by Jeff Kish
However, the hunter twirls his sword in his palm and unleashes a torrent of a different nature. A flood of water erupts into Jem as she approaches, and she slips to the ground as Shem continues to douse her with a merciless current.
Shem stops the flood, allowing Jem to hack and cough the water out of her lungs. “Get her!” he calls out, and the two perfectly time a shift such that Shem slides in just after one of his partner’s strikes. Suddenly finding himself in a spar with Shem, Era’s confused hesitation allows the hunter to go on a merciless assault. The husky but skilled hunter continuously strikes at Era while stepping forward with each blow, forcing Era away from his partner.
Jaras plants his hands on the ground, digging his fingers into the soil before Jem can recover. As she tries to stand, she finds herself suffering the same fate as Di, struggling in vain as the roots and plant life enwrap her legs. She hacks at them with her broken dagger, but she’s only able to hold them back for so long before the plants overwhelm her. Jaras takes care to bind her arms to her side before placing additional layers of entanglement around her.
Era panics at the sight of Jem being overtaken. In desperation, he resorts to his trick to bring a quick end to his fight with Shem. As soon as their blades meet, Era leans back and releases his sword, allowing Shem’s blade to pass by. As he stands and prepares to attack the off-balance warrior, he’s met with an elbow to the gut, followed by a sweep kick that knocks his feet out from under him. Era barely manages to roll out of the way of a high kick to the head, and he scrambles to back away.
As Shem and Jaras approach Era, another figure emerges from the brush and charges Jaras with rage. Fire slices at the surprised hunter, cutting across his arm as he barely brings it up to defend himself. Before she can strike again, Shem knocks her away with a blast of wind, forcing the small mercenary back toward Era.
Fire trembles with hatred at the sight of Jaras, but her thoughts are interrupted by Era joining her side. “Fire, you’re-!” is all he’s able to exclaim before Fire’s clenched fist meets his face. The strength of her blow is enough to send him stumbling to the ground.
Rubbing his cheek, Era looks up at Fire in disbelief, but before he can object she points at him and yells, “Found you again, you filthy rat!”
Wincing from his wound, Jaras furiously scowls. “Trying to steal my reward again!? I’m going to carve you up, Fire!”
Fire’s nostrils flare as she sets her sights on the man who nearly killed her. “You’re not leaving here alive, Jaras. I promise you that.”
Era stands, rubbing his sore jaw. ‘Girl’s got a nasty punch,’ he complains to himself while trying to piece together the current situation. He draws another earth sword from the ground.
“Stay where you are!” Fire orders. “Once I take care of these two, you and the other targets are mine.”
It dawns on him she must be trying to trick the other two. “Ha, like you can take me out so easily!” he banters. “Your punches feel like getting slapped by wet noodles.”
“Is that why you haven’t stopped rubbing your cheek?” Fire asks, annoyed.
“Sucker punches don’t count! I’ve beaten you in two fair fights, now, and I-”
“You have not beaten me in a fair fight!” Fire screams in anger, turning away from Jaras. “I’ll be glad to show you if you keep insisting.”
“Bring it on!” Era counters, momentarily forgetting the real enemy. “I’ll take you on anytime!”
Jaras curses Fire’s untimely arrival. “Forget the target. Let’s double-team Fire and knock her out.”
Shem leans toward Jaras and says, “The earth shaper will set his friends free. We have the advantage, so let’s push it. How is your arm?”
“Fine,” he grunts. “I’ll take the backstabber, then. Let’s move.” As they approach, Fire and Era stop bickering and turn their focus toward the two.
Jaras charges Fire with his sword drawn, and she happily meets him directly with her dagger. “Unlike the targets, I can kill you,” she taunts between blows. Jaras scowls in rage as he places more force behind his strikes.
Shem, meanwhile, stops well short of engaging Era’s blade. He takes aim again, this time unleashing a wave of fire that his target dodges at the last second. Era retreats and looks back at the scorched earth, mystified by his use of a third element. He tries to work his way toward Di, knowing her shield would prove useful, but Shem is wise to his maneuvering and blocks his path with a wall of flames. Era pulls back in frustration, wondering how he’ll manage Shem without a shield.
