The Spark

by Taylor Gibson

  After I set the new bow blade down in my bedroom, leaning against the dresser, George and I walked back outside to rejoin the festival. I thought to myself, maybe I could apologize to that girl. But as I was thinking about this, something caught my eye. Äbaka stood in the exact spot by the stage where I had been watching George. Stella was not with him and my parents were speaking to him; they appeared to have angry looks on their faces as they shouted at him. I hoped it had nothing to do with what I had done. Äbaka’s face was stern. I walked up to them to see what it was that they were fretting about.

  “Mum, Dad, Forefather? May I ask what’s going on?”

  “Sui, you are in trouble!” shouted my mother.

  “I’m sorry! That woman was trying to take George to bed with her.”

  “No, Sui, I mean we have to leave now! Pack your things; you’re in grave danger!”

  “What? Is Jobik on his way already?” I panicked. “Will I need to bring my sword? What about the rest of the village? What’s going on? Please, tell me!”

  “No time to explain, Sui!” rushed my father, not allowing me any choice. “Just get to the house with Forefather and get your things ready. Now!”

  My mother and father were upsetting me. I had no idea what was going on and what was making them act so fretfully. Regardless of the questions dancing in my head, I ran the opposite way back to the house, with Äbaka and George following close behind. All this time spent anxiously awaiting Jobik had put me on edge. But now that there was a situation, it was as though the enemy was taking all my stress and using it to rip me apart. I was breathing harder and harder; with each passing moment I was without a resolve to sudden madness. When we got to the house, Äbaka started rummaging through living room cabinets, drawers and cupboards, throwing things around to find something.

  “Forefather, what’s going on? Has Jobik returned?”

  “One of Jobik’s assassins has located you here and now he’s planning to take you out. I know not where he is, but I’m certain that he’s in Rïdeneer as we speak. Grab that sword and bow and find a strap to hold them around your back somehow.” Abaka ran toward the living room to retrieve something, “But first, you’ll need to change into these.”

  The wizard pushed the couch out of the way to find a drawer that was hidden within the wall, behind it. He pulled out a set of marvelous armor, having complex symmetrical designs. Mostly teal, the armor was an incredibly beautiful piece of art. I took it from him after a moment of studying the mixed hues of teal, yellow, orange, red, white, and turquoise. The secondary colors were in sophisticated, tiny pieces of patterns making up the armor. Äbaka urged me again to go quickly, shouting at me and rushing me. I moved as fast as I could and only packed the essentials for wherever we were going. I suited up, geared up, packed a bag of food rations, water canteens, emergency kits, and small sentimental items from my childhood; in case we were to never return home. I had a foreboding feeling that the war soon to come would drag us away into the depths of chaos and conflict forever and ever.

  I had no light to see clear enough in my bedroom, and no time to light a candle, but I managed to get everything I knew I couldn’t live without. I tripped over my feet on the way out, but managed to catch my balance through the hall. George grabbed his two old-fashioned, iron daggers off the kitchen counter and slipped them into his pockets for protection against the assassin.

  “I won’t let them kill you, Sui,” said George. “No one will get past me, I promise.”

  The sincerity in his tone moved me. I knew I could trust him to be my guardian no matter what was thrown at us. We looked back at the old wizard who approached us quickly, yanking us with his persistence and his voice.

  “Come on, you two! Save the discussion for later!”

  When we ran outside, I saw the party had slowed down and there were a bit of sour faces among the crowd. We followed Äbaka as he ran toward the party members and slowed down when we got close. Äbaka whispered in my ear before slipping into the throng of uneasy people. “Stick close to me, Sui. Make sure George has your back.”

  The inquisitive looks people gave me as they noticed my exquisite armor and the brute weapons strapped behind my back, were making me feel even less comfortable. To add on to my soreness, the assassin could be anywhere in this broad mix of people. I felt as though I was being watched; like there was someone breathing down my back with the icy-cold breath of a demon. The mixed chatters of the many people whisked through my ears like a typhoon I could not escape. We were bunched up like wheat with all of these people, and the thought that we could walk up to the wrong person and get killed was increasingly haunting with each short and slow step.

  I looked around to see if I could find any suspicious faces; however, the whole crowd seemed to be trying to enjoy themselves, despite still being shaken by my earlier outburst. Just as I was convinced the assassin may not be in the crowd, but elsewhere, I spotted a tall, broad-shouldered figure, hooded and cloaked in all black. It could have been a large Dugo from the west, but at the same time, why would he be so covered? The figure was facing our direction, just standing there, waiting for the three of us to skulk closer.

  “Forefather-” I whispered to get his attention.

  “Yes, Sui, I see him. Just remain calm; stick close to me. We may have to fight him in front of all of these people; so, George, I need you to protect them with all of your might. I’ll be Sui’s guardian here.”

  “Yes, sir, I will do whatever you ask of me.”

