Earth Fire

by Phil Stern

  “Fine!” Sharra snarled, raising her weapon.

  “Wait!” Holding up her hands, Tiffany shook her head. “If you want the midate, it’s yours.”

  “Tiffany!” Keri snapped, her eyes still on the Zarth contingent. “By the stone! What are you doing?”

  “Trust me,” Tiffany murmured back, then raised her voice again. “Here, take it!” And so saying, she tossed the midate down onto the ground, halfway between herself and Sharra.

  In the stunned silence that followed, nearly everyone just looked at the black, inert rock. Tiffany, however, never took her eyes from Sharra, her power held in readiness.

  After a moment, Sharra realized she’d won. “Good choice, Tiffany!” she derisively called out, moving forward. “Now we can escort you to the Boundary, where you’ll leave Earth forever.”

  “Tiffany!” Keri hissed again. “We can’t let…”

  “Just sit tight.” Holding up a restraining hand, Tiffany watched as Sharra neared the midate. Giving a final glance in their direction, the ruby witch then bent to pick it up.

  In a flash, Tiffany’s hand darted down, yanking the Coven Stick free. Her own energy smoothly flowed into the magical weapon, instantly bringing it to life.

  In the time it took to raise her arm, the Coven Stick had morphed into an exact copy of the sleek, powerful laser rifle in her mind. Bringing the weapon to her shoulder, Tiffany settled a cheek against the smooth stock, unerringly sighting in on the midate. Slipping off the safety with her left thumb, the enchantress promptly sent a bolt sizzling across the yard.

  The laser blast hit the midate just as Sharra’s hand brushed against it. The resulting explosion sent Sharra arching up into the air, across the parking area, and back against a news truck with a sickening thud. The ruby witch bounced down to the ground in a flurry of arms and legs, then lay still.

  A pall of greasy black magic billowed out from the detonated midate, obscuring the remaining three Zarth witches. Lowering her laser rifle, Tiffany looked at Keri. “Get down!” she yelled. “And raise your shield!”

  However, as shocked as everyone else by the sudden turn of events, Keri was slow to react. Thus, she was caught in the shoulder by one of the first glowing ruby bullets to zip through the midate smog, falling back against the house with an anguished cry.

  A fusillade of ruby rounds now raked the porch and house. Catching a few on her own shield, Tiffany desperately hoped Kary Davis and her son were safe in the back. Crawling over to her fallen Coven-mate, Tiffany helped Keri activate her personal defenses.

  “Tiffany!” she gasped. “Give me a menlar, and I’ll…”

  “No! Stay here!” Giving her leg a quick squeeze, Tiffany caused the Coven Stick to shift from a laser rifle back into a simple rod.

  The return fire from the Zarth girls now slacked off, presumably because they were out of ammo. Standing and vaulting over the railing in one fluid motion, Tiffany looked back up at Keri. “Just hold on. The others will be here soon.”

  “Where are you going?” Grimacing, Keri desperately held a hand to her wounded shoulder.

  Tiffany’s eyes flashed. “To clear out the trash.” Pumping even more energy into her shield, the tall brunette then turned and strode through the midate haze, soon coming out on the other side.

  Valensa had run over to attend Sharra, who still lay crumpled by the walloped news truck. Whether her retreat was out of genuine concern for her companion or outright cowardice, Tiffany wasn’t sure. In any event, she found herself vaguely relieved that her potential sibling was out of harm’s way.

  The two remaining Zarth witches were apparently made of sterner stuff. Standing several feet away, both of the unknown ruby girls had just finished reloading their handguns. Seeing Tiffany, they raised the weapons once more.

  Before the enemy witches could fire, though, Tiffany magically swept their guns up and away. They clattered back down to the dirt several feet behind them.

  However, the Zarth warriors were quick to adapt. Deprived of their mundane weapons, one of them simply launched an intense bolt of pure ruby magic at her. Unprepared for the power of the attack, Tiffany was slammed down to the dirt, her personal shield ripped away. The ruby witches quickly advanced, gathering their power.

  Still on the ground, Coven Stick in hand, Tiffany imagined a big, mean attack dog. Instantly, the magical weapon transformed into the desired animal, snapping and snarling at the ruby witches. Eyes flashing a deep green, earth fire sparking from his paws, the dog leapt from Tiffany’s side, racing to the attack.