‘Wait… a shield! Can I do that?’ Not wasting time, he scrapes his sword on the ground, pulling more dirt into it while he runs to avoid Shem’s blazing inferno. Soon enough, his sword is bulging to the point he can barely run. Heaving it up into the air, he shapes the mass to form a large shield. He rests it on the ground in front of himself, already fatigued from carrying so much weight.
The shield meets its first test as Shem unleashes a powerful blast of fire into the wall of earth. Era holds onto the mass and concentrates on keeping its shape. Much to his relief, the shield withstands the blast without difficulty. Confident in his new protective wall, Era heaves it off the ground and charges at Shem, mostly off-balance as he tries to keep the heavy dirt aloft while moving. Shem shifts strategies and unleashes a concentrated water assault at Era’s boots. His feet slipping, the earth shaper has no choice but to plant the shield once more and duck behind it.
Jaras slams his sword into Fire’s dagger. “What’s wrong with your arm there, Fire? Did you trip into a tree or something?”
The comment strikes a nerve with Fire. “Your arm doesn’t look any better,” she banters.
“And that’s the last time you’ll lay your blade on me!” he shouts as he swings all the harder, forcing her to use both hands. Fire does her best to hide her pain as she deflects each of the hunter’s strikes.
Holding the water barrage on Era, Shem starts to feel a rumble at his feet. He thinks nothing of it at first, but as it grows in size he stops the water and leaps away from his location just in time to avoid a small sink hole opening at his feet.
As Shem stumbles back, Era seizes the opportunity and dashes around his earth shield. Having no other choice, the hunter plants his hilt in his open palm and again unleashes a violent gust of wind to blast his opponent away. Though at first relieved by his own reaction time, Shem soon realizes he blew his victim right next to Jem, and Era’s skill allows him to snap the roots with just a touch.
Era helps his partner up, and Jem brushes herself off and mutters a quick thanks as they turn to face Shem together.
The hunter is unable to believe he had accidentally blown Era in that direction. “Did he… Did he plan that?” he mumbles to himself. He dashes to Di and plants himself in front of his captive, intent on preventing Era from freeing her. He passes his hand over his hilt and flings a massive fireball at Era and Jem, forcing them to split up. The blast hits the ground, again scorching the earth and starting small fires.
Era dashes around to Shem’s right side while Jem darts to the left, but the hunter simply blasts each in turn with a powerful gale to keep them at a distance. As they try to regroup, he sends a flamethrower to keep them separated.
“It’s his sword!” Di shrieks as the winds die down. Shem kicks her hard in the back, knocking the wind out of her.
“His sword?” Jem mutters as she deciphers the secret behind his attacks. The only way he could command multiple elements is if his hilt is made from runes, and it would also explain why he’s showing no signs of fatigue from abusing the powers so much. Looking at Era, it’s clear he hasn’t realized it yet, because he’s still watching Di in hopes she can explain further.
“Era!” Jem screams as she holds up a closed fist. Catching his attention, she gives him three quick signs, and he nods in affirmation of the order. He positions himself opposite Jem as they run circles around their enemy, intent on creating a two-pronged assault on the hunter.
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Shem unleashes a wave of fire at Era, forcing him to abandon his trajectory and veer to the side. Knowing Jem is approaching from the opposite direction, he spins and takes aim, but he finds she’s matched Era’s trajectory as they continue to circle. Before long, the two coordinate another pincer attack, and Shem again takes aim at Era first, this time blasting him with wind. Era dives forward, clinging to small handles he shapes from the earth below. Despite the concentrated assault, Era maintains his hold.
Shem growls in frustration as he’s forced to relent his attack to meet Jem, who’s now closing quickly. She takes a swipe at him with her shortened blade, and he deflects it but trips backward over Di. Jem shows little regard for the girl as she leaps off her back and dives onto the downed hunter, her dagger aimed for his hilt. Upon contact, the rune unleashes a jet of water, the force of which sends the blade careening from Shem’s grasp. He kicks Jem away and scrambles after his weapon.
