by Dawn, Autumn
Kira shook her head as she turned to leave. “You did that all on your own.”
She knew she was dreaming, but it didn’t make it better when they lit her on fire. She screamed in anger and terror as her hair went and her skin split like roast pork. Something shook her as her eyelids burned away and her eyes began to boil.
“Hey! Watch it!” Cara jumped back and dusted at the fire burning her clothes, putting it out.
Kira panted, taking a moment to clear the dreams. “S-sorry. Are you hurt?”
“No, but I’m only slightly fireproof, so careful with the flame. Were you having a nightmare?”
“I was burning,” Kira said hoarsely. The anger flared, barely tempered by Raze’s efforts to keep her drained. She wanted to burn them.
She jumped to her feet and stared over the sea. “I need to go there. I know they won’t be there, but…”
“Let’s go,” Cara said simply, touching her arm in understanding.
Kira shot her a grateful look and turned to spark, marveling as Cara became a small dust cloud. Together they raced to the site of Kira’s destruction.
In moments, they landed at the beach where Kira had burned. She stared at the cold, scattered ashes and let the feelings come. Grief mixed with remembered fear and simmering anger. She drew a shaky breath.
Cara poked the ash with her foot and wandered up to the blackened manacle. “At least I wasn’t chained; not that I recommend drowning in mud.”
Kira plopped down on a rock. “They didn’t even care that they hurt me.”
“I know, though I have to wonder if an apology would help at all.” Cara crossed her arms and stared at the sea. “I wonder when some girl is going to drown for Water,” she said morosely. “Have you met him? He always struck me as rather cold. I wouldn’t want to marry him.”
“Blue guy? Shimmers like a river? He seemed pretty grumpy.” Her attention was drawn to an odd mist moving over the sea. “Do you see that?”
Before Cara could answer, the mist separated into several glassy-clear human shapes that rushed them.
“Run, Kira!” Losee shouted as the fire cat jumped out of nowhere, attacking the nearest elemental with claw and fang.
Kira instantly turned to spark, which was a mistake. The elemental reaching for her merely changed forms and swept her up in a dust devil, whirling her sparks until she couldn’t tell sky from sand. She sensed Cara yelling, felt a portal open up…
…and was suddenly knee deep in deadly, killing snow.
“Come on Kira, focus,” Cara said, calm but deadly serious. “You need to access your fire.”
It was so cold, and for some reason she was sitting on rock. Where they were, it was pitch black. Her teeth chattered and she felt burned from the thighs down. “Where?” She tried to focus through the pain and managed to draw enough energy to make her ruby glow with power. The light showed the inside of a curved stone shell.
“We landed in a snowfield in absolutely frigid weather. You screamed and nearly collapsed, so I had to act fast. I pulled the earth up and cocooned us. I made a window out of silica, but it got dark and now we can’t see. Besides, there’s a storm.” She pointed to a darkened window and the curve reflected their images. “I don’t know where the wind elementals went, but we seem to be alone. I think Losee did something, maybe shifted our arrival point.
“The important thing is to get you fire. That’s your department, because I have no way to light the fire.” She pointed to the corner of their minivan-sized accommodations. “I made a crude fire pit and drew up coal, but you have to light it.”
“Can do. Get me closer?” Kira asked, too stiff and pained to risk crawling. Cara obligingly pulled her closer, being as gentle as possible, until Kira could place her hand on the coal. It flamed around her hand and she shuddered.
Cara tried to pull her back, thinking instinctively that the fire was hurting her.
“No! Feels good. Can you make the pit bigger?” Kira badly wanted to curl into the flames and heal. It wasn’t as good as lava, but it was a start.
Cara blinked, but said gamely, “Just a minute.” The rock softened and flowed wider until it formed an oblong tub.
Kira climbed in with a grateful sob, huddling in the soothing warmth of the coals.
“Better?”
“Yes.” Kira shifted until she sat on smooth stone. “Maybe a little lumpy.”
Cara laughed and formed a backrest, then lay on the stone with a tired sigh, prompting Kira to ask if she were okay.
