The Spark

by Taylor Gibson

  So many Shimbian people wandered the streets day and night, laughing and praising some of the most ruthless serial killers of the time. It was a shame, but who was I to judge their spiteful acts against the moral standards of which they lacked. Shi Shii was a dangerous place at night, and that was another reason why we had to rush to the aero-dock station. The docks could be seen in the distance, when we passed a large group of what seemed to be mercenary thugs, judging by their matching uniforms and sinister glares.

  We were covered in sweat, the armor Sui and I were wearing was torn and scratched, Bradel’s robes ruined, and the doctor was wearing double layers; nothing about our appearances stood out from the licentious bunch. So we were glad to be dirty and odd, as they didn’t pay us any mind on our way through. The docks were incredible. The whole port had a column of ships ready to sail around the world. The doctor kept looking back at us to ensure that we were keeping up. Eventually, the doctor started to end the jogging and steadily began running. I could feel the wind blowing through my long blond hair, and through Sui’s long locks the wind also rushed, making it appear like blazing fire on a sprinting torch.

  The metal stairs we climbed were definitely the noisiest ones I ever recall setting foot on as we made our way up to the ticket booth, where we were to reserve a seat on the airship. The clanking of these stairs was quite aggravating, indeed; it echoed off of the roofless platform we were rushing to. We finally reached it, short of breath, only to find several lines for reservations aboard the airships headed for different destinations. The Ingoggidon airship was one such booth that was jammed up with traveling people.

  “Bah! This will never do!” exclaimed the doctor, “we’re going to have to take my airship in the private section of the aero-docks, follow me!”

  The doctor sprinted off again, around the booths and through the lines of people trying to get to the snack bars, and led us to a set of stairs that met with a lower level, beneath the docks like a basement. Sui, Bradel, and I went down after him and saw the majesty of the area. It was a massive hangar right out of my graphic novels back home, filled with private airships owned by the wealthy and taken care of by the poor. A grease monkey with a shirt of oil stains confronted him and tried to persuade him for a good pay.

  “Listen, Doctor Larou, I did a great job in takin’ care of your birdie, here. All’s I want is a few Shii for my work, that’s all! You’ve been pay’n me in food; now I want somethin’ better, you know, so I can buy me own meals. Can yeh gimme that, boss?”

  “Yeah, yeah, take twenty! Listen, we have to get moving, Billo, is she ready?”

  “All ready to fly yeh anywhere ‘round the globe. I’ll tell ‘em to open the hangar doors, alright, doc?”

  “Good,” said the doctor, turning his head to the three of us after bargaining with the mechanic, “get on board. I’ll meet you there in a bit.”

  We turned to face a monster of bronze and gold. She was gorgeous and refined to a substantial extent. The mechanic Billo was certainly a great mechanic, indeed, and what a ship cleaner he was. The loading dock was already open and ready for passengers, so we were able to just walk right in. The interior was fabulous; everything was in top shape and the welcoming of the great ship was compellingly apparent. The seats were laid back to slouch and relax while fresh beverages were placed in cup holders with notes beside them that read: Have a nice flight! I would have never guessed that this mechanic, as greasy and dirty as he appeared, could set up such an impressive and luxurious setting for us.

  We took our seats and enjoyed the nice, sweet, tangy taste of citrus cider. There were six passenger seats total, and only the three we were sitting in had the welcoming presents we enjoyed. It might have been true that the doctor ordered the mechanic to set all of this up for us. Either way, it was a noble gesture that Sui especially appreciated. While we waited, Bradel began to hum a gnomish tune that sounded a lot like the beautiful melody that the jaqae used to seduce their victims into joining their cause with Jobik. It was slightly different from the tune that Sui and I were familiar with.

  “This song is what my people sang back in the tunnels before leaving on a far away journey,” said Bradel, “it’s a hymn of prayer that grants us safe passage wherever we go.”

