Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire

by Chris Miller

  Hear my request, oh Author of my days. Have not I stayed true to your words amidst the trials? Even now in my despair, I know you are at work…but I am growing weak.

  If it had only been Sanctuary that fell to the enemy, that would have been tolerable—the Resistance could have stood. But the Shadow have not been satisfied with dismantling our refuge walls. The very leaders that once upheld your Truth have now been corrupted or killed. The truth is distorted in a web of lies. I fear that I may soon be the only one left.

  Let not your silence divide us to ruin. Revive hope! Ignite our faith! Let not this great darkness consume us.

  As in ages past, bring us true warriors to defend your Way. Assemble your chosen to carry your flame where I cannot.

  In you, great Author, do I put my trust. For you will make a way when the time is right. Find me ever ready and vigilant.

  ~Petrov

  The signature belonged to Petrov, the leading commander of the Codebearer Resistance in Solandria. I stood dumbfounded at all that I had just seen and read. Part of me felt a little embarrassed, like I had just read a page torn from someone else’s diary. In Solandria, I had never heard Petrov speak in such a vulnerable way. He was the commander and carried himself just as you would expect of a man with such authority. But beyond feeling awkward, I mostly felt deep concern.

  Had the Resistance really fallen so low?

  If what Petrov said was true, and I had no doubt that it was, then the Codebearers were in serious jeopardy. I desperately wanted to return and help right then and there, to let Petrov know that another still would stand with him. But I knew there was no use trying to force it since the Author had called me out of the Veil and into Solandria before. For now, he had chosen to keep me here. For what purpose I wasn’t exactly sure.

  “Isn’t there anything I can do?” I fretted aloud.

  As if in answer, the parting words from Petrov’s message came back to me, Find me ever ready and vigilant.

  It didn’t sound like much, but it was all I had to go on.

  Voices and footsteps coming up the stairs snapped me back to the reality of the moment. I still had a desk to clean and a forbidden pet to hide before Mom and the buyers got to my room.

  Lifting the blanket’s edge, I called to the frightened critter, hoping to lure him into my bag with a cheese puff. He wasn’t under there. Sitting up, I discovered he had already bravely ventured out and was inching his way up to the letter on my desk. Before I could catch him, he slapped a paw onto the paper and set off a surprising reaction. The paper instantly flared up into a raging fire. The terrified creature bolted away with an ear-piercing wail, an instant fur ball of fire.

  Whatever my horrified mother expected to find on the other side of my door as she ran to my aid, she wasn’t anywhere close to imagining what she found when she burst through the door.

  Papers scattered, lamp shattered, curtains swayed, posters ripped and feathers floated around an avalanche of clothing streaming out from the cock-eyed closet doors, at the foot of which I was kneeling, hugging my backpack and panting for breath.

  There was an awkward exchange as the prospective buyers quickly excused themselves from the house showing, promising to come back “at a better time” as they hurried down the stairs and out of our lives forever.

  I nervously endured the ensuing silence as Mom shook her head, burying it in her hands. How was I going to explain this one? Instantly, the thought of how well the whole “cat in the house” thing had worked as a cover-up for my earlier mistakes came to mind. Maybe I could just work that a little more.

  What was I thinking? The lie had gone too far. It had been a mistake in the first place. Veritas—truth; that was part of the creed I had given my life to as a Codebearer. I resolved that Mom would get the truth.

  When her face finally emerged from behind her hands, I could see the tears welled in her eyes. “Hunter…” she spoke softly, “I… I’m worried about you.” She let one of the tears fall before wiping it away. “First I get a call from your school this morning and then this, tonight…” her voice broke off into a stressed laugh. “Wow. I mean, I know there have been a lot of changes in your life lately—my new job, Stubbs switching schools, selling the house…and I don’t think any of us have really gotten over losing your dad either… but, this?” She motioned around at the unsightly scene and laughed again. Of all of us, things had been the toughest on Mom and I feared I had finally pushed her beyond the limits of sanity.

