The Girl Born of Smoke

by Jessica Billings

  “Oh, alright.” Aurora looked around at the empty clearing, then turned to find Kalib watching her intently. “So, um...explain to me how this works.”

  “Well,” he began, “we're soldiers in the Citizens' Army and we're hunting down the soldiers in the Wizard’s Army. This,” he touched his stick to Aurora's, “is your sword.” He sauntered into the forest, Aurora following closely behind. “The secret,” he explained, “is to listen carefully. In here, you'll hear someone long before you see them. And by the time you see them,” he paused, “well, you'd better be ready.”

  Kalib stopped walking suddenly and closed his eyes. Aurora looked around at the thick tangle of trees and followed his lead. Closing her eyes, the distraction of sight disappeared. She focused on the sounds she had been ignoring as she walked beside Kalib. Somewhere in the distance, a bird tapped its beak against a tree trunk at sporadic intervals, the noise echoing through the forest.

  Closer nearby, she heard a squirrel clambering in the branches above. No...she tilted her head, focusing in on that one sound. It seemed not quite right, too purposeful. She opened her eyes to find Kalib's amber-brown eyes locked on hers. He smiled slightly. The rustling overhead grew suddenly to a crashing as someone leapt down behind them. Kalib turned calmly, raising his stick in the process and easily deflected Djerr's attack. Aurora jumped to the side as she watched the battle.

  Djerr whacked at Kalib several more times, each time from a different direction. With just a slight turn of his hand, Kalib blocked each attack. After the third strike, he suddenly returned the flurry of blows. With a sharp snap, Djerr took several blows to his arms as he tried to block Kalib's quick attacks. Taking a step backward to avoid another swing, Djerr tripped over a fallen log and fell backwards, dropping his stick as he tried to catch himself. Sprawled out on the ground, he looked away angrily.

  Kalib stood triumphantly over Djerr, stick lowered to his chest. “I win again!” Kalib glanced toward Aurora, who was grinning excitedly. “Now,” he prodded Djerr with the stick, “go on.” Silently, Djerr leapt to his feet and grabbed his stick, dashing off into the forest.

  “Wow, that was awesome, Kalib!” Aurora jumped from foot to foot. “Do you always win?”

  “Always.” Kalib confirmed, winking. “Now that you've seen how it's done, it's your turn.”

  Aurora bit her lower lip. “Well, alright.” She started in the direction Djerr had gone, then turned back toward Kalib. “Are you coming with me?”

  Rolling his eyes, Kalib shook his head. “No, go by yourself. You'll be fine. Just don't get lost.” He waved his stick at her. “Now go!”

  “Alright, alright!” Aurora broke into a smile and slipped deeper into the forest. She wandered aimlessly, trailing her stick on the ground and trying not to trip over the underbrush. Looking up through the rustling canopy, she wondered what time it was. When she looked back down, she found Djerr reclining against a tree in front of her, arms crossed against his chest. She excitedly raised her stick before she noticed Djerr's was nowhere in sight. He scowled at her.

  “I don't want to fight you.”

  Aurora frowned disappointedly and dropped her stick on the ground. “Why not?” She walked over to where he stood.

  Djerr shrugged. “I'm bored of this.”

  Aurora gently uncrossed his arms. “Are you angry with me?”

  A crooked smile slowly spread over Djerr's face. “Nah...but you have a lot to learn about this game.” He reached around the tree and picked up his stick, laughing as Aurora went scrambling for her own. He waited until she was ready, then lightly whacked her a couple times on each side. Scowling, she swung at his stick as hard as she could, snapping hers in two. Looking helplessly at her stub of a stick, she looked back up at Djerr just in time to be tackled by him.

  The two fell laughing into a pile of orange and brown leaves that had just begun collecting at the base of a tree. For awhile, they said nothing, still trying to catch their breath. Djerr finally turned on his side, propping his head up on his hand. “So what do you think of Kalib?”

  Aurora wrinkled her face in thought. “Why do you wanna know something like that?”

  “I dunno, just curious, I guess.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, I like Kalib. We should hang out with him more often.”

