by Jeff Kish
Era pulls a small object around to see. “Uh… Jem?” Instead of a bug, he holds a feathered dart. “I dunnn thinnnk…” With that, he stumbles and collapses to the ground.
“Era!” Di shrieks.
The experienced Jem grabs Di and spins them behind a tree.
“Jem! Era’s-”
“Shush!” Jem covers Di’s mouth and stays quiet, ignoring Era’s plight for the moment. A hush falls over the wooded area, and Jem listens intently.
Di obediently remains silent, though she doesn’t have much choice since Jem’s hand is still clamped down on her mouth. After a few moments, Jem takes a peek around the trunk and quickly notes Era’s condition. ‘A poison?’ she wonders, but all she can do right now is hope it isn’t a lethal dose.
THUNK-THUNK! Two projectiles plunge into the trunk next to Jem’s head, forcing her to whip back behind her refuge. “We’re pinned down!” she hurriedly whispers to Di. “Come on!”
Jem dashes from the tree, running away from Era and their hidden aggressor. Pulling Di by the hand, she races through the woods, dodging trees and leaping over fallen logs. She cuts and runs back toward the clearing next to the ridge, intending to force their pursuer into the open.
As the trees thin, her plan works. A petite figure with a bandana holding back her short, dark hair emerges from the brush. Jem whips Di around and gives her a hard shove. “Get back!” she orders as she withdraws her dagger and turns to fight.
Fire smirks at the inexperienced girl challenging her to a knife fight. She engages head-on, skillfully dodging a swing and high-kicking the dagger from Jem’s hand. She swiftly swings around and punches Jem square in the jaw. The Allerian stumbles back, and Fire lands a solid kick to Jem’s gut, knocking the wind out of her.
Fire stands over her opponent as she collapses and gasps for air. “What makes these targets so valuable?” she mutters to herself as she begins unraveling wire.
“Jem!” Di cries out as she recklessly tries to tackle their aggressor, who snags her wrist and twists the girl around. Fire punches Di mercilessly in the back, and tosses her onto Jem.
“Seriously, what’s up with you three? Are you really the right ones?” Fire asks in disgust as the two girls writhe at her feet. Powering through the pain, Jem makes a weak attempt to sweep kick Fire’s feet, but the mercenary easily steps over the kick and brings her own leg down hard at Jem’s head. However, instead of a hit, there’s simply a loud THUD.
Jem finds Fire’s foot suspended in midair mere inches from her head, pressing against something invisible and solid. It’s as if a sheet of sturdy glass suddenly appeared, protecting Jem from Fire’s attack, and it’s clear Fire is just as confused. The two simultaneously look at Di, who has her palms outstretched and pressed against the clear shield, the air at her fingertips shimmering.
“What is this!?” Fire shouts as she continues to stomp, but the shield holds sturdy. Di grunts with every hit, doing her best to maintain the wall. She squeezes her eyes shut in an effort to focus, but it’s clear she won’t be able to hold it much longer.
Shaking off her own confusion, Jem springs into action. Without giving Di any warning, she grabs her waist and hoists both girl and shield into the air with enough force to knock Fire backward.
Not done, Jem swings Di’s torso and holds her like a battering ram. “Hold that wall!” she cries out as she pushes forward like a plow, shoving Fire toward the ridge. Di squeezes her eyes shut as she concentrates on maintaining the wall of air.
Fire panics when she realizes the error of her positioning. Jem continues to barge forward with Di’s shield outstretched, pushing Fire closer and closer to the edge. The bounty hunter frantically tries in vain to catch her footing and reverse momentum.
“Hyah!” Jem grunts as she makes one final shove, forcing Fire over the ledge. In desperation, she grasps up and manages to snag the top edge of the solidified air. Her weight topples Jem, who’s already off-balance from thrusting Di forward, until Fire’s feet press against the nearly vertical cliff wall. Though their precarious position prevents a fall, it’s clear they’re slowly moving the wrong way.
“Di… let it go!” Jem grunts. Despite their impending fall, Di continues to hold on. However, just before reaching the tipping point, she hits her limit and releases the shield with a gasp.