“Hard work and too much adrenaline. I’ll recover.”
They were silent for a while. Finally, Kira ventured, “Think they’re looking for us?”
“Our guys, or the wind elementals?” Cara sighed. “Sure. Unfortunately, I don’t know where we are, and you can’t travel as spark or human form in this climate without protection. We need to find a solution.”
Kira closed her eyes and wished the flames were hotter. “After I’ve rested, I can pull up a lava thread to feed and heal me, but it’s not safe to travel the fire stream, even if you could. There are things in there.” She was too tired and hurt to go into specifics, but Cara seemed to get the drift.
Cara took her word for it. “Okay, that’s out. I can burrow, but that won’t help you and it’s very slow. Fortunately, I’ve been studying at the elemental university and one of my favorite classes is elemental machinery. I can make a steam engine and shape a vehicle given time.”
That revived Kira. “You can? That’s great! But…which way do we travel? My sense of direction sucks.”
Cara shrugged. “Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Beyond that, we’re bound to run into someone who’ll know where we are eventually. Personally, I prefer action.”
Kira nodded and closed her eyes to rest. They were going to need all their resources to get out of this jam.
Cara enlarged the shelter to give her room to work. Kira revived enough to draw a thread of fire to the surface and spent time soaking her poor, blackened legs as she watched Cara craft a track rig out of metal she drew from the ground. It took days, involved much meditation on Cara’s part and seemed to be very wearying, but Cara enjoyed the work. They talked about what would work best and modified it to suit, making it waterproof in case they broke through ice and insulating it with spun glass fiber. Cara used the same material to make seat stuffing.
“I can try to make coverings,” Kira volunteered doubtfully. So far she hadn’t contributed much.
Cara laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I like making stuff and Tremor says I’m good at it.” She added a windshield to the rig and scowled. “I don’t know how to make wipers.”
“I can try to keep it melted,” Kira offered. “With luck it’ll work like a heated windshield.”
“Good plan.” After a moment of concentration, she murmured, “Wish I had a working cell phone.”
“Yeah. I can’t see them giving up and they have resources humans don’t. They’ll find us,” Kira said firmly.
Finally Cara finished and they looked the rig over critically. “It’s crude,” she fretted.
“It’s warm, it runs and it moves. Let’s go,” Kira said, slapping her on the back as she climbed in.
Cara had made them both warm clothes; though she wasn’t as strongly affected by the cold, the shorts and sandals they’d arrived in were hardly appropriate. She opened a door in the stone shelter and drove out into a blizzard. Howling wind and tossing snow buffeted the track rig, but the steam-powered rig plodded reliably over ridges and snow dunes. Occasionally Kira tossed a shovelful of coal in the furnace, keeping an eye on it and the boiling tank of melted snow.
“I can sense the lay of the land, so I can keep us out of ravines. If we get stuck, I can probably raise the rock to help release us.”
Kira nodded. “Too bad we can’t turn this into an airplane.”
“The winds are too strong, and I’m not sure how to build a plane, let alone fly one. The lack of trees makes me think arti
c, you know?”
Kira studied the land thoughtfully. “You think the South Wind tried to take us north? Then again, this could be the South Pole.”
Cara chewed her lip. “That’s not good.”
“Well, if we see penguins, we’re south. Polar bears, we’re north. I’d feel better about the north, if only because I’m from Alaska.”
“What about walrus?”
Kira grimaced. “You’ve got me there.” She watched the snow for a while. “So, what do we do if we reach the ocean without seeing anyone? You know, if we really are deep in the North or South, I could activate a volcano. That might make someone investigate.”
Cara shot her a doubtful look. “I’d rather not risk it. Even in the arctic there are researchers, and we don’t know where they are.” She brightened. “But there are elementals everywhere. Keep your senses open, just in case.”
“You want to risk asking a wind elemental where we are?”
“Never hurts to offer compensation for their time.”
“What were you planning to use for a bribe?” Kira asked dryly. “We don’t have anything an elemental would value.”