  Djerr made a face and turned away. “We'd better get going. It's getting late. Everyone else has probably already left,” he said abruptly and stood up, brushing the broken leaves from his clothes. Aurora hopped up as well, shaking her head vigorously and sending crumpled leaves flying from her hair. The sun had sunk low and Aurora shivered as the shadows crawled across her skin. The two walked through the trees, saying nothing.

  Overhead, she heard the night birds calling to each other as they swooped through the sky, catching the bugs that drifted through the air. Looking up, she could just barely make out the swift shapes against the quickly darkening sky. Looking back down, she saw the trees had thinned out and they had reached the edge of the forest. Djerr glanced over at her without actually meeting her gaze. “Well, I guess I'll see you later.”

  “Djerr, wait.”

  He finally met her eyes. “Yeah?”

  She paused, unsure what to say. “Where...where are you going?”

  “Wherever,” he replied sullenly. “Maybe out to the docks.”

  “Oh.” She shifted from foot to foot. “Well, have fun.” She watched him turn and leave, feeling sad without knowing why. “I'm sorry,” she said softly, too soft for Djerr to hear.

  After the battle in the forest, she didn’t see Djerr again for several weeks. She wandered around town hopefully and saw several others her age, including one of the other girls from the battle, but no sign of Djerr. As the weather gradually grew colder, Aurora grew more restless. Strolling listlessly around Kain one day, she suddenly realized she was heading toward Djerr's house. Shrugging, she continued on her way.

  She walked down the dusty road, kicking a pebble along ahead of her and creating a trail of dust so that some of the other passers-by glared at her as they walked by. Blissfully unaware, she finally lost interest in the pebble as she spotted Djerr's small house, tucked away on the edge of the forest. Kicking the pebble into the underbrush, she trotted up to the small house. She raised her fist to knock on the door, but paused as she heard yelling coming from inside.

  She listened as there were several muffled thumps and a loud crash. Startled, she jumped back and looked around nervously. Suddenly, one of the windows flew open and Djerr tumbled out. Landing on his feet, he caught sight of Aurora and gave her a startled look.

  “Come on!” He waved her over and took off running. Aurora followed close behind, breathing in the dusty air. He dashed down the road, then veered off into a grove of trees, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot. The ground sloped downward and the two slipped and slid through the loose dirt. Finally, they stumbled to a halt as the hill evened out and the ground became more solid beneath them.

  A thin stream slipped between large rocks and lightly lapped at Djerr and Aurora's dusty sandals. Silently, Djerr knelt down, dipping his hands in the clear water and splashed it on his face. The water ran in rivulets down his olive-brown skin as Aurora stood watching, still catching her breath.

  “Djerr, what is going on?”

  Djerr shook his head. “No, don't worry about it.”

  Aurora put her hand on his shoulder, but immediately withdrew it when he winced. “Please Djerr, you're my best friend. You can tell me.” She knelt down in front of him so their eyes were level. “Please?”

  Djerr stood and grabbed her hands, pulling her up with him. “Come with me.” The two walked silently upstream, away from town. The stream gradually became narrower and more rapid. Eventually, they came to a fallen log that lay just above the water line.

  He paused and slipped off his shoes, so Aurora did as well. The dirt was soft and cool beneath her bare feet. Looking up, she saw he was already headed across the log, arms outstretched to keep h
is balance. Halfway across, he carefully lowered himself down and sat, dangling his feet in the tumbling water. He motioned Aurora over.

  Slowly, she made her way to him, taking care not to slip on the damp moss. She plopped down next to him, gently lowering her feet so that her toes dipped into the cool water. A dragonfly hovered nearby, zipping sporadically across the stream.

  “I used to hang out around here a lot when I was younger,” Djerr said slowly, looking down at the water. A breeze blew his curly hair back away from his face and Aurora shivered. “My dad and I have never gotten along too well, so I mostly just try and stay out of his way. My mom died when I was born,” he continued, “and my dad didn't take it so well. He started drinking and well, he couldn't help but partially blame me for her death. After all, she wouldn't have died if I wasn't born.”

  Aurora leapt off the log and stood facing Djerr, calf-deep in the frothy water. Her hands were clenched. “Djerr, that's horrible! How could he blame you for something like that?”

