Fire Sacrifice

by David J Normoyle

  “Holliday told you, remember? The Dawnsday Device.”

  “Which is?”

  “That isn’t a hundred percent clear, but I doubt it’s good,” Konstance said.

  The sentinel’s doom, Holliday had called it. “Don’t tell me you didn’t learn anything more.” There had to be something else. “I killed Holliday to prevent him from destroying everything. I don’t want that to be in vain.”

  “Killing a key enemy leader is a victory in itself surely,” Konstance said.

  I shrugged. “What else did you learn?”

  “They haven’t got this Dawnsday Device, whatever it does, working yet. They apparently need a power source of some kind for it. From what we discovered, it seems this power source is in Lusteer, but the Order haven’t managed to find it.” Konstance placed a black oblong object on the table. It was no bigger than the palm of my hand with a crude switch on the back and a red LED light sticking out the front.

  “That’s?”

  “It’s a tracker—a prototype, recently perfected. It’s designed to detect the location of the power source.”

  “So this is the only one?”

  Konstance shrugged. “That’s unclear. The lab in the police station was working closely with the lab in City Hall. The Order could have something similar to this, or if not, they likely have the plans to create one.”

  “So I need to move fast.” I picked up the tracker. “Show me how it works, and I’ll begin the search.”

  “You don’t need time to sleep?” Konstance said.

  “I grabbed a few hours at the hotel before coming here.”

  Konstance glanced out the window and into the darkness beyond. “No harm in waiting until morning.”

  My eyes narrowed. “You intend to come with me, don’t you? And you want to wait until daytime so you don’t have to film during the night.”

  “Richard considered what I did tonight to be a success, and he suggested I continue, yes.”

  “No way.”

  “I have a vehicle outside,” Konstance said. “Do you intend to cross the city on foot searching for the source?”

  “I can figure out transport.”

  “And a second pair of hands to operate the device while driving?”

  I stood. “Let’s go, then.”

  “Right now? It’s past midnight, and while you were grabbing forty winks, I was frantically editing my footage to show you in your best light.”

  “I don’t care.” I quickly exited the diner.

  To my disappointment, Konstance followed me out and directed me to his car.

  Chapter 4

  Monday 04:45

  It had been a frustrating night. “Are you sure the bloody thing is working?” I demanded.

  I drove while Konstance monitored the tracker. The red LED on the tracker flickered on, then after several long seconds of being off, on again. “It seems to be,” Konstance said.

  “Then why are we driving in circles?”

  The red LED was supposed to flicker on with increasing frequency the closer we were to the power source. However, at two different districts of the city, we’d found spots where the device had been beating on and off rapidly, only for the frequency to later stretch out again. “We should have at least narrowed the location down to a district by now.”

  Konstance shrugged.

  “Who else knows that we found this tracker?” If it was working, then someone was doing something to make things difficult for us.

  “The success assault on the police station was well publicized. Anyone who was aware of the possibility of a prototype tracker would suspect that we had obtained it.”

  “It sure was well publicized,” I said. “Good job on that.”

  “Thanks.”

  I glanced at the back seat where Konstance’s video camera lay. “So maybe you should rethink the strategy of filming everything and putting it on TV. There are drawbacks.”

  “You have to move with the times,” Konstance said. “Used to be asked that if a tree falls in a wood and no one hears it, did it actually fall.”

  “Used to be asked by idiots,” I said.

  “These days if something isn’t posted on social media of some kind, did it actually happen?”

  “Only shallow people are defined by how many people like them.”

  “And yet, more and more, it’s the most important marker of success,” Konstance said. “Snobs can laugh at the new generation of celebrities, be they reality TV stars or YouTube sensations or boyband; these people will define new generations as role models and influencers; and in some cases, future leaders and future oligarchs.”

  I glanced back at the video camera once more. “If you think you are going to turn me into a reality star, you’ve another thing coming.”

  “We need to at least break even in the public opinion war or nothing else will matter. You heard Walker’s speech.”

  “Holliday said that if he falls, a thousand will rise in his place.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And why are you doing this all of a sudden?” I asked. “You’re a bodyguard, not Rupert Murdock.”

  “I had to adapt,” Konstance said. “My skills became obsolete.”

  “Looking intimidating while flanking your boss is a skill now.”

  “You know my skills first hand.” Konstance grinned. “I doubt even those with magical healing forget your first stabbing.”

  “I was just a kid back then.” When I hadn’t yet discovered my abilities, Konstance had run me through with a sword. I smiled, remembering. Back then, death was a scary prospect. “I was just a kid.”

  I stopped the car at a traffic light, and Konstance glanced across at me. “It’s true you are barely recognizable from then. What happened to that kid?”

