by Jeff Kish
Fire doesn’t have to feign her agreement. With the entire military on the hunt, Di will be recaptured eventually, and the two thieves will thereafter find themselves in a jail cell. Or worse.
“Money isn’t everything we have to offer, you know. If six million isn’t enough, we can negotiate.”
“The money is enough,” Fire grunts in frustration. “And none of this means anything since I’m not in league with the felons. Now, unless you’re going to stand down and let me murder Jaras, I’m going to return to the hunt.”
As she turns to leave, Galen calls out, “We have a camp established outside Canterin. You can bring them there once you’ve rounded them up.” Choosing to seize the opportunity to escape, she offers a brief acknowledgement and dashes into the darkness.
Galen watches after her as Bowen approaches from behind and signals a flurry of scouts to chase after the assassin. “At least we know their destination. That clears the path to the border.”
“But why would she protect them?” Galen asks aloud, searching for an answer.
“You think she is?” he asks. “You offered her the world, yet she insisted-”
“It’s not what she said, but what she didn’t say,” he declares with certainty. “Her goal was to prove herself innocent from the beginning, even before the accusation had been made. The fact that she didn’t first accept a better offer is proof of that.”
“If she is, all the better!” Bowen says. “Our scouts will track her right back to the asset.”
“I’m not optimistic,” he admits. “Her file labeled her as an expert in tracking, which means she’s also an expert at covering her tracks.”
“So everything she said could be a lie,” Bowen despairingly realizes.
“No. The targets are in this region, so it is reasonable to think they’re headed to Canterin by foot.”
“Unless they’re planning to take a ship,” he suggests. “They’re only two days out from the nearest port town.”
“Agreed. We can have extra platoons at the ports by tomorrow night, but our best hope may be to wait for Fire to bring them to us.”
“You think she will, then?”
Galen doesn’t give an answer. He unsnaps his uniform at the shoulder, removing the specially-designed sleeve and hooking it at his waist. The shaper sticks his bare hand into the fire, bending the flames to his will and pulling them entirely onto his arm, leaving the cold, charred logs behind. He extends his engulfed arm, using it as a torch as he and Bowen retreat into the darkness of the woods.
* * *
“Get up already!”
Jem’s hushed shout stirs Era from his deep sleep. Realizing the sky is still pitch black, he rolls over and plants his face into his arm.
Jem looks at the half-awake Di in disgust. “You get him up. I’m going to freshen up before stuffing myself into that cramped box.” With that, she grabs her bag and hikes into the trees for privacy.
“Ugh, this entire trip has been one massive experiment in sleep deprivation,” Di laments to herself, realizing her late nights studying at the Academy were quite tame in comparison. She taps her cheeks to wake up, yet she finds the forest floor has never looked so inviting. Crawling to her guardian, she shakes him and urges, “Era, get up already! Jem will be mad!”
Era snaps awake, his eyes wide. He looks around frantically and gasps, “Jem’s mad!? Where is she?”
Di is taken aback by the reaction. “N-No, I said… well, never mind. She’s freshening up.”
“Freshening up?” Era’s brain struggles to process her words. After a lengthy silence, the dazed thief pointedly asks, “So why are you worth six million venni?”
“W-What? I’m only worth two million, aren’t I?”
“The entire bounty is directed at you. You know that.”
“I’ve already told you that I don’t know! I’m good at air shaping, but…”
“There’s nothing else?” he asks suspiciously. “Your dad isn’t conspiring with Allerians or anything?”
“Daddy would never do something like that!” she insists.
Era stretches. “I’m sorry, it’s just… There has to be a reason for the bounty. It’s huge!” Thinking for a moment, he wonders aloud, “Maybe it’s because you’re a super Academy student? You’re young to be a student there, right?”
“I’m not that great a student.” Though her comment is meant mostly for herself, she realizes Era is looking at her intently, expecting an explanation. “I-It’s just that… well, I don’t get the best grades.”