  He eased himself off the log and put his hands on Aurora's shoulders. The stream swirled around them. “No, Aura, don't blame him. He did the best he could. It was just too much for him.” He paused. “So what happened to your parents? I've been curious ever since Roxi and Kirian just showed up with you one day.”

  She shrugged his hands off her shoulders and looked away. “Look, they're dead, alright? My father died years ago and my mother died in a fire right before Roxanne and Kirian found me.”

  “Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have any siblings?”

  Aurora looked up at him sharply, blue eyes narrowed. “No.” She shivered suddenly. “I'm freezing. Let's get out of here.”

  Silently watching her for a moment, Djerr finally shrugged and waded out of the stream, holding the log for support. Reaching the bank, they both bent down to slip their sandals back on. Her feet felt gritty and she grimaced as they squelched back up the bank, the granules of dirt rubbing painfully between her toes. They headed up the steep hill, pulling themselves up by the roots and trunks of trees. When they reached the top, he turned suddenly to face her. “I missed you,” he said thoughtfully.

  She looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “It's been awhile since I've seen you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “I'm glad you came by. I've got to get back home, but I'll see you again soon, alright?”

  “Sure.” She nodded enthusiastically. “I'll see you later then.”

  Djerr paused for moment longer, then turned and dashed back off in the direction of his house. With a sigh, Aurora turned away from the stream, heading into town. As soon as she reached the outskirts of town, she noticed an unusual number of people. As she walked closer to the center of town, she heard the low drone of hundreds of people talking. When she noticed the bright banners and first couple stalls lining the road, she realized it was market day.

  Swept up in the crowd, she strolled through the market, stopping to gaze in wonder at a display of intricately designed mobiles. They turned slowly in the breeze, clinking and glittering as the delicately balanced wires slowly wove between one another. Pieces of mirror and hollow balls of colored glass hung from the revolving wires, alternately catching the light of the afternoon sun and going dark again. Aurora bent down to look more closely at the mobiles and briefly caught sight of the crowd behind her as a mirror turned in her direction. A blur of red stood out against the others as the people passed by.

  Glancing over her shoulder as she stood, she saw Kalib's red hair disappear into the crowd. Smiling, she dashed off after him, diving through the press of people, occasionally catching a glance of his bobbing head. Squeezing between two people, she suddenly found herself in an inexplicable gap between the crowd. On one end of the gap, she stumbled to a halt, caught off guard by the sudden lack of resistance.

  On the other end, about to re-enter the mass of people stood Kalib with his arm around a girl Aurora's height with long dark hair. Aurora's face went pale as she stared at the girl. The two paused suddenly and the girl started to turn her head toward Aurora, just as the crowd jostled Aurora's back and swept into the gap, separating the girl from Aurora's view. Backing away slowly, she finally turned and dashed in the direction she had come, bumping into people as she forced her way through.

  She ran home, glancing over her shoulder occasionally and gasping for breath. The house was empty and quiet as she threw open the front door and collapsed on the dusty floor. Feeling sick and weak, she lay on the cool, wood floor for several moments, catching her breath.

  When she finally sat up, she found her hands were smudged with dirt from the floor, clinging to her damp, salty skin. Grimacing, she absent-mindedly rubbed her hands on her pants and climbed to her feet. She suddenly felt cold, but her face broke out in sweat. Noticing how far away the door to her bedroom looked, she stumbled toward it and felt her legs give out.

  She slowly became aware again. There was a face over hers, but she didn't know why.

  “Aurora?” It was Kirian.

  “Oh,” she replied.

  “Are you alright? I walked in and you were lying on the floor.” His face was laced with concern.

  She screwed up her face. “I think there's something wrong with me, Kirian.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She slowly sat up. “I...I think I'm see-”

  “Don't worry,” he cut her off. “You just need some rest. You stay up too late and don't get enough sleep. That's all.” He helped her stand. “I think you should go rest for the rest of the evening.” Too tired to argue, she shrugged and trudged toward her bedroom as Kirian watched.