Era wastes no time in moving over to Di and rescuing her from the roots. She brushes herself off and screams at Jem, “Thanks for using me as a stepstool!”
Jem shrugs. “You’re free, aren’t you? Good job, Era.” The two bump fists.
Shem recovers his weapon. Before he can do anything, Jaras screams, “Shem, what are you doing over there?”
Shem shouts back, “Strong words from someone who hasn’t finished his own target!”
“Back to my plan,” Jaras calls out. “Forget the targets!”
Fire growls as she swings at Jaras. “I’ll cut you both down.”
Jaras deflects her overly-aggressive blow and plants his palms on the ground, hoping to snag her ankles. Aware of his tactics, Fire leaps forward and tackles the hunter, but she’s instantly blown off him by an air blast from Shem. She scrambles to her feet, cursing herself for failing to finish Jaras off.
The wood elementalist springs up and barks, “Are you happy, Fire? The targets are long gone now, so none of us will-”
“Jaras!” Shem yells, motioning toward Jem, Era, and Di as they approach. Though Di stays behind her guardians, the three are moving toward them aggressively.
Jaras stares at them in bewilderment. “What are you three…? Wait, you’re all working together?”
“Of course not!” Fire insists before any of them can answer, giving Era a look that sends a chill down his spine.
Reminded of her ploy, Era points at Fire and exclaims, “N-No, we’re going to kill all of you right here and now!”
The bluff falls flat, and Shem raises his voice in accusation. “His expression gives everything away! What are you doing, Fire? Why are you working with the targets!?”
“I’m not working with them!” Fire continues to insist, but it is evident her ruse is no longer working. Shem and Jaras turn to each other and, mutually, turn tail and run away.
“Come back!” Fire screams as she gives chase, knowing she needs to catch up to the two before they report her. They dart into the woods, leaving Jem, Era, and Di behind.
The scene quiet once more, Di rubs her tender ribs and groans, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
Era frowns as he watches after Fire. “Is she going to be okay on her own?”
Jem shrugs. “Far as I’m concerned, now’s our chance to lose all of them. Let’s go.”
The three turn and run in the direction they had been heading, leaving the assassin to her personal chase.
Chapter 12
“Can’t… go on…” Di huffs and puffs as she’s pulled along by Era. Sweat drips from her brow as she does her best to make her legs move, but she ultimately collapses from exertion.
Era look to his partner. “Do you think this is far enough?”
Jem slows down, out of breath herself. “It’s hard to say for sure. The woods feel like they’re crawling with bad guys.”
It doesn’t take long for a rustling of leaves to indicate they have company. Di instinctively creates an air shield while Era and Jem bring their weapons to the ready until Fire reveals herself to the team. The schoolgirl breathes a sigh of relief as she releases her shield.
“YOU MORONS!” Fire screams, prompting Di to momentarily reactivate her barrier. “IDIOTS! NITWITS!”
Era looks to Jem. “I’m confused. Didn’t we win that fight?”
“We might as well have lost!” Fire yells, her face crimson. “Those two got away, and now they’re going to report our alliance!”
“They got away? From you?” Jem asks smugly.
“They had horses,” she retorts.
“Why didn’t you take them out with your poison darts?” Era argues.
“I don’t have any darts, because some moron stripped me of all my gear!”
“I returned your dagger! Why not chuck that?”
“Chuck a dagger? Do you know how weapons work!?”
“CHILDREN!” Jem shouts. “We have bigger issues, so let’s focus.”
“Says you, Ice Queen!” Fire shouts, now turning to Jem. “Those creeps are going to report me. I’ll have a bounty on my head, and now… now I’ll be…”
“…in the same situation as us?” Jem nonchalantly asks. “Why would we care? Especially after you let three people get through to us. So much for your worthless scouting.”
