Prints

by A N Martin

  “Everything is lately.” She got up and went to him. “How are we getting out?”

  “We’re gonna fly.” He smiled.

  Dominaze waited for an explanation, but it never came.

  She waved for him to continue. “Okay…”

  “Well, it’s tricky. The last time I did it I crashed into the ocean.” He shrugged.

  “Sounds promising.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Check it out.” He took his shirt of in one swift motion.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Look.”

  She turned away. “I’m not sure I should.”

  Hemrick laughed. “I mean, look at my shirt.”

  With a pleased smirk, his eyes grew pale as a steady breeze came off him and circled in front of them. He shook his shirt out and lay it gently over the wind current. The shirt hovered on the air, never touching the ground.

  “What do you think?” He nudged her.

  “You have to be crazy if you think we’re actually going to fly out of here on your shirt.”

  “You’re right.” He grabbed the shirt and chucked it at Dominaze. “Too bad we don’t have a large rug. One with awesome racing stripes and tassels that blow in the breeze.”

  “Sure, I guess,” she shrugged.

  “A carpet big enough for both of us to sit on.”

  “Yes. I get the idea. Wishing for a big rug to fly us out of here isn’t getting us anywhere though.”

  Hemrick grabbed his shirt back from her. “Oh, isn’t it?”

  His shirt was different. Suddenly it was much thicker and larger. Hemrick winked as he grabbed the edges and shook out a long black rug with long tassels on each end.

  “Your shirt,” Dominaze gasped. “You tricked me.”

  He patted her back. “You’re so good at unintentionally creating things, I thought, why not give it a shot? You did good. But you definitely need control of your thoughts. Your mind is too easily manipulated. That could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. And…” He pointed to the rug. “Not everything has to be black. You forgot the racing stripes.” He shrugged. “But this could work.”

  “Could?” Dominaze swallowed. “Didn’t you just say that the last time you tried this, you crashed into the ocean?”

  “That I did.” He nodded. “But I was a young Print then…so…”

  He’s eyes grew pale again as he waved his hand over the ground. A larger current circled. Taking the rug, he shook it out over the current. Floating easily, the rug calmly hovered above the ground.

  “I have one question for you.” Hemrick extended his hand to Dominaze. “Are you afraid of heights?”

  She bit her lip. “Right now? Yes.”

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really?” He crossed his arms.

  “No, but…”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Just get on.”

  Flopping onto the rug, she bobbed as if sitting on a waterbed. It rippled steadily beneath her.

  “This is a crazy idea,” she took a deep breath, “and if it works, it’s the coolest thing ever.”

  Hemrick just laughed.

  With that, the ripples under the rug grew stronger as the winds lifted them higher above the ground. Hemrick gently circled them around, creating a large figure eight in the air.

  “I think I got this.” He smiled as he tested each turn.

  Looking over the horizon, Dominaze could see that the sun was gone and that the dusky sky had darkened. This time the cold night air came with it. Dominaze knew that as soon as they got moving, they would freeze. Closing her eyes, she tried hard to concentrate on exactly what she wanted. Picturing her pajama bottoms and t-shirt, she thought of a hooded, long-sleeve shirt and warm sweats. She felt something soft cover her skin and eagerly opened her eyes.

  “Oh…” She gasped.

  Hemrick turned to see what happened.

  “Nice camouflage,” he nodded, “but a bit gothic, don’t you think?”

  Though she successfully transformed her clothing into something warmer, once again she had turned them black.

  “Do I dare ask for something warmer as well?” Hemrick winced at his request.

  Shrugging, Dominaze closed her eyes again. Not daring to venture too far from her first design for fear of screwing up, she pictured Hemrick’s pants. Expanding and stretching the fabric she thought of the same hooded, long sleeve shirt. She felt him hold his breath as the material slowly covered his body.

  “Interesting.”

  Opening her eyes at the sound of his voice, she was surprised to see it had worked. But again she had changed the clothing to black.

