“Fine, I guess,” Mink said, staring off down the river at a fish. “It’s all kinda hard to get used to, but I’ll deal.”
Juré clapped Mink’s back. “You’re all right. I want you to know I’m very proud of you for doing this.”
Mink shrugged. “I have to, right? It’s cool though. I get to do something huge for our country and I don’t even have an Element.”
“Yet,” Juré corrected. “You don’t know your Element, yet.”
Mink smiled but he didn’t mean it. “I’m going to jog around and try to get a better handle on this vision.”
“Okay. Don’t look at the sun.”
Mink couldn’t help but glance at the sun, which instantly zoomed into his eyes with its blinding light. Juré chuckled at the success of his reverse psychology. As Mink jogged toward the edge of the cliff, he was careful to make slow, sweeping movements with his eyes and head. The green negative image of the sun burned into his retinas, blocking the focal point and helping him avoid the motion sickness he had been experiencing.
As the latent image of the sun subsided, he became dizzy. It seemed like a good idea at first to avoid looking in the distance and turn his gaze to his feet. The ensuing somersault that flipped him on his back proved otherwise. Thankfully, the fall didn’t hurt for long. Mink closed his eyes and lay on his back for a quick breather.
He sat up and checked his distance from the cliff. He wasn’t close enough to risk falling, but figured it was just the right distance to look for Freeland. He rose and shielded his eyes from the sun, peering across rocky hills to where the sky met the ground. Tunnel Vision had another aspect he hadn’t expected. If he concentrated on a smaller area within his focus, he could zoom in even more on that spot. In this way, Mink discovered the outer wall of Freeland. He noticed a tower built into the wall and focused on the windows at the top. Now seeing into the room, he marveled at the array of lights, buttons, and screens that filled it. A Machinist passed his field of vision, but when he tried to track him, his zoom was reset to an enlarged view of the hazy horizon.
Thrilled with the feeling that he was spying on the enemy, Mink turned and tried too hard to act casual. He moseyed toward the campsite to see that color had returned to Nyam’s grinning face. Although she appeared to be right in front of him, it would take at least fifteen seconds to reach her. He ran back, now accustomed to his new eyesight. In fact, it felt like he was taking a long time to get anywhere. If Nyam proved successful in targeting Mink with Quick Legs, that would soon change.
“I think I got the hang of this now,” Mink boasted.
“Good,” Nyam stood up from her chair by the Fire. “Just in time to tackle the next challenge.”
“I have got to see if this works.” Juré took a seat by the Fire, fidgety with excitement.
Nyam chanted.
“Target’s Body makes longer strides.
The faster my feet—”
Juré ran his fingers through his hair while Nyam shook her hands and exhaled a long breath. Out of habit, Nyam had started chanting the original version of Quick Legs. Mink let his disappointment out in a groan. He almost regretted it when he noticed the sobering effect his tone had on Nyam, but if it helped her get through the chant, it was probably worth it.
Nyam began again,
“Target’s Body makes longer strides.
The faster your feet, the longer.
The toes push off with great power.
The front leg lands with momentum.
No extra effort required.
Stopping by not taking a step.
Target’s muscles’ Fire Strengthens.
Move great distances when I touch.”
They all held their breath in anticipation. Nyam pressed her palms against both of Mink’s hips simultaneously.
“Now don’t move an inch,” Nyam instructed. “I have some things to tell you first. We’re going to start off just walking.” Nyam folded her arms, pacing. She tried to act serious and authoritative, but Mink could tell she was beside herself with joy at getting to teach an Elemental use to her son. “Each stride is now going to take you about six to ten feet. You’ll feel like you’re falling backward because your center of gravity will still be far behind you. Always keep your gaze at least two steps ahead.
“If you feel that your foot missed the ground, that means you are falling on your back. Protect your head by tucking your chin to your chest. As soon as you feel your back hit the ground, do a sit up and roll forward until you’re on your hands and knees. Always, always, always get up with your head pointing where you want to go. Are you getting all this?” Mink had been paying attention. So what if he’d rather watch a beetle struggling to traverse cracks in the dirt instead of his mom’s embarrassing teacher impersonation?