“I let Jaras and Shem through because I knew we’d- Wait, three people?”
“Yeah!” Era jumps in. “That guy who walked up to us before the hunters.”
“His name was Ares,” Di needlessly adds.
“Wait, when was this?” Fire asks in disbelief.
“Just before the other two hit,” Era answers. “It was just after he left that we got blasted by that guy with the elemental sword.”
Fire is aggravated by the suggestion. “No one could have snuck past me. Didn’t happen.”
“Oh, but it did!” Era snidely insists. “He said some strange things to Di, but he left without a fight once Jem and I showed up.”
“Hold on,” Fire says, “you’re mad at me for letting this guy through, and you two weren’t even with Di when it happened?”
“S-So?” Era argues. “Your scouting was supposed to prevent this sort of thing from happening!”
“Isn’t that what I said earlier?” Jem grumbles. “Look, a lot just happened. We have a plan, so let’s just stick to-”
“No,” Fire says, lowering her voice, “the plan just changed. If they report this to the military, a large force will descend on this area by the end of the day.”
“My guess is they’ll come after us again,” Era suggests. “That’s what I’d do. Six million is too much of a temptation.”
Fire places her hand to her chin. “I don’t know. Jaras is a vengeful, spiteful rat who would love to see me wanted by the military.”
“But how does that change the plan?” Jem asks. “We’re three days away from Kemplen. Changing course would add at least a day to the journey, and there’s no guarantee we won’t still encounter the military.”
Pausing in thought, Fire reveals uncertainty for the first time since charting their course, and she kicks the ground in frustration. “You’re right, we march for Kemplen, but we make good time,” she says, looking directly at Di. “But in case I’m wrong about Shem and Jaras, I’ll continue scouting. You three stay on course.”
“Yes, and this time don’t leave me behind!” Di cries.
“Then try keeping up for once!” Jem counters.
“Just carry the brat,” Fire huffs as she disappears into the brush.
Era laments the group’s dysfunction. ‘It’s going to take a miracle to make it to Canterin alive.’
* * *
Jem leads the way as the three continue to hike along their planned route. Di follows behind Jem a short distance, and Era follows the schoolgirl at the same length. The threat of being captured feels more real to Di, and that alone is enough motivation to keep her legs moving. For those times when she starts to lag, Era scoops her up and carries her briefly. Di no longer complains about the aid,
and Era doesn’t make fun. The three move with a much more established sense of urgency.
A bird’s cry echoes from ahead, a signal from their scout to meet up. Moments later, Fire appears from the brush. Wiping her brow, she meets the trio with a spring in her step.
“What’d you find?” Jem asks, noticing the enthusiasm.
“Something interesting,” she teases with a grin. “I was scanning the horizon when I saw a sky boat descending just a few miles away. That could solve our dilemma.”
She frowns. “A sky boat? Those things are dangerous, aren’t they?”
“What, are you afraid?” Fire asks with annoyance.
Di nods her head emphatically. “Yes! Those boats are just patched together with air pressure runes. They crash all the time!”
Jem speaks up in agreement. “It’s true. I’ve even heard the military abandoned plans to use them.”
Fire looks at Era. “Got anything to add, or are we done whining?”
Era shrugs. “I didn’t know any of that. What’s so dangerous about them?”
“They fall out of the sky without warning,” Di explains, her arms crossed.
“Oh, so they crash all the time?”
“She literally just said that,” Fire says, rubbing her temples. “So, to be clear, you each have two million venni bounties. You’ve been dealing with me, bounty hunters, water monsters, and the military is likely descending on you as we speak. And you’re afraid to go for a little ride?” All three nod an emphatic ‘yes’, and Fire slaps her forehead in disgust. “Look, a sky boat is exactly what we need. We’re backed into a corner with no way out, and taking to the sky would not only get us out of a rough spot, but it could also get us to Canterin in a day. So we’re investigating this.”
Jem and Di both start to object, but Era cuts them off with a wave of his hand. “Fire might be right about this. We should at least check it out.”