  Now everything seemed to happen at once. Two battle hawks, screeching in fury, dove down from the sky. Intent on the charging Coven Stick, the Zarth warriors didn’t even look up. A moment later both girls were knocked to the ground by the unexpected aerial assault, the hawks slashing at both of their faces. Seizing his opportunity, the attack dog immediately ripped one girl’s throat wide open. The other witch, her cheek badly slashed by a hawk’s talon, now bolted for the nearby woods, soon disappearing from view.

  Throughout all of this, the news crews were filming and shouting into cell phones. One reporter shrieked at the death of the Zarth girl, her blood quickly saturating the ground.

  The battle hawks must have been pacing their backup from the air, for a car now came bounding down the forested lane into the open area by the house. Lurching to a halt, Caylee, Aprina, and Wendi leapt from the vehicle, their power gathered and ready. Quickly taking in the situation, Wendi came running over to her.

  “Tiffany!” Bending down, Wendi helped her up. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll live.” Gingerly rubbing her neck, Tiffany snapped two fingers. The attack dog, now barking ferociously at the media, instantly turned and ran towards her. With a tremendous leap the dog sailed high over the ground, smoothly changing back into a Coven Stick. Casually snatching the weapon midair, Tiffany returned it to her belt. “Go help Keri. She’s up on the porch.”

  By now the midate residue had mostly blown away, revealing the bullet-scarred home. A few tiny licks of flame darting up from buried ruby rounds, while a small section of porch plank smoldered menacingly. The dead Zarth witch laid where she’d been slain. Glancing over at the news trucks, Tiffany saw that everyone was still eagerly documenting the gruesome scene. By the stone, she thought. This was cross-dem contamination on a massive scale.

  By this point Valensa had left the side of her fallen, unmoving companion by the news trucks. She now stared out at Tiffany in fury, eyes flashing a harsh, ruby red. Sharra, it seemed, was dead as well. Warily keeping an eye on her rumored sister, Tiffany crossed over to Caylee by the car.

  “Send the hawks out to patrol the area,” she instructed. “There may be more of them around, and I don’t want any surprises.”

  “Got it,” she replied, walking off while calling the hawks to her.

  First one helicopter, then another, now zoomed over the area, flying as low as they dared. In the distance could be heard the wail of sirens.

  “We can’t stay here.” Anxiously, Aprina looked around. “Even on a mid-tech world, they might put two and two together.”

  “Agreed.” Tiffany nodded out at the fallen Zarth witch. “Get her ruby stone, then I want you three to take Keri back to Haven. Leave the car and go through the woods. Use the hawks to scout ahead of you for the Boundary. Avoid all contact until you leave the dimension.”

  “All right.” Aprina paused. “And where are you going?”

  With another murderous glare, Valensa regally turned about and disappeared between two media vehicles, slipping off into the surrounding woods.

  “I’m going after her.” Breaking into a run, Tiffany raced toward the assembled reporters.

  “Tiffany!” Aprina called after her. “Wait! Eleanor wants…”

  But these new instructions were lost to wind and distance. Gathering herself, Tiffany leapt high into the air, using magic to carry herself up and over the astounded news crews. At least one cameraman, she notic
ed, managed to keep his lense focused on her as Tiffany majestically sailed high overhead. A helicopter, hovering low over the area, veered away in alarm.

  Crashing back down through the branches a hundred feet deep into the woods, Tiffany landed lightly on the forested ground. She immediately sensed a retreating ruby stone, now some two hundred feet away. Rising and breaking into a run, Tiffany pounded after Valensa.

  It only took a few minutes for Tiffany to catch up, soon spying Valensa racing down the vague trail ahead. Detecting the approach of a Haven enchantress, Valensa looked back in alarm.

  “Valensa!” Tiffany called out. “Stop! I just want to talk!”

  But the ruby witch only redoubled her efforts, leaping over a small stream and then bolting into a thick stand of trees on the top of the next rise. Gritting her teeth, Tiffany followed.

  The woods suddenly became very dark, with the thick trunks partially opening into a rocky glen. Tiffany was just close enough to catch sight of Valensa lunging between two large boulders, disappearing into the darkness beyond.