Mink shoved a lock of hair out of his eyes. “Yeah. I think so. How do I just walk normal?”
“Moving slowly with Quick Legs takes years of practice. The slowest you’ll be able to go will be twelve to twenty feet per second.” The determination on Nyam’s face could only mean that she felt beyond a doubt that she had successfully put Quick Legs on someone other than herself.
Mink looked down at his brown lace boots. He tried to imagine what it would be like to run so fast. He didn’t see how his boots could handle it. “This is going to be so embarrassing.”
“After you meet up with Uncle Durren, just have a Body user Dispel it, or get a Spirit or Soil user to cancel it. You won’t be the only person going through the Capitol building using Quick Legs, I assure you.” A soft smile appeared on Nyam’s face as she lost herself in thought, presumably reminding herself of how momentous this occassion was.
“Yeah, it’s just… Never mind. I’ll feel stupid.” Mink flexed his knees, as it was becoming difficult to resist moving his feet. He didn’t dare shift his weight to his toes.
“Okay. I’ll go beside you and work with you until you’re up to a good run. We need to make our way to that tree.” Nyam pointed down below to a specific location along the Great Barrier Range on the eastern horizon. Mink had no idea how he was supposed to find any kind of point on that wavy green line. “See the one tall tree with all its branches growing to the north?”
Mink followed his mom’s line of sight. It took several seconds for the range line to even come into view. Amazingly, he could make out details as to which trees had needle like leaves, long, flat, and funnel shaped leaves, and which ones were broad leafed. He scanned the trees along the tops of the mountains. The sun was low enough behind Mink and his mother to bathe the green of the mountain in a purplish hue. He noticed a pergnut tree that fit his mother’s description, and focused on it. As his vision zoomed in, the tree appeared to be standing right in front of him. He noticed a broad yellow cut of sailcloth tied around its trunk. The knot of the sash, tails brushing the ground below, now looked like it was close enough for Mink to untie.
“The one with the yellow belt wrapped around it?” Mink asked.
“Yes. Very good. We’re going to walk toward that tree.”
Juré had been maintaining a distance, but now came up to Mink and gave him a hug. “Be careful, buddy. I know you can do it.”
“Thanks. Love ya, Dad.” Mink finger-combed his hair back, settling his nerves for the big step he was about to take.
Juré moved out of Mink’s way. “I love you, too. God’s grace be your keep.”
Mink drew in a deep breath. “Moment of truth, people. Let’s see if it worked.”
When he stepped forward, his foot touched the ground so quickly it threw him off. His second step happened automatically, but never touched the ground. He slammed down hard in the dirt and skidded on his side for a couple feet with no lasting damage.
His mother stepped up to meet him. “Remember. Tuck in your chin, do a sit up, and roll forward.”
Mink tried to get up. As he moved one leg out, he slid on his back eight feet and then rolled. The random jabs, burns, and scrapes were punishment enough despite the
brevity of their pain. “I know! I know. Get up from my stomach, head pointed at the tree. Got it.” Mink rolled to the proper position and pushed up, carefully setting one foot, then the other, underneath him. “No problem.”
Nyam came beside him. “Just keep focused ahead of you. Don’t try to control your legs. You don’t think about them when you usually walk, do you? Just walk.”
Mink set his gaze upon the pergnut tree, and had taken six steps before his first one truly registered. The mere effort of walking sent him sprinting down the slight grade that headed into the basin of the wilderness. This speed gave him an appreciation for how much the slope actually dipped. He kept going straight in the direction of the tree, feeling the moment his center of gravity caught up with his momentum. His movements grew more natural. Eventually, it no longer felt like he was going quite so fast.
“You found your rhythm,” Nyam grinned, effortlessly walking backward in front of him. “When you’re ready, try walking a little faster.”