The compressed air disperses into the environment, and the two opposing forces are torn apart from each other. Jem and Di stumble backward to the ground, safely atop the ridge, while Fire succumbs to gravity. She hits the steep hillside, shrieking as she spirals out of control. The angle of the slope barely prevents her from free-falling to the riverbed below, but it fails to slow her building momentum.
Not giving any consideration to their aggressor, Jem retrieves her dagger and yanks Di to her feet. She races back into the woods, dragging the air shaper behind her. “Di, what in the world was that? Were you trying to take us over the edge! Do you have a death wish!?”
Exhausted, Di gasps for air as she stumbles along to keep up with Jem. “I… I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to…”
Jem stops and faces Di. “Didn’t want to what?”
Tears in her eyes, she blurts out, “Jem, you shoved her off that cliff! You said you’re not a killer, but you… you…!”
Frustrated, Jem starts dragging her along again. “Sometimes you do what you have to do to save your friends, Di! Did you forget about Era?”
The girl’s heart sinks as she remembers Era’s plight, and she runs harder so as not to slow Jem down. The two soon arrive at their fallen friend, and Jem dives next to him to check for breathing. Di bends over and gasps for air while watching Jem closely.
After a few excruciating moments, Jem says, “He’s feverish, but I think he’s okay. At least for now.”
Di collapses in relief and tries to catch her breath. “Do you think that girl was alone?”
“We’d have seen any friends by now,” Jem replies as she snags one of the mercenary’s robust needles embedded in the tree. She then searches through the nearby dead leaves until she finds the barb Era had pulled from his neck, and she slips the projectiles into a side pouch on his backpack before tossing it toward Di. After grabbing her pressure pack, she also dumps her own bag next to Di, who realizes what’s going on.
“W-Wait a minute, Jem! I can’t carry these!”
“You want to be the one to carry this instead?” she retorts as she straps the pressure pack to Era’s back and activates it. The gush of air lifts his torso off the ground, and she lifts his legs and starts dragging her partner with considerable strain. “This is what pressure packs were actually made to do, but he’s still heavy.”
“Jem, are you sure you can-”
“We need to make it to the next town as soon as possible!” she grunts. “I don’t know what poison she used, but he’s alive and I want him to stay that way.”
Di feels each bag, surprised to find Jem’s bag is heavier than Era’s. ‘This girl is a beast!’ she realizes as she slings the bag onto her back, watching as Jem stomps across the uneven terrain with her partner. She heaves Era’s bag over her shoulder and hurries to catch up.
* * *
“That’s it?” Galen screams in reaction to Bowen’s report. “Twelve villages? It’s been nearly forty-eight hours since we sent word out by beacon tower, and only twelve villages have sent back a report!?”
Bowen takes a deep breath, having expected the reaction from his superior. “Only twelve villages have reported back, but that doesn’t mean word hasn’t spread. Our forces are actively looking for them.”
“There are thirty villages across the hill country!” he exclaims. “Twelve is unacceptable. We need to find her immediately!”
“Yes, you do,” a voice booms from behind Bowen.
The commander’s eyes bulge at the sound of the arrival. Bowen jumps aside, making way for the new arrival to enter the small office. “G-General!” Bowen stutters as he manages a salute.
Galen a
lso salutes. “General Graff, sir! We weren’t expecting you to personally-”
“I’m here to see for myself what your efforts are producing,” the general interrupts. His short, graying hair reflects his veteran experience, as does the blue coat decorated with enough ribbons for an entire platoon of soldiers. “You’re dismissed, Lieutenant Commander,” he says, his eyes still fixed on Galen. Bowen hurries to retreat.
Graff glares at his commander in silence. He has a way of asserting his authority over his subordinates with his presence alone, and even Galen has a hard time meeting his gaze. The general leans against the door and rubs the bridge of his nose. “Commander, your operation was a simple one. Retrieve a schoolgirl and return her to the capital.”