  I was ready to grab my sword if the assassin was to make a move on us. George gripped the hilts of the daggers in his pockets, while Äbaka prepared to save me from harm with his defensive sorcery, hidden under the baggy sleeves of his cloak. I watched to see if the figure showed any sudden movements as we crept closer. Taunting me, the tall dark figure did not move an inch. No, he just stood there like a nail; maliciously staring at us under that dark-black hood, testing our patience. I could see a hideous, gray mouth with large, silver teeth sticking out like tusks from the bottom jaw. I tried to see the rest of the face, but there was far too much darkness and shadow to point out any extra detail. He had a long crest on his head; very noticeable by the lump under his hood. The gray mouth of the man was not made of skin. This was a powerful being that was made of stone, not a hunched-back Dugo. The crusty rock texture around his lips gave him away.

  “Do you see-”

  “Yes, Sui. He is a thunger; a being with rock hard skin and long sickle appendages used as weapons. If you ask me, now would be a good time to get everyone to safety. George, I need you to use a force spell to push everyone away from the assassin when I give the signal. Then, Sui, we shall strike. Are you ready?”

  “I was born ready.”

  The thunger just stared with a hollow grin as I conjured up all the energy around me to focus it into magick. My forefather counted down in his head while I remained vigilant on the assassin. Raising his voice louder than the crowd, the wizard bellowed, “Now!”

  Suddenly, the assassin threw off his cloak, roaring as he rose as high as ten whole feet! The bulk of the thunger’s body was like a mountain and the golem’s hide was made of pure, gray stone. George shouted and threw his arms out; causing a shockwave that shoved all people in the perimeter of the assassin to safety. I took the sword from behind my back and pointed it toward the large beast. He merely laughed at me, pointed his sickles in my face, and said in a deep raspy tone, “I am Draäm; bringer of your demise!”

  “Sui, watch out!”

  I heard Äbaka’s voice call out to me in distress; just before I saw two golden daggers spin in my direction, from the right side of my face. This assassin, this Draäm, had thrown two daggers at me, but I quickly rolled down on the ground, avoiding them. As I looked at the hired blade again, I noticed he should not be able to throw anything with his lack of fingers. To my unpleasant surprise, it was my parents! They were at
tacking me!

  “Why are you attacking me, Mum, Dad?”

  I was confused, absolutely confused, as to why my parents were starting to attack me. I looked at their faces and noticed how expressionless they were. Draäm was now a puppeteer and they were his puppets. I swung my sword in the direction of Draäm, pointing the tip of the blade at him.

  “You put a spell on them, you monster! You let them go right now or I swear I’ll make you regret being grown on the mountain!’

  “I take orders from no one but Jobik! I shall tear your heart right out from your back, cur!”

  “You’re going to pay with your life for this, demon. For shadow darkens and light brightens, make this assassin see what frightens even the gods!”

  I spun my sword like a propeller on a Shimbian airship. Out of a portal, I summoned a beast with four, morbid eyes; a long, toothy snout; the body of a horse; and the legs and tail of a lizard. This was a summoned beast that could only be brought about by sorcerers. There were all sorts of various spirits, animals, and monsters that could be brought forth through a wormhole, and each were an original being based on the summoner’s mood. These beings were known as familiars, and this deadly dragon was no more or no less a representation of my wrath. I decided to give this familiar a name: Deathsnout.

  To the thunger, Deathsnout seemed like an ordinary pet. My intention was to use him as a scarecrow, but Draäm didn’t seem fazed. Deathsnout breathed fire and oil all over the thunger, but it was no use, since the stone carapace was too thick to burn through. The familiar then climbed on his back, fearing the idea of being crushed from facing Draäm head on, and tried to bite at the crest on the top of his head. Yet again, invincibility prevailed and the thunger was able to reach back to stab his sickle into Deathsnout’s side. He threw him into the grass with a growl; the thunger still lit on fire because of the oil. My beast of anger and fear did not give up until Draäm got the best of him. As I kept my parents away from me by trapping them inside of a ward, the thunger fought with my familiar and eventually defeated him, sending his body back to the mystical dimension from whence it came. He would be reanimated for my next summoning at a later time, once he had some rest.

  “No mere familiar can scare me away from you,” he growled, slowly approaching me, “and now you’re all alone.”

  “Luckily, she has family who care about her!”

  My mother and father were back in their own heads. I was so glad to hear my mother’s voice! The control Draäm had over them had been lifted. The two of them jumped on the thunger’s back, holding on to the lumps covering it. They could have fallen off at any moment when he started to shake around, but their grip on the stone was tight, due to the sheer adrenaline coursing through their veins. He arched his back and roared in anger, leaving his chest vulnerable to attack. Without delay, I charged after Draäm at full speed, and rammed my blade into his rock-hard torso. The impact sent my parent’s flying over the hills, as he fell straight on his back with only a minor dent in his crumbling chest.

  “Bahahahaha! That blade doesn’t work on me, girl. I am invulnerable to sword attacks.”

  “Well, I guess I will be fashioning a good shield from your skin, once we find a way to bring you down. When I have the will to do something, I do it! This is what I’ve been taught, and I abide by that philosophy!”

  “We’ll see!”