“A favor from the Fire and the Earth Kings is worth a lot.”
“Assuming the elemental believes us.”
Cara shrugged. They both knew they’d have to risk it.
They chugged along until dark, then Kira ignited the lamps Cara had made (handy having an elemental that could access oil and coal) and they continued on. Visibility sucked, and Cara drove cautiously, relying on her sense of the land more than her eyes.
Kira was uncomfortably aware of the large target they presented (a lone, smoking vehicle with lights visible for miles) and spent a lot of time thinking of things they could do to let Raze and Tremor know where they were. “I could send up a plume of fire. You know, not an eruption, but maybe a tall geyser? Do you think he’d hear about that?”
“It’s risky, but I agree it might be worth it. Do you think you can do it without blowing us up? I’m only slightly fireproof, you know.”
“Why don’t we rest first, then see in the morning? You look tired, and I’m fresh out of coffee.”
Cara snickered. “I’d offer to let you drive, but you can’t sense the land. Speaking of which, we’re nearing a large body of water, but I don’t know how large. Maybe I should try scouting. The cold won’t bother my dust form.”
“What about the wind? Can you hold it together in a gale?” They glanced at the storm raging outside the glass.
“Maybe when it calms.” She parked and got up to stretch. “I’m going to add reflectors to the lanterns. Why don’t you draw up some lava and recharge?”
Cara had built a hatch into the belly of the rig so they could draw up earth and fire without undue exposure to the elements. She raised a tube of earth up to the hatch when they parked, blocking some of the cold and wind, but Kira still shivered as she drew on the fire stream, feeding as quickly as she dared, charging her ruby. As soon as she was done, Cara drew up more fuel and some rocks to munch on, sealing the hole. As soon as she’d eaten, she flopped on the communal mattress and groaned. “Talk about a long day. I’m beat.”
“Maybe you should show me how to shape stuff. I might be able to do something useful then, but right now I suck.” Kira shivered even under the thick “down” comforter.
“Don’t feel so bad. I’ve taken classes for the last year. Let me rest a bit and see if I can give you some pointers.”
“Speaking of making stuff, I’ve been wondering why you didn’t make a fire with flint and steel. You wouldn’t have needed me to start the fire that first day.”
Cara groaned and flung an arm over her eyes. “Now she tells me.” She snuggled into the blankets with a yawn. “Thanks for the tip. Next time I’ll leave you at home.”
Kira chuckled. She waited until Cara was asleep and shucked her outer gear. Cara didn’t know how to make clothes that survived shifting and fire, but fortunately Kira was still wearing the clothes she’d had when they ended up here. Like Kira, they were purified by fire, so laundry wasn’t an issue.
She changed to spark and entered the boiler, sighing in pleasure at the warmth. Despite the long coat, tall boots, gloves, scarf and hat, she’d shivered all day. They could only get the boiler so hot, and she was going to suggest adding a secondary firebox for warmth. It would mean more work for Cara, but it wasn’t as if they had a specific destination and they weren’t on a schedule.
Her mind drifted pleasantly until an approaching presence filled her consciousness. Streaming out of the fire, she hopped into her clothes, hissing at Cara to wake up.
“What?” Cara blinked, dazed.
“Company,” Kira said grimly. She’d capped the lava flow beneath them, but was ready to draw on it if needed. It could be anything out there.
A loud clang rattled the track rig. “I smell dinner,” something said loudly. The rig shook.
Cara dashed the sleep from her eyes and focused, using the earth as a tuning fork to tell her what was out there. “Trolls,” she said grimly. “Ice trolls.”
The track rig trembled and rocked. “No, crack it open with a rock! Like a walrus skull,” another troll advised. “Watch your feet. The little earthling might try to trap us and the fire child might spit sparks.”
“Hah! What can a fireling do to us here?” The other troll snorted. He must have found a boulder, because the roof dented with a deafening clang.
The women exchanged glances. “They have no other weapon other than strength, but they have a lot of it,” Cara warned. “Power up.”
