by Jeff Kish
As Galen regains his footing, he breaks Era’s hold and shoves him back. He pulls his sleeve to his elbow and withdraws a small, black stone from his pocket.
“A rune?” Era immediately recognizes the small object, but there’s no telling what type it is. He backs away, counting down the seconds.
The commander taps the stone, and it erupts into flames. The fire dances furiously with the wind, but it refuses to be extinguished as it engulfs Galen’s forearm. Though his sleeve singes at the edge, the fire shaper himself remains unharmed.
Galen presses forward with his arm extended. Era is forced to cover his face from the searing heat, leaving him defenseless against Galen’s sweeping kick, which takes him to the train’s roof. The commander stomps on his gut and holds his burning arm near his victim, and Era reels.
“STOP!” Jem yells as she prods Di to the edge of the train. “Or I’ll shove her off!”
“WHAT!?” Di screams.
Galen glances back to the private who followed him to the roof, but his trembling ally is too petrified to be of any use. Growling, he turns to the masked thief and calls out, “Let’s make a trade, then!”
“Fine, you can have her! She’s not worth it!”
He beckons while easing his torch away from Era. “Bring her here!”
Suddenly betrayed by her would-be rescuer, Di struggles to escape Jem’s grasp, but the Allerian leans in close and whispers, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” Jem checks her watch one more time and glances ahead on the tracks. She grips Di tightly and, taking a deep breath, throws herself off the train roof. Di shrieks as she’s taken over the edge.
Galen instinctively releases his control of the flame, allowing it to dissipate into the wind as he rushes to the edge of the train in horror. His alarm gives way to shock, and his shock turns to rage. The swindler timed her jump perfectly, making her leap when the train was crossing the bridge extending over Haloran Gorge. She deploys a pressure pack and uses the compressed air to carry her gently to the treetops below.
The commander spins to face Era, who is scrambling to his feet. Realizing for the first time that Era is also wearing a pressure pack, Galen charges his opponent, but the thief hurriedly leaps off the other side of the train and activates his pack.
Galen can do nothing but watch helplessly as the engine crosses the gorge and carries him away from his asset. Once the thieves are out of sight, the commander yanks his sleeve down and storms back to his useless subordinate. “Stay up here. Indefinitely.” He then climbs down and returns to his cabin.
Chapter 2
Safely supported by a strong jet of air, Era watches the train whisk his powerful opponent away. It was the first time Era had fought with a fire shaper, and he shudders at how helpless he was against the searing flames. He’s relieved the gorge came when it did.
The pack’s forceful, downward gale offers a gentle descent into the darkness, and Era uses the handheld jets to aim for a clearing below. Suddenly, a strong wind blows him off-course, and he gets dragged through a cluster of branches before slamming into a tree trunk. When the winds attempt to yank him off his perch, Era desperately rips open the pack, releasing a small black rock that whizzes past his ear. It rips through the area, ricocheting off tree trunks before disappearing into the darkness of the night. Relieved, he climbs down a few branches before releasing his grip, and his feet hit solid ground.
With that, the adventure is over. Era finds himself laughing aloud. He can hardly believe the escape went as planned, not to mention the boarding. Jem and Di soon emerge from the darkness of the woods, and he pumps a fist in the air. “We did it!”
“Wasn’t that a rush!?” Jem exclaims as the two energetically bump fists. “I told you those pressure packs would work, but you were convinced they’d get us killed! I guess I was right once again, huh?”
“That thing almost did kill me!” Era replies. “I had to release it before it flung me back into the air.”
Jem’s mood dramatically shifts as she rips off her mask. “You released it!? Do you have any idea how much that thing cost? First you lose the dagger, and now the pressure pack!? I’m taking all that from your share.”
“Share?” he asks. “Share of what? We didn’t get anything.”
His partner nods her head at Di, then mutters through clenched teeth, “The reward money…” as if to somehow prevent the girl from understanding.