  The melody relaxed the two of us and let me finally get the peace and harmony I was longing for. To know that Sui was alright as I rested was even more soothing. The only thing that was missing was the known fact that Äbaka was safe. My ears could hear the soothing sounds of the distant Shimbian country calling to me, repeating my name over and over again, until the doctor finally arrived on board his airship, shattering the silence like glass. His voice sounded louder than he was really talking, a hallucination. It was in that moment that I realized the effects of the curse were not in phases as Bradel said. They were random.

  “We’re all set for takeoff. You three had better buckle up, because this old girl has a loud bark when she makes for the sky.”

  We saw him take off his doctor’s robes and leather pants to reveal the outfit of his true occupation, the mage. He could command magick just as Sui and I could, but he didn’t have the same weapons. Like most sorcerers, he chose the staff as his primary weapon because it’s much easier to cast spells and enchantments than with a blade. Destroying the silence, the engines started with the flick of a switch that Larou used in the cockpit directly in front of us. They roared like a dragon as Larou had told us in such understatement. He was the pilot, and no one was at his side to be the copilot. I figured he had no desire for a partner, so I left him to the solo operation of his own airship. He manned either end of the control desk with ease, flipping switches and pressing buttons like the men and women we saw on the Gemini I. This airship had an electric-powered computer in it.

  The hangar doors gradually opened to reveal the pale moonlight shooting into the dark hangar with such brilliance. Imga II seemed much more marvelous as well, in the frame of the open hangar door. Her colors of green and blue majesty upon her face— spectacular. A signalman waved two beams of strange light, telling the man to move up the lane with the airship. In a matter of minutes, we were sent into the cool night sky; backs against our seats with our tongues still in our mouths, as I was afraid I might bite it off with the force of the ship.

  There were no sounds present other than the shrill sonic boom that pierced the air and set us off jutting into the clouds like a bullet from a very large gun. As many times as we tried to sit up, the gravitational force continued to pull us right back against our leather seats. Several seconds later, we were high above the clouds and jetting through the crisp night air of the black sky. We were eventually released from the intensity of sonic speed and mellowed out by a steady decrease in velocity. I could soon hear the engines again, along with the spiraling propeller at the top of the craft. Along with a pounding headache, I felt the meal Sui’s mother cooked nearly leave me.

  Sui still had no idea what was going on. She was told that Flamé would be our destination by Bradel, but when the doctor reassured me about his experiences, and his relief of the horrid curse, I knew we could trust him. Bradel was probably right as well, but I took the word of an experienced victim over the word of a scholar. Bradel was not offended by this, but rather thought it was a better plan to follow the mage instead.

  Sui was still sobering up from the toxicity caused by the magick flower, so that added a bit of an awkward silence. Sobering is truly best with a quiet environment that is stable and free of stress. It stormed for a bit, and it melded down for a while, then it just plain rained without wind or any movement in the sky, other than the obvious raindrops landing on the airship. Finally, she was able to fall asleep, and so was I.

  When all was well during the twilight, Sui was awoken by the dim red sky peeking through the windows. “Good morning.” I said. She looked at me and smiled with a giggle, “I suppose it is a good morning.”

  “I alrea
dy told you this, but we’re going to Ingoggidon to-” Sui interrupted, “Yes, I know. We’re to be rid of this sickness through the help of a complete stranger. How do you know that he’ll bring us to Ingoggidon and not trick us into something we don’t need to be mixed up in, hmm?”

  There was nothing that I could truly say to justify my decision other than the instinct I could feel. But Sui wasn’t going to buy that. Instead, I told her what I knew for certain, “Well, so far he’s been sailing the right way.” Sui shook her head and turned away from me. She just sat there and stared at the floor for a good five minutes and thought to herself. I deemed it best to not speak to her after that.