  Darting after her, the Haven sorceress was astounded to run into a permeable wall of magic, the whole world erupting into bright, white light. Pulled forward, Tiffany felt herself helplessly falling through open space before losing consciousness entirely.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  TIFFANY’S FIRST SENSATION was of grass pressing against a cheek, followed by a painful scrape on her left arm. Laying very still, the enchantress took a moment to orient herself, listening to the world around her. A few birds called out in the distance, a pleasant wind whistling through some nearby trees. Of people, she heard no sign.

  However, to the veteran dimension traveler there were indeed vague indications of civilization. From some distance off came the lowing of a cow interspersed with a faint, mechanized hum, which suggested organized agriculture. Within the wind itself, coursing over her prostrate body, she could feel a tiny, artificial throb. Definitely some type of aircraft, though of a basic sort. It reminded Tiffany of the great airships of Nura, huge, blimp-like craft with large cabins strapped underneath, powered by propellers. In any event, it was definitely something manmade.

  First impressions, then, were of an early mid-tech society swiftly moving through the end of an industrial revolution. Magical ability, or even awareness? Well, that remained to be seen.

  Gingerly sitting up, the sorceress found herself on the edge of a lush field, which did indeed gently slope down to a farm a mile off. In the other direction a stately forest began just twenty feet away, with an outcropping of jagged boulders marking the wood line. Had Tiffany fallen even a slight distance to one side, onto the rocks themselves, she might not be waking up at all.

  But was falling even the right word for the journey she’d just taken? Instinctively, Tiffany knew she must have followed Valensa through one of the “direct contact points” described by Claire connecting Earth and Zarth. That would mean, of course, that she was now in the ruby witches’ home dimension.

  Reaching up, Tiffany was terrified at the absence of her earth stone. Scanning the area for fifteen agonizing seconds, she finally discovered the missing necklace laying idly in the grass about ten feet off. Thankfully snatching it up, the sorceress was instantly rewarded by the stone’s comforting glow. Slipping the silver chain over her neck once more, Tiffany felt her heartbeat begin returning to normal.

  But what about the Coven Stick, which had been on her belt when she’d taken the Zarth plunge? Another five minutes of searching turned up nothing. She considered sending out a magical pulse to locate the weapon, but that might also bring the ruby coven down on her head. Even now they could be looking for her, perhaps even with the aid of the sister who’d brought Tiffany here.

  Well, the last time her Stick was active, it had been in the form of the ferocious guard dog. Perhaps if she…

  Putting two fingers in her mouth, Tiffany let out a loud whistle, followed by two definitive snaps of her fingers. Ten seconds later her Coven Stick came loping out of the woods, snapping and snarling. Staring out at the pastoral scene before him, the dog’s eyes went wide at the sight of the farm down below. This, in turn, prompted an even more savage howl.

  “Enough!” Touching her own temple, Tiffany tried to shake a lingering headache from the passage here. “I get it! You’re a bad ass dog.”

  Barking agreement, the Coven Stick back sat on its haunches, looking up at her expectantly.

  “Too bad you’re not a Larian snow cat,” Tiffany sighed, sitting down on the grass once more. “They’re cuddly when they’re not being mean.”

  Blinking in surprise, the guard dog morphed into a gorgeous, all-white snow cat, complete with large paws and regal tail. Settling down beside Tiffany, the Coven Stick put its soft white head underneath her hand, purring up a storm. The only sign of its true origin were the cat’s pulsing green eyes, the exact shade of earth fire.

  “Well, I’ve decided,” Tiffany murmured, gingerly petting the cat’s head. “If I get out of Zarth alive, I’m not turning you back in to the Coven armory. You’re mine now, forever and ever.”

  Rumbling agreement, the snow cat lifted its nose to sniff the air.

  “But they don’t have snow cats here,” she continued, “so it’s time to be a rod again.”

  Bleakly eyeing her, the cat grumbled.

  “Now, please.” Pointedly, Tiffany held out her hand.

  Rolling over on its side, as if he wanted his belly scratched, the cat now shrank back into an innocent looking greenish-grey rod. The Coven Stick then popped up into her grasp, settling into a fully inert state.