Era laughs. “Come on, Jem, she lied about that.” Jem frowns as he looks at the schoolgirl expectantly. “Right, Di? You aren’t the daughter of some ritzy mayor. You just wanted us to save you.”
Jem glares back at Di. “Is that true!?”
Di looks back and forth between Era and Jem in confusion. “N-No, Daddy really is the mayor of Canterin. That’s my hometown.”
“Listen, Di,” Era says calmly, “I promise we’ll take you home, so just tell us the truth.”
“But I am from Canterin!” she insists. Era’s jaw drops, and Jem’s goofy grin returns. Di adds, “I know you’re expecting Daddy to pay you a reward for taking me back, and that’s okay. You two did rescue me from those villains, after all.”
Era manages a weak smile. “Well, okay then. I was sure you were making all that stuff up.”
“Wait, you thought she was making it up but still took her along?” Jem gasps. “I swear, Era! You’re far too soft for this lifestyle.”
“Saving a little girl makes me soft?”
“Hey, I’m almost fourteen!” Di interjects.
“Yeah, Era, get it right,” Jem snidely remarks. “So are you too kind-hearted to accept reward money?”
Era shrugs. “I mean, if her old man wants to pay us for taking her home, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down.”
Jem begins pondering their options. “We’ll need to approach Canterin cautiously. The guild will definitely lay a trap for us there, assuming they know she’s Canterin’s princess.”
“I’m not a princess,” Di corrects.
“You have a last name,” Jem retorts. “Close enough.”
Era scratches his head. “Actually, Jem, something’s bugging me about that fire shaper. You’re certain that was a guild train?”
She crosses her arms in contempt. “Didn’t I already say this? Valvoren wouldn’t be blackmailing one of its own towns! Unless Di’s father is planning a rebellion.”
“Daddy would never do that!” Di exclaims.
Jem shrugs. “Then his uniform was a ruse for tricking inspections.”
“He sure seemed like the real deal to me,” Era mumbles while rubbing his skin where the burning sensation lingers. He turns to Di and asks, “Any idea who those guys were? Or where they were taking you?”
“They said they were with the military and they were taking me to their barracks in Satari, but that’s all I know.”
“Obviously a ruse,” Jem insists, “but that guy was a tough fighter. He was probably in the military at some point, so the uniform might not have been just a prop.” She rests her hand on Di’s head with confidence. “Either way, we’ll get this one home, collect our reward, and be on our way.” Turning to Era, she adds, “And we’ll buy a new dagger from your share before we leave town. Plus another pressure pack.”
“What!?” he balks. “We don’t need another one! How does that make any sense?”
Ignoring him, Jem points to the bridge high above the gorge. “Did you notice, Era? The train never came to a stop. We’d be able to hear the brakes screeching for miles.”
He pauses at the realization. “Why wouldn’t they stop?”
“Maybe they think they’ll have an easier time finding us if they report us?” she guesses. “We incapacitated their forces on the train.”
“Then we should get moving.” Era glances around in the darkness. “Where did we leave our bags? It all looks the same at night.”
“Pretty sure it was over here somewhere,” Jem states as she follows her compass deeper into the woods. After a brief search, they find their hefty
backpacks stashed inside a fallen log.
“I just can’t believe this worked according to plan,” Era says, still giddy as he brushes his bag off.
Jem withdraws a map from her bag. Studying it in the moonlight, she traces out various paths before settling on an attractive route. “Okay, Canterin is on the northern coast. They’ll probably expect us to take her home, so we’ll take an indirect path, avoid trains, cross the hills south of Ugorzi and…” she stops when her finger hits a mountainous region near the sea. “I don’t want to hike those mountains near Maya, so we’ll stay along the coastline, avoiding the guild with our expert maneuvering. It should take fifteen days altogether.”
Di gulps. “Fifteen days!? Why not take the trains?”
“Because it’s the most obvious way to get you home,” Jem answers, annoyed by the challenge. “Any other objections?”
Era shrugs. “Sounds like you’ve got it figured out, so let’s do it.” As Jem packs her map, he turns to their new friend. “I didn’t introduce myself earlier, though you’ve probably caught my name by now.” He extends a hand and says, “My name is Era. This is my partner, Jem.”