  “George, I apologize,” she said, taking me by the hand, “I forgot how well you know Shimbians; the good versus the bad. Plus, I have no room to judge you. There’s just so much running through my head right now. I keep hearing the voice of my forefather speaking to me about inspirational quotes and morals in life. It’s as though he’s trying to say goodbye if he doesn’t make it back home with us. The enemy might have found him, or the wilderness might be torturing him; either way, there’s no time for us to worry. We must get rid of this tattoo as soon as possible, or else we might not be the ones coming back home. Whatever this man is up to, I certainly hope he’s being honest about it.”

  “Sui, would I ever put you in danger?”

  She focused on my gaze with deep teal eyes and grinned, “I know you wouldn’t do anything that would cause a girl to get hurt, no, except for at that party.” I giggled along with her. “Oh no, that woman came onto me; I had nothing to do with it. I’m innocent!”

  “Oh, sure you are,” she laughed.

  We chuckled simultaneously and savored the moment as long as we could. Her aquatic teal eyes gave me goose bumps that I had not experienced since we first kissed. She leaned closer to me, in the aisle between our seats. As the gnome was looking away, we pressed our lips together and silently sealed our mouths as one. I rubbed her shoulder and caressed the back of her head and soft hair. Trying our best not to make any noises, we kept the romance to a minimum to resist the urge of tongue osculating. In the Imgan culture, it was rude to make smacking sounds while kissing in front of others. The airship’s comforts were nothing compared to what this woman could do with a single touch. Still, when I opened my eyes every now and then, I could swear I saw a hideous apparition in the corner of my eye, sitting in the vacant seat, watching us with a fiendish grin through its white, soulless eyes. I never could catch it in time when I broke away from Sui’s lips. She too was acting paranoid from something in that seat.

  The man who was once a doctor waited until we were done to speak to us. After clearing his throat, he politely introduced himself from across the ship.

  “So, I’m sure you’ve been wondering what they call me. I am Larou. I have had my share of experiences as a mage; been here and there. The most I’ve ever endured in one journey was when I was a bit older than the two of you. When I was twenty-two, a man holding a staff came up to me with a sword and told me that it was blessed with powerful magicks. Now, being the curious fellow that I was, I took no time to accept the gift. When the hilt entered my grasp, the blade bent back to stab me in the upper-right arm, and branded me. The man I thought I could trust transformed into a jaqae and quickly tried to kill me. Obviously, he was unsuccessful. The jaqae was slain by my mentor, who arrived right on time. He brought me to another planet without saying a word, and didn’t waste any time in doing so either.” He stopped to turn around in his seat and stare at us for a moment, and then continued after looking back at the sky in front of him, “That story shall be finished through reliving it, you see, and in case you’re wondering, jaqae have always existed. Their presence has just been growing since the coming of Jobik.”

  “When did you become a doctor?” I asked.

  “When my mentor died, I went to Shimbia, where I realized only the rich thrive. It was clear to me that I needed some sort of stable income, so I used what medical knowledge I had received from my mentor to mend the wounds of the injured and heal the bodies of the sick. I didn’t know what else I could do that paid as well as that. I despised it because of how many ingrates there were in the city. I could mend their wounds, but not their vile manners. When the two of you finally came along in the accompaniment of Bradel, I knew it was time to leave. So I thank you, Sui and George.”

  “You’re quite welcome,” I said, “and thank you for helping us.”

  “Thank you for trusting me,” he replied, specifically looking at Sui, who stared back at him silently.

  When Larou made it across the Shimbian Ocean and onto the boarder of Ingoggidon, I saw the icy tundra beneath us, with its white glory and unorthodox beauty. There was a lasting tranquility around us like no other, and everything inside our minds gave in to the peace, putting our thoughts out like fire and stimulating our senses to this alien province. A drop of water could have been heard on board the ship. That was how serine the atmosphere was, as the three of us looked down through the cold, foggy window. The White Mountains, as tall as the world’s atmosphere, some ascending into the very heavens, blew our minds by merely standing within our vision.