“You don’t?” Era is surprised to hear it. “Well, you’ve had us fooled. But you’re still something special just to be there, right?”
“I’m nothing special, intellectually,” she laments. “The other students don’t need to… you know…”
“…need to what?”
Di balks. “N-Nothing! They don’t need to… study as hard.”
“Come out with it, already.”
She sighs. “They don’t need to… cheat. Like I do.”
Era’s eyes bulge. “You cheat? At the Three Pillars Academy?”
The small girl frantically shushes him. “Please, Era! Don’t tell Jem. She’ll make fun of me!”
Era laughs out loud, which seems to further embarrass her. Trying to rein in his reaction, he says, “I’m sorry, Di. It’s just that you’ve painted yourself as quite the student. N-Not that you’re not!” he quickly adds. “I mean, I’m sure you’re a good student and all.”
“I’m not, okay? I’m just lucky they don’t realize I’m…” Tears welling up in her eyes, she looks to her guardian. “I just get so scared I’ll disappoint Daddy, so I just… I can’t stop myself…”
Feeling sorry for the girl, Era pats her shoulder. “Look, Di, this is good news! Maybe they’re just after you because they think you’re a model student. When we get you home, they’ll realize the entire thing was a mistake.”
Di scrunches her knees up and buries her face in her arms. “I just… I really don’t know why they’re after me! I’m not smart, and my air shaping talents aren’t useful or anything. I’m not special at all!”
“Your eyes are golden,” Era offers. “That’s not exactly normal. Erm, I mean…” he mumbles awkwardly, realizing he should choose his wording more carefully.
“It’s actually an indicator of elemental skill,” she explains eagerly, gladly playing the instructor once again. “The masters’ eyes change with developed skill, though generally it manifests as mere flakes of color. Mine are certainly unique.”
“Well, that would certainly match the skill we’ve seen in you,” he says. “I don’t know, Di. You seem like you could be special to someone.”
The familiar rustle of leaves indicate Fire’s arrival. “You ready?” she asks.
“Ready!” Jem reappears, her bag slung over her shoulder. “Good work, Di! I didn’t actually expect you’d get him up.” She turns to Fire in anticipation. “Any trouble last night?”
“There was nothing,” Fire answers. “The military must be incompetent.”
“Or maybe those hunters didn’t report us like you thought they would,” Era suggests.
Jem shrugs it off. “What matters is we’re in the clear for now. So let’s go get into that sky boat.”
Jem and Fire turn to head out, and as Era stands, Di grabs his pants and gives them a tug. “Please don’t tell!” she whispers. He nods and offers to help her stand, deciding it isn’t exactly a secret worth telling, anyway. Unfortunately, he still has no idea why they might be after the girl. As always, if Di knows, she isn’t letting on.
Leading the way, Jem heads back toward the clearing with the sky boat operation. The sky had grown overcast as they slept, its darkness making it difficult to traverse the terrain, though it aids their stealth. Coming to the clearing’s edge, the group scans the camp, finding the crew members are still asleep in their tents. The guard-on-duty is also sound asleep, making it all the easier for the group to sneak in.
Jem signals for the others to wait while she approaches the sky boat and searches for the door. Finding a latch, she quietly pops it open and checks inside with her light rune. Content with the state of the interior, she signals for the rest of the group to approach. Era leads Di to the boat, and Fire brings up the rear. They crawl into the small craft, and Jem quietly closes the hatch behind them.
Jem grins in the darkness as she keeps her voice low. “Cozy, isn’t it?”
“Shh!” Fire isn’t amused, worried about being cooped up in such a confined space. She knows if things don’t go according to plan that they aren’t in a position to defend themselves.
The four sit in silence as the small cabin warms from their body heat. A tiny amount of light starts to shine through the cracks in the doorway, indicating that their ride should begin shortly. However, as it continues to get brighter, the only thing that changes is the continuous rise in temperature. Jem and Di fan themselves in vain, and Era leans his head against the door in hopes of catching any fresh air that might sneak in.