Di shakes his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Era. Thanks for saving me.”
“I’m glad we found you. Kidnapping like that… some people have no shame,” he says in disgust.
“Come on, let’s go!” Jem calls out, compass in hand as she starts her march.
Era and Di follow their energetic and confident leader as she charges through the brush. The entire gorge is filled with thick foliage that takes considerable effort to traverse, especially in the darkness.
“S-So what’s an Allerian doing in Valvoren?” Di asks, breaking the silence.
Jem glances back at the young girl. “You’re sure concerned about that, aren’t you?” She continues her march and says, “I’m a wanderer. Have been most my life. Valvoren, Alleria… they don’t matter to me.”
“But how did you even get across the border? I’ve heard it’s well-guarded on both sides of the river.”
“What is this, an interrogation?” Jem snaps. “I came over during the war, when there was plenty of chaos.”
“Oh,” Di says. “So you’ve been here a while then? I guess that explains your lack of accent.”
Jem walks in silence, not interested in continuing the conversation. Era picks up on Jem’s demeanor and decides to change the subject. “So, you were kidnapped from school?” The small girl nods in affirmation. “What school did you attend?”
“The Arcane Three Pillars Academy.”
They halt in their tracks, and Jem swirls around with wide eyes. “You!? Are you even old enough to go near the place?”
“I’m almost fourteen!” Di says with a huff. “I’m older than I look.”
Era scratches his head. “Sure, but the Arcane Academy is elite. I was assuming they took you from Canterin.”
Di puffs her cheeks. “Daddy sent me there to study! I’ve been there almost two years now, and I haven’t even been home once since first arriving.”
“Y-You haven’t been home once!?” Era exclaims. “I mean, that’s impressive devotion, but isn’t that a bit much?”
The schoolgirl frowns. “That’s actually quite normal for Academy students.”
“Even so, that’s too extreme,” he argues. “Couldn’t you have taken a short break to go home?”
Di grows quiet, apparently embarrassed by the answer. “W-Well, Daddy never sent for me, but I was busy with my studies, so it’s not like I could have gone home if he did.”
Jem crosses her arms in doubt. “Okay, little Miss Arcane, let’s see what you can do.”
Di is indignant but obeys. She holds her arms out with open palms and focuses. Jem’s shoulder-length hair starts to blow as a small gust of wind extends outward from Di’s hands. She works up a nice breeze before dispersing it. “Is that enough for you?” Di asks as she wipes the sweat from her brow.
Jem fakes a yawn. “You’re an air maker, and that’s all you can do?”
“I’m an air shaper, not a maker,” she corrects. “I can just push air around. Make it bend, twist, and… well, that’s about it.”
The Allerian looks back at Era. “Okay, that’s actually impressive. Most air shapers are worthless when it comes to making even a simple breeze.”
“Air is the most difficult element to shape, after all,” Di brags with a smug grin.
“Still, you could make a better breeze if you were a maker,” Jem says. “Makers are superior to shapers, after all.”
The comment irks the girl. “Hey, I-!”
“Shapers can’t do a thing if they don’t have the elements available. Makers can use their abilities anytime, anywhere!”
Before Di can object again, Era places his hand on her shoulder. “Relax, Di. Jem is an ice maker, so she’s biased.”
“Ice maker? Elementalists aren’t instantiators,” Di says with a pout.
Era looks at her blankly. “Come again?”
“People who control ice and other derivatives are called elementalists,” Di explains. “Elementalists aren’t makers or shapers.”
“Yeah, yeah, enough with your academic jargon,” Jem interjects. “I make ice, so I consider myself an ice maker.”
“You’re not a maker!” Di insists. “Elementalists are special. They’re not common elemental manipulators like me and Era.”
Jem beams at her partner. “Did you hear that, Era? Elementalists are special!”
Era grimaces at Di. “Hey now, don’t be giving Jem a big head. No need to feed that ego.”