  There were a few more miles to fly before we anchored down near the space port Larou was speaking of. For an hour and a half, Sui and I spoke with Bradel about his culture and the things he had experienced when he was a bit younger. Most of his life he had been fighting in a war against goblins and orcs. He could not deny that these jaqa demons were much more of a threat than a mere green elf.

  “One time I ventured near Rïdeneer and found this young girl gifted in sorcery. She was-”

  “We’ve arrived,” Larou interrupted, “everyone grab your luggage and roll out of this vessel. We’re getting out the old fashioned way; we’re sliding down the anchor.”

  We all got out of our seats and walked to the side door, where we peered down to see the anchor in the snow like a weight restraining a humongous balloon that floated in the sky. The three of us made sure to follow Larou’s instructions to ensure that we weren’t harmed in any way. The first thing I thought about when I felt the frosty winds blow at my face, as I looked down at the colorless ice land, was how enchanting it was. The snow seemed to sparkle like tiny diamonds, and they fell like flakes of white gold.

  “Okay, I need ladies to go first. Sui, that means you. All you have to do is grab that chain leading down to the anchor and slide down. When you reach the bottom, sway to the side so you aren’t stuck in the rear by the sharp hooks of the anchor. My doctoring days are over, you know.”

  I watched as Sui took a leap of faith with her hands gripped around the metal chain leading to the anchor. With one simple swerve, she was able to circumvent the anchor’s hook and land safely with her feet planted in the snow. I was the next one to leave the ship, so I did exactly as Larou had told Sui and made it to the ground. We were followed by Bradel and the pilot himself. He led us to the nearest civilization he knew of and started to explain what the cities in Ingoggidon were like.

  “There are three cities that I know of on this continent. Because of its massively cold temperature, only few choose to live in them. The one we are visiting is called Xixic, just over those snowy hills and down a slope. There are mixed races there unlike Shimbia, so you needn’t worry, Bradel, you are more than welcome here. The cities are slower and full of less commotion; therefore, I don’t expect there will be any discomfort within the walls of Xixic.”

  Sui and I were both used to the silent type areas. I was raised in the country part of Shimbia up in the north. Sui was raised in a similar kind of area. To the rhythm of the wind, we strolled across the snow and I didn’t worry about a thing because I trusted that Larou was somehow going to help us get rid of our cursed brands. I could feel it in my gut that Larou was a generous man who had no better thing to do than serve the chosen one, and all who followed her. I only wished that Sui could
see the same.

  ***

  If you want to be a mage without the proper brains to do so, forget it; no stupid man or woman can ever obtain the ability to use magick. Nor can they have a chance to defeat one that does know sorcery in the art of war. A war was soon to come if Jobik was nearing his final awakening.

  ~Sui Bane Ozborn

  The idea of trusting a total stranger, wearing a fancy red robe seemed almost like suicide to me. What if he was a murderer taking us all the way out into the middle of nowhere so no one would find our bodies in the red snow? But since there was no reason for me to completely be in fret, I just brushed it off and kept in mind that George and I were armed, along with our magick power and intelligence. It was a beautiful land that was covered in ice, and I was too preoccupied with admiring the white and blue skies to say anything to George about the mage.

  “George, look!”

  I pointed to the city down a slanted slope as we passed over the hills of snow. It was white with lights all around it, so that the longer nights of seventy-four hours that passed for a few months each year would not be so gloomy. The day was young still, so we had plenty of time to digest the things that had happened to us before we set out into space. At the time, I honestly didn’t know what space actually was. I always saw the place where the stars are to be a never-ending void that gave the sky variety from the blues, whites, and grays of the days. Night seemed to be the only thing with originality. I was soon about to find that nothing I thought about the blackness and the stars was accurate. George stood hesitant over the slope.

  “We’re going to have to slide down there?” George asked with a bit of fright, looking at me with a half-smile on his face. I raised my shoulders and responded with a larger grin on my face.

  “Are you afraid then?”

  “No!” George said in defense, “I’ll slide first. How could I be afraid of a slope that could possibly kill me, huh?”