Mink leaned forward and put just a bit more effort into stepping. This speed blew wind in his face. He guessed he was walking about twenty miles an hour. He felt encouraged. Without prompting from Nyam, Mink began to jog.
“Be careful not to overdo it,” Nyam warned, matching his stride. “Small increments are going to be more productive than large ones.”
Mink could tell the jog speed was much faster. Reeds of grass whipped against his legs as he advanced down to the greener elevations of the wilderness. He didn’t have a clue how fast he was going now, and his biggest adjustment was being able to breathe in the rushing Air. The only way for him not to trip or lose his balance was to stop thinking about his steps at all.
“I’ll go ahead of you a bit. Try to stop right in front of me,” Nyam said as she sprinted off, making Mink feel like he was standing still.
Nyam stopped directly in his path. By his best estimate, it would take five seconds to reach her. He slowed his jog down to a walk and stopped by face-planting on the ground and plowing through the grass. He slid ten feet to a stop about thirty yards from his mother’s feet.
“That’s one way,” he heard Nyam yell. “But try to keep at least one foot forward next time.”
Mink pressed himself up and walked a few steps to meet his mom.
“I guess you haven’t exactly told me everything yet.” Mink brushed himself off.
“Well. Some things are better learned through experience.”
From her thigh pocket Nyam grabbed a flat wrap, a single square of ruddy leather folded into an envelope. Her eyes shifted over Mink’s shoulder and he turned to look out of curiosity. If it weren’t for the thin wisp of smoke rising from their camp Fire, he probably wouldn’t have been able to locate where they had just come from. He followed the smoke down as his eyes zoomed in on it. The campsite couldn’t be seen at all from where they were now, on the slope leading up to the plateau of Rift Ridge.
“You can’t see your dad, can you?”
“Nope. I guess he’s by where the smoke is.”
“That’s fine. Just double-checking. He’d kill me if he knew I was giving this to you.”
Mink whipped his head around and lost his balance. He almost stuck a foot out to catch himself, but thought better of it just in time. Teetering, he tried to make sense of Nyam’s flatwrap.
“Your father doesn’t even like me using this. But, given the circumstances, I don’t think you’ll get to Protallus City in time without it.”
MINK WATCHED Nyam unfold the flatwrap. Her hands appeared ridiculously large in his focus. The distortion coupled with the dimming light eliminated any hope of recognizing the flatwrap’s contents. “What is it?”
“A couple of boost bars.” Nyam’s voice took a conspiratory hush in spite of their total isolation.
“Boost bars? As in, banned boost bars?” Mink raised the question too loud for her comfort. “That’ll make my heart explode. I can’t handle that kind of energy.”
“With the Regenerative Cells effect, you can,” Nyam asserted. “You’ll find out tonight that this speed takes its toll on you. You’ve got about thirty-six hours of running to do. Have you ever run thirty-six hours in a row before?”
“No. Of course not.”
“That will kill you,” she confessed. “Unless you take these and eat some when you feel like you’re about to collapse. But, promise me you won’t eat any after my effects are Dispelled.”
“Mom. I don’t want to eat them anyway. That won’t be a problem.”
Nyam closed the flatwrap and handed it over to Mink. He tucked it away in one of the easily reached interior pockets of his jacket. He had yet to fully consider just how long his journey would be. He took for granted that whatever his mom did would make it possible. Now, the gravity of her tone and the falling dusk reminded him that time was of the essence.
“Is that all the training I’m going to get then?”
Nyam gave Mink her special unsettling smile. “Why, Mink, this is where your training begins. I just thought it’d be kind to teach you how to walk first.”
Mink was afraid she’d say something like that. “Shall we?” he said reluctantly.
“Now, find that target tree again, and be sure you can find it from anywhere.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tag! You’re it.” Nyam’s playfulness helped to lighten the mood. She ran off as soon as she touched Mink’s shoulders, but slow enough that he could see where she was.
“Okay then.” Mink took off after her.