Voices can eventually be heard outside, and Fire curses to herself. Pearl was supposed to sneak them off before anyone else awoke. They could be in for a fight with the workers if they’re discovered.
Just before Fire decides to abandon the plan, Pearl’s voice can be heard calling out to someone as she approaches the sky boat. She hurries to the hold and knocks softly. Everyone looks at Era in anticipation, but he shrugs in confusion. He softly knocks back once, which is apparently what Pearl was expecting. She latches the door and scales the outside of the craft. Era turns to Di with enthusiasm and mouths the words, “Here we go.” She grips his arm tightly and prepares for the worst.
A loud blast of wind erupts from the top of the sky boat, rushing through the network of tubes encircling the cabin. A welcome breeze rushes in as the door rattles, and the boat begins to lift off. Losing the security of the ground isn’t a welcome sensation for any of the travelers. The boat shakes and rocks as it continues to accelerate upward for quite some time before beginning to move forward.
The noise forces the schoolgirl to release Era and grab her ears. “How long will this flight be?”
Era lets go of one of his ears. “What!?”
“HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE!?”
“Oh!” Era looks at Jem and Fire and shrugs. “I figured an hour or two.”
“WHAT?”
Era leans closer. “AN HOUR OR TWO!”
“TWO HOURS!?” Di flops against Era and fights against hyperventilation. Era sympathetically pats her head with his free hand, hoping she doesn’t lose her last meal all over him.
After a painfully long trip, the craft begins its descent. The inevitable landing feels more like a crash to the group as they bounce violently before coming to rest. However, no one complains about being on the ground once more.
Pearl’s footsteps can be heard coming down the side of the sky boat, and Fire again grips her dagger as the girl unlatches the door, still half-expecting an ambush. But when the door swings open, the girl’s beaming face is the only sight to see. With goggles over her eyes and her silvery hair shining brightly in the morning sun, she steps aside and beckons for everyone to exit. “Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Kemplen!”
Di dives over Era and out of the craft, plopping on the ground and sucking deep breaths as she enjoys the cool grass against her skin. Era helps Jem and Fire out before stepping outside himself, discovering that Pearl found a tiny clearing to land in.
The pilot removes her goggles and straightens her messy hair. “I obviously can’t land in Kemplen without drawing attention, so I landed outside of town. It’s just a short walk north of here.”
Fire aggressively gets in Pearl’s face and shouts, “And what’s the big idea with making us wait this morning? You said we’d leave at first light!”
“Hey, now, Fire,” Era says as he steps in to defend his date. “I’m sure she has a good reason.”
Pearl sheepishly averts her eyes. “I-I’m sorry, I kind of overslept.”
Jem laughs aloud. “You and Era should date. You’d get along fine.” Era blushes and scratches his head.
Fire glares at him. “I’ll confirm Kemplen’s location,” she says as she turns to Pearl. “Don’t leave until I get back.” With that, she disappears into the trees.
Di jumps to her feet and makes a mad dash into the woods, her hand over her mouth. Jem shares a glance with her partner and remarks, “That poor girl has had quite a journey.”
Taking the opportunity, Pearl leans into Era. “Thanks again for last night. Tell me this won’t be the last time I see you?”
Era hugs Pearl, catching her by surprise. “Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again.” Pearl presses into his shoulder and closes her eyes, enjoying the embrace.
Hearing the stomp of a boot, Era finds Fire is standing right behind him. “Kemplen is a short walk. She can go.”
Era frowns but relents. “Take care, Pearl. Hopefully you won’t get into trouble with your dad.”
Pearl laughs. “Oh, I’ll be in a heap of trouble for this. But it was worth it!” Bouncing up the steps, she straps herself into her seat, adjusts her goggles, and offers a final wave. Era returns the gesture, as does Di, who is just reentering the clearing. Pearl activates the rune console, and a gush of wind floods the area. The small craft lifts into the sky, propelling itself upward until well above the trees.