“But an ice elementalist… that’s rare, Era!” Di exclaims. “There were only a few ice elementalists in the entire Academy!”
“Ugh… I won’t hear the end of that anytime soon,” he mutters, noticing a large grin on Jem’s face. He turns to Di with a gleam in his eye. “So you noticed I’m an earth shaper?”
“Yes! You seem talented for someone without proper training.”
Era fails to hide a smile. “I’m happy with what I can do, but Jem says it’s not beneficial.”
“What’s the point of carrying around a sack of dirt that takes ten seconds to open and shape?” she asks.
“It doesn’t take ten seconds.”
“Fine, three seconds. Plus it’s fragile.”
“It held up against the fire guy.”
“Just use a normal blade! And next time don’t lose it.”
Era laughs and turns back to Di. “See what I mean?”
“Actually, elemental blades aren’t a bad idea,” Di says. “The masters can shape their elements sharper than a metal sword! That takes decades of practice, though.”
The thought is a tantalizing one for the young thief, but Jem reiterates, “Decades, Era. Decades.”
“Hey, she said I’m talented. Maybe I could do it in a year or two!”
“The masters are talented,” Di clarifies. “It would take a century otherwise.”
Jem continues her original march. “Come on, let’s keep moving,” she says over her shoulder. “We should probably cut the chatter, just in case.”
Di obediently follows along in silence, doing her best to keep up with Jem and Era, who demonstrate a knack for traveling through the wild. The night air is cool and crisp. Despite the moonlight, the ground is difficult to see, and trampling through the foliage makes it difficult to move too quickly. Not accustomed to traveling in the wild, Di jumps several times at the sounds from various forms of wildlife. She grabs Era’s arm and holds it tightly.
After several hours of travel, Jem comes to a stop and looks around. “This should do nicely,” she says to herself as she drops her backpack, and Era does the same.
Di watches in confusion as they rummage through their bags. “Wait, what’s going on?”
“We’re spending the night,” Jem explains. “This is a good location. There’s direct moonlight, and we can start a fire over here.”
“Shouldn’t we travel to the next town?�
�� Di asks in a panic. “I-I don’t want to sleep in the woods! We’ll get eaten by an earth bear!”
“There’s no town for at least another day’s travel,” Jem responds casually. “And really, Di? Earth bears? Those things only live south of Maaman.”
The scared girl glances around in the darkness. “I-Is that true…?”
“That’s the truth,” Era chimes in with a grin, “but wild shock boars, on the other hand…”
Jem smacks him in the back of the head. “Stop giving the princess nightmares. Now go find us some firewood.”
“Okay, sorry,” Era says as he rolls out his mat and heads into the darkness. Jem pulls out a canteen, enjoys a long drink, and offers it to Di. The girl gratefully takes a sip, her eyes still darting anxiously around the clearing.
Era returns and prepares the firewood. He pulls a small, black stone from his bag and holds it down in the kindling. He presses on it, prompting a small flame to appear, and the fire quickly takes form. “Thank goodness for fire runes, eh?” he asks Di in an effort to make her more comfortable. She politely smiles and sits next to the fire, but Era puts his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll sleep on the ground. You can grab my mat. Sorry if it smells.”
Di nods in thanks as she slides to his mat and lies down. As her guardians fall asleep, the small girl places her arms behind her head and stares into the starry sky above. Her breath trembles as she fights back tears from the day’s events. Somehow, she feels safe with Era and blushes slightly at the sight of him lying nearby. ‘Even if his mat does smell,’ she thinks with a grin as her eyelids grow heavy.
* * *
“They did what!?”
“It was a bold move,” Galen grumbles disdainfully to his subordinate. “Haloran Gorge is vast. It wasn’t an option to stop and search.”
The young Lieutenant Commander Bowen’s jaw drops. “And… did you say the Allerians are involved!?”
Galen throws a hand up to clarify. “She had a mask on, so I couldn’t confirm. Regardless, I personally believe they were simply riff-raff thieves who stumbled onto the girl.”