervousness beginning to get the best of her. They continued on, following Baego to an entryway at the end of the cavern. This time the cave opened up into something too big to be called a cavern. Jak looked up and was positive the tallest tree in the forest could fit inside. The entire room was lit just as well as the cavern before, with the same strange glowing orbs.

  The space was filled with tables, chairs, and strange contraptions, thin twisted metal sculptures
smoother than poured copper, and other oddities Jak would never have imagined.

  The walls were lined with shelf after shelf, each filled to the brim with books. Jak hadn't seen many books and had never had much use for one. Her village possessed only three. One was a children's story about three pigs who could talk, even though they weren't foresters. The second was a story about a boy whose parents had been killed, and he had to flee from the killers across a wild desert. It had lots of strange words and things Jak had never heard of. The third was the Bible that told about how Mo-Na created the universe. She had had to read out of it numerous times during Altar, when she was younger.

  None of these books looked like the Bible, or the other two books for that matter. Each was a different size, a different thickness, and a different color.

  Jak took all this in, mesmerized by the sheer numbers of books, but Lethan's eyes had settled on the center of the room. Jak looked at Lethan excitedly and then quizzically followed his gaze to a chair occupied by a grinning figure sitting so still she thought it was a carving. She was about to ask Lethan whether it was real or not, when a booming voice echoed throughout the cavern.

  "Welcome, my friends, to my humble home."

  Jak jumped, clutching her chest.

  The figure rose and walked toward them, arms spread wide. Jak could see that he was Yuman, an old Yuman, with tan skin that looked like bull hide. His long white hair stood in contrast and a narrow beard met at a point near his chest. His eyes twinkled.

  "My name is Riley. I'm sorry I startled you. Maybe that was a touch dramatic."

  There was a long pause. The young girl and the Lycan were both without words. Jak managed to push her throat down to swallow.

  "I'm..."

  "Jak and Lethan. It is a pleasure to finally meet you both. Please come sit."

  He gestured them over to a long table of heavy wood that glistened in the light. For looking so old, the man was surprisingly agile and quick. Baego was already at the table eating bright red apples right from a bowl in the center.

  Riley waited at the head of the table while Jak and Lethan took the chairs next to him across from the crunching Yali.