She musn’t have been going very fast because Mink caught up to his mom traveling at a slow jog. He reached out for her shoulder, but before he could make contact, she darted off to the right up a grassy hill, leaving swirling green blades in her wake. Mink changed direction in a wide arc and found it very hard to speed up while running uphill. Before he could overtake Nyam, she veered off to the left and down into a shrub-filled valley.
Going downhill was insane. Mink tried his best to check his speed by walking. He lost sight of Nyam during the descent and had to scan the valley below to find her. Once he reached level ground, he resumed a quick jog. He shot across the plain adjacent to the valley so comfortably that he sped up to a run, headed straight toward his mom, who was now hurdling shrubs.
Thinking himself close enough, Mink jumped down at her. Both of them jolted with surprise at how quickly he had caught up. Still, he failed to tag her before she lept over the bank to the south toward some gray rocky outcroppings. Mink followed instinctively until she began taking long strides from the top of one distant rock to another. His lack of confidence in stopping superceded that of his ability to choose his footing carefully atop the rocks. He had no choice but to press on, the hard, sharp surfaces of the rocks promising danger.
Mink held his breath and concentrated as each foot passed over the jagged stone tops. It would be difficult enough to run around their bases on the ground without Quick Legs, let alone try to find his way over them at this speed. Falling in-between could only result in pain Mink would rather avoid. He understood perfectly well what his mom had said earlier about reflexively avoiding pain. She mocked him with dancing leaps from left to right, egging him on to quicken his pace. The process reminded him of a childhood game he used to play where certain steps were safe and others were traps.
Beyond the rocks stretched miles of grassy foothills spotted with random trees and flowering shrubs. Nyam zig-zagged ahead of Mink. He picked up his pace after passing the last of the rocks, trailing her movements. He managed to switch direction with considerable speed after a few wipeouts. Suddenly, he realized that it would be better to anticipate her location, rather than wasting energy trying to catch up. Her pattern proved to be rather basic, and Mink picked where he might intercept her.
Diverging from the chase, he sprinted ahead to his chosen spot. With a welcome sense of predicability, Nyam came straight to Mink and he touched her shoulder as they crossed paths. After tagging her, he turned his hips t
o the side and slid on his feet for several yards before coming to his first standing stop.
“Tag,” he said, grinning ear-to-ear.
His mom smiled too, and stepped up to him in a second.
“Well done. You aren’t ready to start using this effect until you can think and run at the same time. You just finished three months of Quick Legs training faster than I had hoped.”
Mink felt exhilirated by his first experience using an advanced effect, and could scarcely believe that he had already become accustomed to it in less than an hour. “Does this mean I’m some kind of genius?” He asked, face flushed with exertion and pride.
“It means you’re on the same level in that effect as most ten-year old Body users. Congratulations.” Nyam curbed Mink’s ego, but was obviously pleased with her son. “How’s your breathing?”
It didn’t even occur to him until she asked, but he wasn’t winded at all. He barely had any sweat on his forehead. “Wow. Great.”
“Find your tree.”
Mink took no time locating and pointing it out. Dusk still hadn’t quite given way to twilight. The amount of ground that Mink had covered in so little time really messed with his internal clock.
“Remember to only go as far as you can see when you reach the forest. Use your new vision to pick your direction, and stay two steps ahead. Once you see the Capitol from the range, pick another landmark in that direction to locate when the city isn’t in view. When you come to the roads, you’ll know the way, and the running will seem very easy then.”
“Thanks, mom.” Mink hugged her.
“Thank you, Mink. I hope you know how huge this thing is that you’re doing. I’ll head back to your dad now. Stay safe. God’s grace be your keep.” Nyam kissed Mink’s forehead and sprinted off to the west. He tried to keep an eye on her, but every time he found his focus, she moved out of range again. Twilight was upon them, and his mom hadn’t gone through this much effort just to have him stand around. He pivoted carefully on his heels and aimed himself at the chosen destination of the tree.
Elements (Tear of God Book 1) Page 6