  “He grew up the hard way.” With no cars approaching the intersection, I didn’t wait for the light to turn green. “Anything from that infernal machine?” I asked, accelerating.

  “Power source is still a distance away.”

  “How come you had a sword in the first place? What use are sword skills to the modern bodyguard?” I asked. “Aren’t you all about moving with the times?”

  “I’m accomplished with guns too, of course, but, as you will have noticed, Richard has a fetish for medieval weapons. In high school, I did both fencing and martial arts—I think that’s why Richard hired me. He liked me learning how to use the various weapons in my downtime.”

  “Did you practice with crossbows?” Some medieval weaponry was coming back into fashion.

  “Just hand to hand stuff. A lot of good any of that is now that super-powered people are running around the place.”

  “So that’s why you now wield a video camera?”

  “Seeking a role for myself.”

  “Aren’t we all? Though, are you sure your role isn’t….” I shook my head. “Never mind.”

  “Go on.”

  I hesitated before deciding to speak my mind. “I was thinking that the video camera is just an excuse—that you were sent to watch me.”

  Konstance scoffed. “You think I’m a spy?”

  “It had crossed my mind.”

  “Maybe you are less important than you think.”

  “It was just a thought.” I spotted an all-night gas station and pulled in. “I’ll pump, you pay.” I climbed out the driver’s seat, stretched, then unhooked a gas hose. Konstance headed for the shop. “Get me a coffee. And pick up a city map.”

  After the tank was filled, Konstance returned with a bag full of sweets and soft drinks as well as the coffee.

  “That’s hardly good nutrition for a medieval weapons expert,” I said.

  “Because discipline and hard work matters when all the training you ever did becomes undermined by magic.” He opened a can of Coke and took a long swig. “Plus, this is standard fair for nighttime missions.”

  “Did you bring the map?”

  He pulled a map from the bottom of the bag and handed it over. Then he r
ipped the wrapper off a Hershey’s chocolate bar and offered me a bite.

  I shook my head and opened up the map. “We’ve had hits with that tracker in two different districts, right? Assuming that the thing is working and that there’s only one in the city, that means that the power source is mobile and that it’s been moved, likely to avoid detection from us.” On the maps, I pointed out the places where we’d had hits on the tracker. “Both these districts are on the outer sections of the map close to the ring road. What if the power source is being driven around in a vehicle to escape detection?”

  Konstance, whose mouth was full of chocolate, gave a shrug.

  I pointed out to a point on the map close to where we were located. “Let’s drive to Ring Road and wait on an overpass. If we can’t get to the power source, perhaps it’ll come to us.” I turned on the engine without waiting for a reply and pulled out of the parking lot.

  By the time we reached the overpass, Konstance had eaten a large chunk of the food he’d bought, and he looked well satisfied with himself. Merely watching him eat all that junk had sickened me, so I wasn’t sure how he was keeping it all down.

  I slowed as I drove up the overpass. With no lay-by or shoulder on the overpass, I drove two wheels onto the sidewalk,

  “No one much cares about traffic violations anymore,” Konstance said. “An advantage of living in a city at war.”

  “I wouldn’t call it an advantage.” I nodded toward the tracker on Konstance’s lap. “Anything?”

  Konstance shook his head.

  “Then we wait.” I took a sip of coffee and leaned back against the headrest.

  I jolted forward to find Konstance’s hand on my shoulder. “My time to sleep,” he said.

  It took me a moment to register where I was and what I was doing. My coffee cup was in the holder. I picked it up and took a sip. It was cold. “We aren’t taking turns sleeping.”

  “You’re all take and no give. Did anyone ever tell you that? And before you ask, the tracker’s barely blinked. I’ve been sitting here looking at nothing and listening to you snore.”

  The night was brightening into day. We were still parked on the overpass, and the frequency of traffic was beginning to pick up. “Let’s wait here another hour, then we’ll take a break and consider other options.”

  Konstance nodded, and I took another sip of cold coffee.

  “Dawn encourages reflection, I find,” Konstance said after a moment’s silence.

  “I don’t.”

  “Ever question the side you are on?” Konstance asked.

  “Nope.” I was hoping the monosyllabic answers would discourage Konstance’s reflections, but they did the opposite.

  “I’ve been Richard’s bodyguard for over ten years now,” he said. “Asking questions isn’t exactly in a bodyguard’s job description, is it? Quite the opposite, actually. In movies, bodyguards are just suits to get beaten up by the heroes; no one asks if they knew that their employer was a villain before the hero kills them.”

  “So you consider Beacon Sulle a villain?”

  “No. Of course not. I consider Richard a friend. I’m talking in general. I remember seeing a comedy sketch once with two goons with black skull insignias who ask: ‘What if we’re the bad guys?’ Funny, huh?”