Galen swallows hard. “Sir, I-”
“You do not fail an S-class operation!” he barks. His deep voice shakes the small office, and Galen wonders how many people outside can hear the conversation with clarity.
The general folds his arms and mutters, “The official report states the girl wasn’t at the Academy, that she had left for Canterin shortly before you arrived.”
Galen’s eyebrows furrow. “But sir, why would you-”
“Nayl,” he says, using Galen’s first name, “the king has expressed great personal interest in the recovery of this asset. This embarrassment will not reach His Majesty’s ears. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Galen affirms. “I’m doing everything in my power to retrieve her, but I need more information. Why does the king want her?”
“The king was presented with quite a claim,” he replies. “Supposedly, the girl knows how to access ancient Third Kingdom technology.”
“Third Kingdom?” Galen repeats in surprise. “Do you think that’s true?”
“I’m obviously hesitant to accept such an assertion, but we have a certain form of evidence,” he says. “We’ve found a cavern entrance, sealed by a wall we cannot scratch with even the sharpest blade.” With a shrug, he offers, “Supposedly the girl knows how to open it.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Galen says. “Do we know for certain she’s from Canterin?”
Graff sighs. “We should assume nothing about her, which means it’s possible she isn’t headed to Canterin. Unfortunately, if she’s not headed there, she could be going anywhere.”
The commander takes a deep breath. “Even to Alleria?”
“That’s a possibility,” he admits. “I read your report about the thieves. Though I doubt the Allerians are involved, we must allow for that possibility.”
Though discouraged, he salutes and says, “Yes, sir.”
“We both know you’re my best commander, Galen,” says the general. “I expect you to complete this operation with dignity and success.” Without awaiting a response, he retreats from the office with footsteps resounding down the hall.
Galen sinks into himself, his breath trembling with frustration. The girl’s importance is nothing like he suspected, and the general’s information only served to confuse his search parameters. He walks to the map and moves certain pins, realizing he needs to place greater emphasis on the route to the border. Vowing to find the perpetrators and make them adequately suffer is the only thought that brings him solace.
* * *
Fading in and out of a lucid state, Era finally opens his eyes with enough awareness to make out Di’s tear-stained face.
“Era!? Era, you’re awake!” The small girl practically jumps onto his bed, hugging him and burying her face into his shoulder.
Jem comes running into the small room. Relief washes over her upon seeing her partner conscious once again, though she contains herself and turns away briefly to wipe her face.
Era looks around the room in confusion. A window on the adjacent wall tells him the sun has long set, and his personal effects are stacked on a small table in the corner. He glances down and realizes he’s not wearing a shirt. He silently hopes he’s wearing something under his covers.
Leaning against the wall, Jem folds her arms and says, “Hey, next time wake up sooner. Sleeping all day is unacceptable! I mean, I knew you were lazy, but this is-”
“Give it a rest, Jem!” Di blurts out, startling the patient. “You were just as worried, so quit trying to hide it.”
Jem scratches her cheek. “O-Okay, fine, so the bum got me a little worked up.”
Summoning his strength, Era asks, “What… What happened to me?” Noticing his partner’s swollen cheek, he adds, “And what happened to you?”
Jem cocks her head and smirks. “Yeah, I took a good punch,” she says, rubbing her wound. She pulls the barb from her pocket and says, “We were ambushed by a professional mercenary. You took this straight in the neck. It was laced with one heck of a poison.”
“Indeed it was,” an old man interjects as he enters the room behind Jem. “My name is Doctor Lansen. Pleased to meet you, young man.”
“D-Doctor?” Era sits up, easing Di off as she continues to cling to him. “But wait, how did I get here? You two took out the… did you say mercenary?”
“No, I said bandit,” she says, eyeing the doctor. “And of course I lugged your sorry hide to the nearest town. You cost us a lot of money, I’ll have you know! Pretty much everything we took from Andr- our savings! This doctor is expensive.”
The physician eyes her, and Era notices a disgust in his expression he’s become all too familiar with in his travels with Jem. “Young man, Era was it? You were hit with a specialized and dangerous toxin, one which can easily end your life,” he explains. “It’s a fairly common poison made from pollen of the iterial flower, but the user needs to utilize perfectly-dosed injections, otherwise the stick could be fatal. I’ve seen enough travelers who get ambushed by bandits and receive too strong a dose, and they end up dying on the table.”