  “Listen, Mom. I’m so sorry,” I apologized sincerely, beginning to pick up pieces of the mess. “I can explain…”

  “Explain!” she snapped sharply. “No, Hunter! There’s no way you can explain this!”

  “I know. It’s my fault, I admit it, but the truth about today is that Solandria…”

  Mom would not have any of it. She called off my attempt with her upheld hands, shaking her head. “Please, no! I can’t take any of this talk tonight. I just don’t have the patience.”

  Just like times before, Mom was shutting me out and I couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt.

  “Mom,” Emily’s voice called up the stairs. “It’s getting late and I’ve got to leave to pick up Trista and the others now. They’ll be waiting. I guess I’ll be leaving without Hunter?” Her last comment was more a suggestion than a question.

  Turning back to watch me continue my pitiful efforts at undoing the mess, Mom let out a sigh. “Listen, Hunter, my better judgment would tell me to keep you here, but I know that tonight was a big deal for you with Stretch and Stubbs. Cleaning this tonight isn’t going to fix anything. You should go.”

  “Really?” I asked, dropping the pair of socks I’d been matching. I was completely shocked at her out-of-left-field verdict. Even though she was downstairs, I could still hear Emily huff her disapproval.

  Mom nodded, rubbing at an obvious stress-headache as she qualified, “Yes. But to be honest, I mostly just need peace and quiet more than anything else. All I’m good for right now is a quick shower and an early bedtime.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I replied, hurrying to grab my stuff. I didn’t dare leave Emily waiting any longer than she had already.

  Mom just waved it off as she shuffled down the hall calling back, “Yeah, well…. Don’t think this gets you out of anything. Tomorrow you and I are going to have a serious talk.”

  Chapter 7

  A Dreadful Disappointment

  The Destiny Fair was always a big deal. The sights, the sounds and the smells of the fairgrounds were too in-your-face to ignore. As a matter of fact, you could feel the excitement building from a mile away. I know this because that is precisely how far away we had to drive before Emily found a parking spot. Yup, there was no missing the fair—it was an electric event.

  Once a year, for seventeen days and sixteen nights, the quiet northern valley of Destiny was turned inside-out into the brightest, loudest, assault-your-senses destination you could ever possibly dream up. People would travel from far and wide to take part in the annual traditions that made our fair one of the largest of its kind. It had all the charm of your typical county fair petting zoo and giant pumpkin-growing contests, paired with the sophistication of cutting-edge amusement park thrill rides. As we scurried toward the ticket booth, I found myself lagging behind the entourage of girls Emily had assembled to join her for the occasion. All the right girls had been gathered—planned weeks in advance, no doubt—in order to ensure her popularity at school was kept at a high level. We were still standing in line for admission and they were already discussing which boys they wanted to find first. Fun, fun, fun….ugh!

  Don’t get me wrong, normally being the only guy in a group of girls wasn’t a bad gig, especially with the quality of girls Em had selected. In fact, if I worked it right it could be a real popularity booster, I supposed. The thought crossed my mind that I was passing up a golden opportunity—one most guy
s would die to be a part of. I quickly pushed the thought aside. I had other plans tonight. With my new pet hidden safely in my backpack, I was determined to prove to Stretch and Stubbs once and for all that Solandria was entirely real and not just some fantasy story I had dreamed up. The creature was all the proof I needed.

  As we waited in line, I found my mind wandering back to the mysterious letter. Petrov’s message sounded so desperate, so urgent. From what I could gather from the letter, things seemed to be getting worse in Solandria which only made me long to return all the more quickly. This was the first real bit of information I had received since my return. How could I ignore it? Then again, Petrov’s message had said the Author would make a way when the time was right…so, maybe some good old-fashioned distraction was exactly what I needed to get my mind off things for the moment.

  “Tickets, please,” the attendant at the counter said in a decidedly bored voice. I flashed my school ID and she waved me through with free admission. The girls and I filed in through the Fountain Gate where Stretch and Stubbs had agreed to meet me. Now that I was inside, I scanned the crowds for any sign of the guys. From the looks of things, I was the first one to arrive.