  “I keep thinking about my black markings. It must be why I keep turning fabrics black.” She stared at the black stripes that covered her hands.

  “Well then,” Hemrick sneered. “Let’s be black bandits and soar into the night.” He veered the rug back and forth. “It’s dark enough now that we shouldn’t be seen. Hold on.”

  As they sped forward, Dominaze grabbed hold of the rug’s edge. It may have been too dark to see the scenery below, but the moonless night was lit with trillions of stars. The faint glow of the Milky Way spread across the sky.

  “This is incredible,” she whispered.

  Soaring through the air, it was easy to forget everything she was running from. Nothing about her future mattered as she gazed at the heavens above.

  “I told you this was a good idea.” Hemrick nudged her.

  Dominaze’s smile spread from ear to ear. “I admit it; this was a great idea.”

  Without warning, Dominaze was knocked into Hemrick by some unseen force. Deafening howls filled her ears as the pressure from what hit them refused to let up.

  “What is it?” She gasped, trying to hang on.

  “It’s wind.” Hemrick struggled to steady the rug. “We’ve been spotted. Someone’s attacking us. They’re trying to knock us out of the air.”

  “Are we going to crash?”

  “I think I’m stronger than the Wind Print attacking us. It’s definitely not Orphes or Dad. I guess more than just Elders were sent to find you. I can get us out of here. Just don’t fall off.”

  The rug teetered unsteadily as winds from all directions violently hit them. Holding on as tight as she could, Dominaze lay flat, keeping her weight close to the rug. Rain suddenly started pelting them from above. She hid under her hood, but soon realized she wasn’t getting wet. A soft hum grew louder and louder until buzzing echoed in her ears. Hemrick gasped in pain and nearly spiraled them out of the sky. Dominaze’s legs flew wildly in the air, but she hung on for dear life. Looking up, she realized it wasn’t raining at all. The entire night sky was filled with flying insects. She cringed at a sting to her leg.

  “What are they?” She called, kicking her legs as the insects continued to sting her.

  “Stinging insects.” Hemrick called over the buzzing, “Bees, mosquitoes, hornets.” He jerked at the stings. “No doubt Inspector Dean Scott is near.”

  “Marinetta’s dad?” Dominaze peered down into the blackness, but saw nothing. “Are you sure?”

  “The Elect would only send the Strongest Prints after you. A regular Print couldn’t overpower you.” He struggled to talk and stay in control of the winds.

  The stings were nearly too much for Dominaze to keep holding on. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing!” Hemrick yelled. “Please, don’t do a thing.”

  Ignoring him, Dominaze closed her eyes and tried her best to concentrate on the insects and winds. Sure enough, she could feel an energy source, a more concentrated area on the ground, where everything seemed to be coming from.

  “Hemrick, use everything you’ve got as soon as the wind stops.” She called over the noise.

  “What are you doing?” he yelled. “I said don’t do anything.”

  Cringing at another sting to her neck, she didn�
��t care what Hemrick thought. If she didn’t help get them out of here, they weren’t going to get out. Dominaze’s entire body burned from the continual stings. The buzzing was deafening and easy to focus on. Closing her eyes, she could hear thoughts being embedding into the insects’ minds.

  “Sting, sting, sting.”

  Far below there were two warm figures, the attacking Prints. She didn’t think she could overpower the message being sent to the insects, but maybe she could adjust their targets. Concentrating the best she could, Dominaze thought of the Prints below. The insects were looking for two Prints to attack and she was going to give them just that.

  “Sting, sting, sting,” Dominaze told them.

  It didn’t take long to know that it had worked; a scream from below confirmed it had. There was a sudden break in the wind and Hemrick forced them forward with everything he had. Launched into the air, they burst through the insect-infested skies and the wind disappeared entirely. Losing momentum they started falling toward the ground.

  “Hemrick!” Dominaze called.

  Looking at him, his eyes were barely open. His fingers only just held the rug.

  “Hemrick!”