  The thunger sprinted towards me and started to rapidly jab at me, but I quickly evaded him. Switching his attack method to brute strength, he lowered his speed and accuracy, which let me have a clear strike at his face. The beast bellowed and moaned when I took a chunk out of the rock-strewn cheek below his right eye. There was no blood from this guy; only small shards of rock and pebbles that flew allover when I sliced open his upper cheek. The low moans of the thunger made the ground shake a bit, causing me to stagger forward. Äbaka quickly reacted, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to block Draäm’s next advance.

  “Draäm, thunger under the dark influence of Jobik, enemy of existence, I’m calling you out!”

  My forefather marched over to Draäm and thrust his staff in the air with one tight-gripping fist around the pole. He put one knee forward and began to cast a powerful spell against Draäm in mid air. Sweat soaked his face and blood starting to slowly seep from his eyes, nose, and the corners of his lips. What he said to me in the laboratory was true. Performing magick was causing him to deteriorate. The village was in danger, and we needed the bravest souls to defend it. Thungers are creatures of ruin from the mountains of D’Guños, holding enough power to destroy an entire city in a matter of days. If the wizard worked himself too hard, then he could tear himself apart from the inside out. His experienced soul had too much energy to carry for one man.

  “Staff of the sun, hot in the night, let us show this fool your true light!”

  The staff’s ruby and the golden blade, at the tip, lit so brightly, that everything I saw disappeared into a thick sheet of white light. I became blind for a moment. After a few seconds, I began to see my parents throwing spells at the stone-man and Äbaka continued blocking attacks. Whatever it was he did to him, Draäm was impervious to it, and continued to throw stabs and slashes with his sickle-appendages. As soon as my mother and father simultaneously threw their left fists in the air behind Äbaka, and the wizard punched Draäm in the knee with his bare fist, the mighty golem slammed to the ground, shaking the houses and wooden buildings all around us. I didn’t know what they had done to him, but right then and there, I knew I could break him down even further. I thought it would be wiser if we moved the battle farther away from Rïdeneer because the destruction Draäm threatened to the nearby houses was too risky.

  George had successfully herded the distressed crowd a good distance away from us. It was time that he and I made a distraction to lure Draäm to the north. We concocted a strategy that would force him to follow us, away from our homes. George got on one side of the invincible beast, and I on another. He gave me a nod and pointed a finger in Draäm’s direction.

  Since I had learned the gravitation augment for Soba, I was aware of how to balance it, using the elements around me. With my sword raised high above my head, and my eyes closed, I silently called on the wind to cast the stone-man away into the farthest regions of the Crosscc. Grass whirled around Draäm and a powerful gust of wind quickly developed into a twister, below the assassin’s feet. As he tried to shake us off, he realized that my grip on his arm became increasingly more painful to his bone-deep nerves. The twister developed into a roaring tornado, making my forefather and parents back away as hastily as they could. The tornado swirled up the isle between the buildings, causing minor damage to the porches, decks, and stoops. George found himself having to wrestle with the enemy inside of the storm to keep him from escaping as I telekinetically steered it toward the open, green plains. Äbaka and my parents followed close behind; ready to strike the thunger once he was released. After we moved Draäm far enough away from the village, I lifted the storm over Crosscc, safely releasing Draäm and George. As I ran toward him, he just knelt there, panting, almost like he was ready to give up without further effort. But I was no fool, and neither were my family.

  Gusts swept the trembling hills as I lifted Draäm back up into the sky, to carry him farther north. The grass waved around like millions of frantic people, waving in the fury of the growing twister I was creating. Thankfully, that was where George’s plan came into play. He was about to climb on top of Draäm and wrestle with him as much as he could until the stone-man was out of breath. I built up the strength of my unyielding tornado, which had engulfed the two of them. I kept those mad winds steady and let George do his part. I had a few other tactics planned for this powerful golem if wind was not enough to hold him back from my home, but for now, George and I were crippling the assassin while my elders stood by and watched, awaiting the moment when they would be needed.

  Rolling back and for
th, Draäm tried to break George off of him. George put his hands over the rocky back of the golem. I then reached out with my energy and cast a buffing spell on him that made his strength increase far beyond the limits of his own potential. He got a firm grip around the rocky surface of Draäm’s back and yanked at the protruding bumps with all of his might. I continued to have the swirling winds at my service, continuously keeping Draäm on his toes. George’s sweat and Draäm’s chunks of tiny shards and pebbles began to orbit the storm, shredding George’s shirt and pants, nearly stripping him half-nude as he continued to tug on Draäm’s back. George started to bleed in a few places, adding crimson to the chaotic haze around the two. I wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep it up, but then I saw the heat in his eyes; the sheer adrenaline allowing him to go on despite his injuries.

  It dawned on me that the tactic that George and I conceived together had started to pay off. Now I realized what Äbaka and my parents had done to him; they had paralyzed Draäm’s left knee by the light of the staff. My parents had given off some energy to prolong the effects. It seemed clear that George and I had added to the equation of spells, leading to his current state. With our combined strength, we caused the same knee that Äbaka had punched to crumble into pieces of powdered ore. Now he walked with a limp and could barely stand straight.