His patient swallows hard. “Sounds like I’m lucky,” he says, wondering what must have transpired over the last several hours. Though it sounds like he almost died, he’d never guess it based on how he feels. He stretches his arm and says, “Well, I feel fine now.”
“Strangely enough, the symptoms tend to end quickly,” the doctor says. “Overall, it’s not a bad poison to experience, should you survive.” Turning to leave, he adds, “I charged for the night, so you might as well sleep here. You’re cleared to leave in the morning. Just be warned: a second dose so close to the first will be fatal, even if small. So steer clear of any more bandits.” He glances again at Jem before closing the door behind him.
“Steer clear of bandits!?” Jem exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. “What a useless doctor! He looks you over, tell us he knows the poison, then charges us an arm and a leg to set you in a makeshift bed and ‘check’ on you every hour. He did nothing! Plus he clearly has a thing against Allerians. I should demand-”
“Thanks Jem,” Era interrupts with sincere appreciation. “You saved my life.”
His frankness takes her aback. “W-What are you talking about? You’re my apprentice, so it would look bad if you died on me.” In a scolding tone, she adds, “Though you owe me another pressure pack. Mine ran out of air just outside town. And I thought you were heavy before it ran out… yeesh.”
He chuckles. “You were strong enough to stand against a market mercenary. Carrying me couldn’t have been a challenge.”
“Well, joking aside, we wouldn’t be standing here if not for Di,” she says. “Girl saved the day.”
Di’s face turns crimson. “I-It was nothing…”
Era is about to laugh it off when he realizes Jem is serious. “R-Really Di? I didn’t know you could hold your own in a fight. How’d you do it?”
“Yes, Di, let’s talk about your little talent,” Jem says. “You owe us a serious explanation.”
“I-It’s nothing!” Di stammers. “I already told you I’m an air shaper, so it’s natural that I can mold air to-”
“Di, everyone knows air shaping is the most useless elemental ability,” Jem says. “And the
reason it’s so useless is because you can’t do anything substantial with it.”
“I’m confused. What are we talking about?” Era asks.
“Show him,” Jem orders.
Di reluctantly stretches her arms over Era, her palms pointing toward the ceiling, and the air at her fingertips shimmers. “There,” she grunts in exertion.
“There… what? I don’t see anything.”
Jem slaps her forehead. “It’s air, Era! What do you expect to see?” She grabs his bag from the ground and drops it over his face. Era flinches, but the bag lands with a loud thump. The small girl grunts from the strain on the glass-like shield, trying not to topple from the load.
“See what I’m talking about?” Jem asks Era, slapping the solid platform. “Rock solid!”
Era runs his hand along the solid air. “I’ve never seen anything like this!”
Proud of her demonstration, Jem drags the bag to the floor. Di releases the shield and stoops to catch her breath.
“Takes a lot out of you, huh?” Era asks. She nods, wiping the sweat from her brow. “That’s a cool talent, for sure!”
Jem puts her hands to her hips. “Era, you’re completely missing the point. This girl is an air shaping genius! No, not just a genius… This is unheard of! And she’s been hiding it from us!”
Era shrugs. “We knew she was from the Three Pillars Academy, so she had to be talented. I mean, I’m not an expert on air shapers. I don’t know what’s typical and what’s not.”
“The girl is special, Era,” she insists. “I guarantee it, and I also guarantee it’s why she was kidnapped from the Academy.” She turns to Di and asks, “Or do you deny it, Little Miss Arcane? You know the typical limits of an air shaper.”
Di slowly admits, “Yes, I have more control than most air shapers.”
“And why did you hide it from us?” Jem barks. “We’re risking our lives for you here. We need the whole story!”
“I-I told you what I know about the kidnappers! I just… I didn’t know whether I could trust you at first. I don’t want to be sold to a circus for being a freak. I just want to go home!”