  He wasn’t responding and they were falling fast.

  “If this kills us, it’s your fault!” she shouted at him.

  Never letting go of the rug, Dominaze crawled over Hemrick as fast as she could and wrapped her legs around him to keep him from slipping off. Closing her eyes, she pictured the circulating winds that held the rug afloat for Hemrick. A gentle rhythm rippled under the rug, but they continued to fall.

  “Come on. Wind, wind wind.”

  Dominaze thought of nothing else, just the wind. A butterfly sensation in her stomach made it clear they weren’t slowing down. Opening her eyes, she could barely make out the ground in the darkness, before shutting them again. She could feel it quickly getting closer. She held her breath. There was nothing she could do. They were going to hit.

  “WIND!”

  Letting go of the rug, Dominaze threw her hands out in front of her.

  “Oh Wind, you suck!” She braced herself for impact, but the ground never came.

  Instead, she twisted and the falling sensation pulled her into another direction. Opening her eyes, it was too dark to see clearly. Something was rushing past her head. Next to her, an unconscious Hemrick rotated and spun through the air. They were stuck in some sort of wind current. It felt like they were being pulled through a vacuum. The wind made it hard to catch her breath. Reaching out, she tried to carefully touch what seemed to be flying past them. It was just mere inches away and completely blurred. Stinging pain shot through her the second she touched the surface. Holding her raw fingertips, she tried to angle herself to better see what was happening. It was like swimming through the air. She managed to flip over and scan their surroundings through the dark. Everything up close was blurred, but in the distance she could barely make out a mountain range along the horizon. They were being sucked through the air and the blur rushing past them was the ground.

  Dominaze gasped. “Not good.”

  How was she supposed to get them out of this safely? They were moving way too fast. A crash at this speed would kill them both instantly and leave nothing for anyone to identify their remains. The current weaved around mountains and cliffs, flipping and tossing them with each turn.

  “Hemrick.” Dominaze grabbed hold of him and shook him.

  He raised his hand to his head and moaned.

  “Hemrick, wake up! You’ve got to get us out of here!” she screamed at him.

  Her voice was muffled in the wind, but Hemrick’s eyes opened slowly.

  “The wind,” she yelled. “We’re caught in it!”

  He didn’t move at first, just stared at her. But it didn’t take long. As soon as he recognized the weightless sensation in his stomach, his eyes grew wide and he looked around.

  “What happened?” he called over the wind.

  “We were falling. I don’t know what I did. Can you get us out of this?”

  Furiously looking around, he pointed behind her. Turning, Dominaze could see the rug flapping wildly in the wind as it was tossed around with them. She grabbed it and pulled it toward Hemrick. He took the two end corners and motioned for her to do the same. The rug was a large sail, pulling them through the current.

  “This isn’t going to be a smooth landing, so brace yourself.” Hemrick’s eyes glowed white.

  The winds slowed around them and circled into the rug. Pushing the wind upward, Hemrick pulled them out of the current. The current had picked up so much debris that Dominaze could see its rushing path beneath them. Within seconds it was gone. The rug was a horrible parachute and they fell too fast toward the ground. Pain pierced through Dominaze’s knees as her weight came down on top of them. Still moving too fast, she fell over herself and landed face down in the ground, getting a mouth full of dirt and rocks. The taste burned her tongue and she quickly realized it wasn’t dirt. Spitting over and over she scrambled to her knees and gagged.

  “Salt?” She spat.

  Hemrick rolled over. “Just great,” he moaned.

  ~9~

  CABA

  Hemrick lay still on the ground. Any movement he attempted was followed by agonizing groans. Welts from the stinging insects covered his skin from head to toe. They swelled and blistered, overlapping each other. Dominaze, on the other hand, had nearly healed entirely. With the sun rising, Dominaze was able to look around to see where they were. A vast white plain ringed by rocky mountains surrounded them. She knew the place. She had seen pictures. In The Keep, this remote salted landscape was called the Salt Flats. It was hot and desolate; no water for miles. It wasn’t safe for them here. Not only did the rising sun threaten to bake them if they didn’t move, but a trail of black debris from Dominaze’s wind current led directly to where they had landed. They had to find shelter from both the rising sun and anyone following their black path.