  Falling into bed, she sprawled out, feeling dirty and bedraggled. Her body ached and her head pounded as she closed her eyes, shutting out the harsh rays of sunlight bouncing around the room. With her eyelids shut, all she could see was the girl from the market. That girl who looked unmistakably familiar.

  Chapter 4

  “Aurora! Hey kid, wake up.” She felt someone shake her shoulder and awoke to find herself in her small room, stuffy with the morning sunlight. It had been months since she had collapsed and to her relief, she hadn’t seen Kalib or the dark-headed girl again. She spent most days with Djerr and some of the others her age. They spent many misty, frigid afternoons at Aurora's house, playing cards, talking, and laughing.

  As the weather grew warmer again, they began hiking around outside of Kain or poking around in the tidepools by the ocean. Trying to feel as carefree as the others acted, Aurora instead felt nervous, as though she should try to enjoy these days before they ended.

  The sun was already streaming through the window, highlighting half of Roxanne's body as she shook Aurora awake. Groaning, she turned away and swatted Roxanne's hand off her shoulder.

  “Whaddya want?” she asked sleepily.

  Roxanne rolled her eyes. “It's practically midday. Get your lazy butt out of bed. We're going to the cliffs.”

  Opening her eyes, she turned back over. “What for?”

  Already on her way out of the room, Roxanne waved a hand dismissively. “Just get dressed. We'll leave soon.”

  Scrambling out of bed, she shuffled across the sun-warmed floorboards as she threw on her clothes. Hurriedly running her fingers through her tangled hair, she yelled, “Is Kirian coming?” When she heard no reply, she peered out the window and saw Roxanne waiting outside. Bending to retrieve her shoes from under the bed, she slipped them on and dashed outside. Roxanne turned when she heard the front door open. “Ready?” she grinned.

  Aurora pulled the door closed behind her and nodded. “Yeah. Is Kirian coming?”

  Roxanne's smile dropped. “No, he's not invited. This is a girl's day out.”

  “Alright.” Aurora shrugged, following Roxanne down the road. Puzzled, she looked around. “Where is everyone?”

  Roxanne scowled at her. “Already at the docks, I assume!”

  “Oh.” The two hurried through town. As they grew closer to the cliffs o
verlooking the docks, they could hear the combined voices of a huge crowd. Soon, they ran into the frays of the crowd, even before they could spot the sparkling sea.

  Roxanne sighed. “Ugh, this is what we get for showing up so late.” Grabbing Aurora's wrist, she slid through the crowded street, slipping in between groups of people. Others turned to glare and Aurora smiled apologetically at them as Roxanne drew her deeper into the crowd.

  “What’s everyone doing here?” she yelled over the drone of the people.

  Using her free hand to push people out of the way, Roxanne didn't answer. A few people angrily protested at being pushed, but Roxanne quickly moved on without giving them an opportunity to retaliate. Aurora nervously stumbled after her. Finally, they broke out of the crowd, standing on the brink of the small cliff overlooking the docks.

  Roxanne yanked Aurora forward, so that they were side-by-side. “Fantastic! Looks like we made it in time.” Roxanne smiled broadly and pointed out to the sea, ignoring the grumbles around her about being shoved out of the way.

  Aurora squinted her eyes against the bright reflection off the waves. In the distance, small dark spots sat nearly motionless, sailing slowly toward the harbor. “Are those ships?”

  “Yeah.” Roxanne nodded, watching the ships intently. “That's the Wizard's Army, coming to campaign in Kain.”

  Eyes widened, Aurora stared at the fleet of ships. “Wow, the entire army is coming here, to Kain?”

  Roxanne chuckled. “Hardly. That's only a very small section of the entire army. Probably only a couple hundred soldiers.

  “What in the world are they all coming here for?”

  Smiling down at Aurora, Roxanne pushed back her auburn hair which was blowing wildly in the breeze. “Well, coming to see if anyone wants to join their cause, mainly. They'll probably stock up on supplies and rest up while they're here, too.”

  A man standing beside Aurora scoffed derisively. “Naive girl. Those bastards out there will be the end of Kain. Haven't you heard what they've done to all the cities in their path? Destroyed them. Kain isn't going to be any different.” He raised his voice. “I'm getting out of here while I can. Anyone who values their life will do the same.”