  “You sure you don’t need someone to hang back until they come, little brother?” Emily chided me, half-asking and half-trying to make me look silly in front of her friends.

  The courtyard clock indicated I was actually a few minutes early for once.

  “Nah, you go on…I’ll catch up later,” I replied, trying to sound as cool as possible. It was exactly what she had hoped to hear. Without another word Emily whipped around and disappeared into the fair, taking her gaggle of girlfriends with her.

  I walked the loop around the fenced fountain in hopes of spotting the guys. It would have been easier if there weren’t as many people already swarming around. Bumping my way through the traffic, I staked out an open spot on the bench that ringed the fountain and climbed up. I could see the whole courtyard from here. The fountain cycled through its choreography; nearby a carousel glided to its tune and a juggling performer rocked back and forth on his unicycle while balancing a bowling pin on his chin to a barrage of corny music and lack-luster applause.

  “Well, little guy,” I said over my shoulder, “we’re definitely the first ones here, that’s for sure.”

  “Friends?” the creature said softly, peeking out of the pouch at the colorful displays that surrounded us. He shrunk back into the pack just as quickly, overwhelmed by the lights that flooded the scene.

  “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be here. They’re probably just running a little late.”

  The music blasting from the speakers of the stage performer suddenly took a decidedly ominous tone.

  “And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for…” he paused for effect, allowing the perfectly timed audio track to deliver its setup before concluding his statement with a deep, goofy voice, “Flaming Death!”

  A pre-recorded scream wailed, provoking nervous laughter among the crowd. With nothing better to do, I decided to stay put and watch his final routine. The daredevil juggling act concluded with the performer’s pants catching fire and a pair of stage hands dousing him with fire extinguishers as he rolled on the floor. In the end, it turned out to be a gimmick as he removed his pants to reveal a large pair of polka dotted underwear beneath them. The crowd roared their approval and dispersed back into the flow of traffic.

  With still no sign of either friend, I took another turn around the fountain, this time stopping to grab some of the free samples vendors were offering to each passerby. In no time at all I gathered a half-dozen energy bars from the Boojum health food company, a pack of dental gum and an impressive collection of sticker advertisements. My favorite was the “Sm-MOO-oooth!” cow sticker for Dandy Dairy Farms. That one went on my jacket sleeve.

  When I had four stickers running down both sleeves from successive loops around the fountain, I finally resorted to dropping a quarter in one of the coin-operated BIGfoot massage chairs near the gate. I was getting bored.

  Why couldn’t my friends just be here when I needed them?

  “Thirty-two minutes late and counting. Unbelievable!” I sighed out loud, as the vibrating foot massager came to a halt. I pulled out one of the Boojum All-Natural snack bars from the side pocket of my backpack and glanced over the label. The slogan on the front read, “Tastes so good, it can’t be bad for you.”

  Yeah, right, I thought in disbelief.

  I tore the end of the package open with my teeth and broke off a piece of the grainy goodness for my furry friend.

  “Here ya go, little guy; I got you a snack,” I said, tossing it into the bag.

  There was a ferocious crackling and munching sound as the creature tore into his new meal. Apparently, he liked Boojum a lot. I tossed in another piece, much to the satisfied moans and crunching of the hidden creature.

  “Num, num, num!” it smacked happily, making so much noise it caught the attention of the plump man seated next to me. He turned and eyed my bag suspiciously. I smiled back and with a shrug of indifference took a bite myself in hopes of hiding the fact that there was something in my bag. The man stood up, raised an eyebrow and walked away, shaking his head.

  The bar was everything I had imagined—crunchy, bitter and so not good! It tasted like edible cardboard with a few cranberries thrown in for good measure—definitely not my kind of snack. I was just about to spit the first bite onto the cement walkway when the vendor who had given it to me walked past. Not wanting to look like an idiot, I faked a smile and waved the bar at her as she glanced my way.