  “Come on, Hemrick.” Dominaze nudged his shoulder. “We need to get out of here.”

  He didn’t move. He was barely breathing.

  “Hemrick?”

  Dominaze held his head between her hands and shook him gently. There was no response and his body was swelling from the stings.

  “No, no, no. I need you, Hemrick. I can’t figure this out on my own.” Her heart raced as she desperately looked around. She needed to find help for him right away.

  Something dark against the light morning sky caught her eye—a rising pillar of smoke.

  “A fire?”

  There must be Prints there. Hurrying, Dominaze lay the rug out next to Hemrick and rolled his body onto it. Grabbing the tassels, she pulled him forward. It was a torturously slow pace. Hemrick was heavy and Dominaze had little muscle. Still, she refused to give up.

  “I’m…going…to…get…help,” she panted. “You…are…gonna…be…okay. I…promise.”

  Sweat dripped down her forehead and neck. The rising sun baked her charcoal black hair and burned her fair skin. She could feel her black markings sizzling under its heat. It seemed to take forever, but she finally made it to the surrounding mountains. Dominaze found a rocky ledge that jetted out just enough to make a shallow cave. With the last of her energy, she dragged Hemrick inside and then collapsed next to him. The cave was cool and she gasped at the dry air until she was able to breathe. She knew there wasn’t time to rest. Hemrick needed help.

  “Hemrick, I’ll be right back. I’m getting help.” She squeezed his welt covered hand.

  She stood and looked at the rising smoke pillar. No one out there would know who she was. But from her recent experiences, she was already convinced they wouldn’t be open to the idea of helping a Demon Print, even if she was trying to save someone.

  Pulling her arm from her shirt, she looked over her shoulder at the strip protruding from her skin. She knew what she had to do. Marinetta had said that Dominaze’s mother’s stri
p had been pulled, making her a Manick. She knew enough about Manicks to know that they had no markings. As young as Dominaze was, she could still pass as a Talom if not a Manick. Reaching over her shoulder, she gently pinched the strip between her fingers and carefully pulled it out. It vibrated with energy—the same energy that drained from her body as her black stripes faded from her skin. All of her instincts made her want to put it back. She felt like a huge part of herself was missing. The feeling was so strong, she nearly forgot why she had pulled it from its place. But seeing Hemrick’s unconscious body reminded her of what she needed to do. Tearing a piece of loose fabric from the rug, Dominaze wrapped her strip with it and carefully concealed it beneath several rocks.

  “I’ll be right back.” She looked at Hemrick and the rock pile. It was almost unbearable to leave either behind.

  Without another thought, Dominaze set out. The cloud of smoke was still rising into the air. If she didn’t find the Prints before the smoke cleared, she would have no guide and may never find help for Hemrick. She ran as much as she could, only stopping to stack a few rocks on top of each other to use as markers to find her way back. The smoke didn’t seem to get any closer. It taunted her in the distance. Unable to continue running, she stumbled forward until finally, over a rocky ridge, a small village lay in front of her, and at the center, the pillar of smoke.

  “Yes!” she cheered breathlessly.

  Shuffling her feet forward, she moved as fast as she could. There was a narrow street with small cabins on both sides and people out walking around.

  Dominaze choked on her dry throat. “Help…Someone please help.”

  No one heard her so she continued to stumble closer, until she was in the street.

  “Help.” She tried to yell, but it was a weak muffle.

  Miraculously a young man saw Dominaze and ran toward her. As soon as he saw her appearance, he yelled for the others.

  “Water!” He called to them. “Bring water here now!”

  He took Dominaze’s arm and pulled it over his shoulder to help her walk. It was awkward because he was so much taller than her.