Fire claps her hands loudly as the sky boat disappears from view. “Come on, let’s move. We missed our opportunity to sneak into the city early. Now we have to take extra caution.”
“Shouldn’t be hard,” Jem says as the group follows Fire into the woods. “We’ve done this before.”
Fire glares back at Jem. “You’re the problem. How many Allerians do you think enter this town on a given day? You stand out in a crowd, and if anyone is looking for us, you’ll be the giveaway.”
“You picked this town because it’s large and it would be easy to hide in the crowds,” Jem contests. “This was your plan, so what do you suggest we do?”
Fire steps over a log as they continue their path. “Wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you just stayed behind.”
The Allerian’s eyes narrow. “Care to say that again?”
“The three of us can walk through the main gate. As long as we’re not together, we won’t draw attention. I saw a large tower near the coast that we’ll use as our rendezvous point.” Motioning back to Jem, she says, “As for you, Ice Queen, you’ll just need to get in on your own.”
Jem beams confidently. “Is that supposed to make me mad? I’ll take it as a challenge to get into the city before any of you do.” As she finishes her assertion, the group comes to the edge of the forest, high up on the hillside. The hill country runs right up to the Lidoran Sea, with a steep drop-off leading down to the beach. Kemplen lies at the bottom of the slope, spreading up and down the coast. The large tower Fire described is plainly visible and will work well as a meeting place.
“Fire,” Jem grumbles, “that city has a wall.”
“Ah, so it does,” she says, her voice lacking surprise. “I guess that’ll help with the whole challenge thing.” With that, she heads back into the woods.
Di looks to Era, but he just shrugs and follows Fire. Jem stares down at the city as her companions tread off without her, cursing the day she let Fire join their team.
* * *
As a major sea port on the Lidoran Sea, Kemplen draws early morning crowds through the open gates placed strategically along the wall. The wall itself is built up against the sloping hills to the east that descend toward the sea, creating an ideal opportunity for growth to the north and south along the coastline. The boundary reveals a noticeable decrease in quality as it cuts west toward the water’s edge, indicating this portion is regularly demolished and rebuilt as the city expands.
Before venturing onto the main path, Fire motions for Di to come close, keeping her voice low as she offers some last
-minute advice. “You’ll stick out almost worse than the ice queen if you travel alone. But if they think you’re with a group, especially one without an Allerian, they’ll likely pass you right by. They can’t stop and check every child entering the city.”
“I’m not a child,” she grumbles.
Looking out over Kemplen, Fire observes the current foot traffic. “It’s early, so there are more people entering the town than leaving. Find a small group to shadow and stick with them well past the city gate.”
Di nods her understanding, growing anxious. This is the first time she’s been asked to perform a task solo.
“We’ll take turns going in. The brat will go first, followed by the idiot.”
“We’re standing right here,” Era says in annoyance.
“I’ll take the rear,” she finishes, ignoring him. “Remember, the tower by the sea is the rendezvous point. We’ll meet there in two hours.”
Era checks his pocket watch as Di complains, “Two hours!? What am I supposed to do until then?”
“Group up any sooner and there’s no point in walking in separately,” Fire explains. “Besides, I need time to find us a ride.”
“Hold up, Fire,” Era says. “Jem and I were going to find transport. What makes you-”
“Because, besides being amateurs, you two are the unluckiest people I have ever met,” Fire states, her dark blue eyes glaring at him. “There is no way I’m letting you select which ship to board.”
Di emphatically nods her agreement, prompting a hurt frown from Era. “Fine…”
Fire looks out over the sea and says, “I’ll need to find a smuggling craft willing to harbor after dark. Inspectors are smart and won’t allow a transport to unload its goods after sundown, but they aren’t typically looking for people. We should be able to sneak off the ship under cover of darkness, one way or another.”
Era scratches his head. “Why do we need to smuggle ourselves in? Couldn’t we just take a normal transport vessel? We could hide below deck until dark.”