  Unfortunately, she confused the gesture to mean I wanted more and ended up giving me another bag of bars on the spot. I forced myself to swallow what was in my mouth and thanked her as she walked away.

  With a bad taste in my mouth and an equally foul mood, I shoved the remainder of the bar into the backpack.

  “Here, eat this and keep quiet!” I whispered.

  As I considered my options to redeem the night, a bank of payphones next to the restrooms caught my eye. That was just what I needed. I could ring Stubbs on his cell phone and find out what had been keeping them. Scooping up my bag, I walked over to the payphone. I emptied my pants pockets and was pleased to find I still had enough change to make the call. I lifted the receiver, dropped in the coins and dialed Stubbs’ number from memory.

  “C’mon, Stubbs, pick up!” I muttered as it rang.

  Three rings later his voice mail answered. “Hello, it’s me; you know what to do!” His simple recorded message ended with a short “beep.” Since I’d already paid for the call, I decided leave a message.

  “Hey, this is Hunter; I’ve been waiting by the fountain. Where are you guys? Hurry up!”

  I slammed the phone down on the receiver in frustration. It figures. The only time I need him to answer and he’s not near his phone. You’ve got to be kidding me!

  I picked up the phone again and fished around in my coat pockets for any leftover change, despite the fact that I knew I was out of coins. Just then, my hand closed around something cold and familiar. I pulled out a gold pendant emblazoned with the Author’s mark and let it dangle lightly from the chain in front of me. Hope’s medallion.

  In that moment, all the noise of the fairgrounds, even the dial tone in the phone, seemed to disappear under the sudden flood of emotions that filled me. Hope was my friend, the truest of friends. Even though her death had been my fault, she never blamed me for it. She accepted it as if it was meant to be. Hope had given me the medallion in Solandria just before she died, a gift to remind me that I was never alone.

  Suddenly, a hand reached out of nowhere and snatched it from my grip. My stomach sank at the thought of losing my most prized possession. Dropping the phone, I turned to see who it was, ready to put up a fight. I was slightly relieved to find it was only Trista, my sister’s new best friend.
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  “Oooo, where’d ya win this?” she asked, blowing a bubble with her gum as she spoke. “Mind if I try it on?”

  Before I could say no she had pulled it over her head and adjusted the chain to fall beneath her hair, which wasn’t pulled back in a ponytail as usual.

  My muscles tensed at the sight of somebody else wearing the medallion. There was something wrong about it.

  “So, how do I look?” she teased, striking a ridiculous pose.

  “Annoying,” I snapped, thrusting my palm out. “Now give it back!” I hoped I hadn’t sounded as angry as I felt. Trista got the message and her once bubbly voice dropped to a lower tone.

  “Ooookay, somebody’s clearly not having a good time,” she muttered in jest as she removed the necklace and placed it in my hand.

  I slipped it back over my neck and tucked it safely under my shirt, feeling the urge to apologize for my attitude. “I’m sorry, it’s not you, it’s just that…”

  “Fer-geda-bow-dit,” she tossed back playfully, making a quick recovery and punching me gently on the shoulder. “I would have been royally irked too if my friends had bailed on me.” Whipping out her raspberry-colored cell phone, Trista waved it at me with a pained expression on her face. “Got a message for ya. Stretch called!”

  My stomach soured in anticipation of the worst. He had managed to avoid me at school today, and now he was ditching me again. I was beginning to get the idea we were no longer friends.

  “Actually, he called your house earlier today, but your mom just found the voicemail. Bummer, huh?”

  She explained that Stretch had caught the flu at school and couldn’t make it to the fair tonight, and Stubbs couldn’t come either because Stretch was his ride. I felt a little better knowing they hadn’t intentionally ditched me, but the end result was the same.

  “Great, I’m on my own,” I sighed, contemplating what I would do for the rest of the night. “Thanks for the message anyway.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry ’bout that,” she said sympathetically.