“Fried troll, coming up.” Kira sensed spikes of iron rising through the earth even as she sank her mind deep, reaching for lava. Like an eager pet, it jumped to her bidding, rising through the frozen earth to burst forth in a glorious geyser hundreds of feet tall. She didn’t know where the trolls were, so she collapsed the geyser into a ring of fire, forming a moat that flowed slowly through a forest of spikes toward the track rig; she didn’t want to melt Cara’s hard work.
“Yes, go Kira!” Cara cheered, focused on the battle outside. “I’ll raise the earth under the rig and make us an island. Bring the lava closer, there are more of them.”
Kira heard her distantly, fighting to control the euphoria of playing with fire. The temptation to let the fire rage was strong, but she refused to consider it. Burn the trolls. That’s all she would let the fire do.
That’s when they felt the storm. It began as a gentle southern breeze, but by the time they noticed it had become a hurricane, hurling daggers of ice. Kira snarled as it tried to extinguish her lava, and she pulled more from the earth in reflex as Cara raised a shield of rock.
“Now, ladies. Is that any way to greet your hostess?” The hurricane condensed, becoming a woman of transparent beauty. Literally. The woman seemed made of living glass, reflecting the light that suddenly bloomed around her, borne by the air elementals that landed and hovered near her. An amphitheater, or perhaps a temple, formed around her. Columns of air that looked hard as glass magically assembled, with a domed roof with real clouds and lolling air elementals floating about the ceiling. She sat on the throne of glass, flanked by rows of warriors, and smiled at them through their windshield. She didn’t raise her voice; it carried on the air. “Well, my dears? Won’t you come out and visit?”
Kara looked at Cara, completely out of her element.
Cara frowned. “The Queen of the South Wind, I presume. I don’t have to tell you not to trust her.”
“She carries her house around with her?” Kira demanded, stunned. That was quite a trick.
“We can talk decorating later. For now, roast the air so we won’t be heard, will you?”
Kira concentrated and superheated the air, disrupting the air currents.
The queen lost her smile.
“Ha! She won’t like that. Okay, what do you want to do?” Cara asked. “You’re in trouble out there, but we’re in a tight spot. They outnumber us, and if they
wanted, they could take this rig apart.”
Kira grunted. She didn’t feel tired, not with the lava coursing through her veins. “We’re in a defensible position, and you’re no lightweight, Cara. I feel your power coursing through the earth. Talk to her if you want, but I’m not stepping out of here and neither are you.”
Cara bristled at the order; her power was still young and wild, too.
Kira felt it and grinned. “I was thinking of Tremor’s reaction if negotiations failed and you were out there, getting mobbed.”
Cara growled. “Fine. You stand here and look pretty while I talk. If nothing else, it’ll feel good to unleash if things go badly.”
Oh, yes it would, Kira thought, and felt the fire flare beneath the cooling black crust floating on the lava moat.
“Greetings, South Wind,” Cara said as Kira stopped baking the air. “So nice of you to stop by. Are the trolls yours?”
The South Wind inclined her head. “In a manner of speaking, though they were not told to eat you. I see they’ve been suitably punished. Won’t you come out and visit? You have my word I’ll see to your comfort.”
“But not our freedom.”
“Regrettably, that’s not an option. You see, hostages are necessary for peaceful negotiations, and I’m afraid your husbands simply won’t see reason otherwise. It’s a terrible shame. Under other circumstances, we might be friends.” She waved languidly at the track rig. “Such a clever solution. I’d heard you were very talented.”
“Interesting. I heard you wanted to take over the North.”
“Of course. There is a power vacuum here. Who better than myself to rule, to bring peace to the feuding clans?”
“The rightful king, perhaps?” Cara suggested sweetly.
The South Wind’s eyes narrowed. “He is gone, perhaps forever. A ruler is needed now.”
“So the Northern clans invited you to take his place?” Cara asked mildly. “How nice.”
“They will adapt, in time,” The South Wind proclaimed. “Now, will you come out on your own, or shall we simply make that spot your prison? You won’t escape; there are too many of us.”