  Wandering into the nearby woods, Tiffany magically changed into dark, jean-like pants and a dull, rough top. It seemed similar to what the unknown Zarth witches had been wearing on Earth, but there was no way to be sure. Hopefully, it would be enough to fool the casual observer.

  Thoughtfully studying the Coven Stick, Tiffany then imagined a heavy, simple belt. Obediently transforming into the desired article, Tiffany slipped the magical weapon through her waist loops, buckling it firmly in front. Now that the Zarth witches had seen the Coven’s new toys in action, it might be better to keep things on the down low.

  So, she was alone in a hostile dimension, without any clear idea of how to get out. According to Claire, Zarth wasn’t accessible to the Boundary. And all the intelligence gleaned from the ruby turncoat had proven true so far. So she needed a direct contact point back to Earth, but good luck finding someone who actually knew how to locate or activate one.

  Well, not entirely. Valensa had brought her here, either deliberately or by accident. Carefully extending her sensory perception, Tiffany detected the faint emanations of a ruby stone about a quarter-mile off.

  Taking a deep breath, Tiffany struck out to find her sister, carefully keeping out of sight within the woods.

  *****

  Sure enough, she soon spied Valensa sitting at the base of a tree, holding what appeared to be a broken wrist. Apparently, Tiffany’s wayward sibling had taken an even harder fall than herself. In fact, the ruby witch seemed to be in some pain, a trickle of blood seeping down from her forehead.

  Hesitating a moment, Tiffany cast an invisibility spell, fading entirely from normal view. Such a trick wouldn’t fool an experienced enchantress for very long, but Tiffany was beginning to suspect the Zarth coven was more brute magic than talent.

  Indeed, the downed beauty didn’t detect anything amiss until Tiffany had sauntered right up to her. Frowning out at the seemingly empty woods, Valensa almost comically cocked an ear to one side, listening.

  “Is anybody there?” she hesitantly called out. “Come on, guys! I’m not in the mood for any games here.”

  Advancing a final few steps, Tiffany reached down and yanked as hard as she could on Valensa’s ruby necklace. Jerking her entire body forward, Tiffany’s younger sibling suddenly found herself face down in the dirt. Before she could react, Tiffany then put a boot on her neck and pulled up on the cha
in. With a little magical assistance, it parted with a pained snap. Coughing and gagging from the momentary garroting of her throat, Valensa finally managed to roll over and sit up, her one good hand at her neck.

  “Give that back!” Eyes blazing just a normal brown hue, Valensa stared up at her now-visible opponent in pure hatred. “You bitch! Now!”

  Retreating several steps, Tiffany distastefully held the ruby talisman out to one side. It was somewhat at odds with her own earth stone, the two magical power sources trying to repulse the other. First causing her favorite black gloves to magically appear on each hand, Tiffany began carefully wrapping the ruby stone up within its own chain.

  “Stop that!” Valensa shrieked, awkwardly lurching to her feet. “Give it back!”

  “Enough.” Giving her younger girl the tiniest of magical shoves, Tiffany impassively watched Valensa fall back down against the tree trunk. With an almost audible whoosh, the air was knocked from her lungs. “You and I need to talk.”

  Gasping, Valensa warily watched Tiffany settle down several feet away, the chain-covered ruby stone gingerly placed on a flat rock. “Go fuck yourself!”

  “Maybe another time.” Tiffany gave a tight smile. “First of all, are you really my sister?”

  “What fucking difference does that make?”

  “My, my. The mouth on you.” Tiffany brushed some hair back from her face. “I might spare your life, for starters.”

  “Oh, so you want me to beg?” the wounded girl snarled. “You’d better just go ahead and kill me then!”

  Looking up, Tiffany studied the partially visible sky above the forest. The clouds here, she idly noticed, were particularly white and fluffy. A pretty blue bird fluttered by, happily chirping down at the two young women below. As with most dimensions, Tiffany decided, Zarth could be a very nice place, if the people inhabiting it knew how to treat one another.

  Now lowering her eyes once more, the Haven enchantress studied Valensa’s bitter gaze and pained demeanor, so much at odds both with their pleasant surroundings and her own natural beauty. Clearly, the tall brunette had already suffered much throughout her young life.