  I shook my head. “Not particularly.”

  “You probably need it see it. What if we are the bad guys?” Konstance smiled. “So you don’t question if you’re on the right side.”

  “Used to,” I said.

  “Why did you stop?”

  “Trusting myself never worked out. I always made the wrong decisions, always made things worse. When I needed help against the dragon, Uro supplied it. Now I let Beacon Sulle make the decisions, and I just do the fighting.”

  “You’d prefer to trust in someone else rather than yourself.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But you don’t, do you? Not completely.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You didn’t do much killing back there in the police station.”

  “I completed my mission.”

  “Without killing anyone except Holliday. And from the look on your face when he fell, that was more accident than intention.”

  “I did what I had to,” I said, a growl in my voice. “And how come your questioning is happening now? Beacon Sulle has always been a fire sorcerer, always been scaling the ranks of rich businessmen. I’ve no doubt he’s always been an immoral bastard. And you worked with him for ten years.”

  “Things are—”

  “I’ll tell you. It’s because you feel abandoned by him. You thought you were his friend when the truth was that he just needed a skilled bodyguard. And with the influx of super-powered people, your abilities have lost their usefulness.”

  “Heh.”

  “You thought you could use your amateur film skills to keep yourself relevant. But the truth is that Beacon doesn’t care—”

  “Hey!” Konstance held up the tracker. “I can’t say for sure, but from the way the frequency of the flashing is increasing, I’d have say that the power source is barreling toward us.”

  I opened the car door and stepped out into the cold morning air, then rushed to the barrier and stared down at the fast-moving traffic. Konstance appeared beside me, the tracker in one hand, his video camera in the other.

  “What size is this power source?” Rune asked.

  “No idea.”

  “Let’s assume it’s not in a car and that something bigger is needed to transport it. How quickly—”

  I glanced at the tracker where the red LED blinked furiously. “It must be close.” A van and a small truck stood out amongst smaller vehicles. It could be either of those two.

  “Shouldn’t we get back in the car so we don’t lose them,” Konstance said.

  “No need.” I chose the van and quickly moved along the overpass until I was directly opposite it. I then leaped onto the barrier, waited until the right moment, and jumped.

  As my feet touched down, I allowed my knees to buckle to take the impact, then I threw myself forward so that I was lying flat on the surface. I pushed my palms against the metal to keep myself stable. The wind tore at my clothes and my hair, and sucked away my body heat, freezing me to the bone. I glanced across at the truck, which was two lanes over. If the van proved to be the wrong option, I’d possibly be able to jump from car to car and reach the truck.

  I took a moment to get used to the strength of the wind, then I scrambled forward to the front of the van and reached down for the passenger side doorhandle. It was unlocked. In one swift motion, I jerked the door open and swung myself down and into the passenger seat. The door slammed shut behind me.

  I immediately knew I was in the right vehicle when I recognized the driver of the van, even though it was the last person I expected.

  It was Danny the truck driver.

  Chapter 5

  Monday 07:10

  “Hi, Rune,” Danny said cheerfully. “Good to see you.”

  “You’re glad to see me? Really?”

  “Of course. It’s been while. How are you keeping?”

  “I just open the passenger door and enter while you are driving at sixty on the freeway, and you ask me how I’m keeping. Like it’s the most normal thing in the world.”

  “Last few years, I’ve seen a lot of strange things,” Danny said. “You get used to rolling with it, you know?”

  A small divider panel to the back of the van was snapped open, though a metal gauze still obscured seeing anything except shapes and shadows. “We heard something,” a woman’s voice said.

  “Hi, Persia,” I said.

  “You? I might have known.” She slid the panel closed.

  “Don’t worry, she’s happy to see you.” Danny gave me a smile.

  “You’re in a different movie than the rest of us, Danny,” I told him.

  He nodded. “Good, good. I never liked to move with the herd.” He chuckled. “My wife said I might
be slower than most in getting where I was going, but I got there more often than anyone else.”

  “Your wife sounds like a wise woman.”

  “She was. She also said that when the world shifted beneath your feet, knowing where to stand was more important than getting anywhere fast.” Danny clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll find your way. How did the pickup treat you?”

  “Very well,” I told him, trying to remember where I’d left it. I had driven it to Lusteer, parked it, then just basically forgotten about it. “About that cabin by the lake. I’m afraid that—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Danny said. “When this is over, we’ll figure out what’s standing and what’s not. Then we’ll get to the rebuilding.”

  “How did you end up in the middle of this?”

  “Called down to your house on Fenster Street a few times, seeing if you’d returned. Met Persia there and got to know her. Started helping out a bit.”

  “With what exactly? Are you transporting some kind of a power source?”

  Danny glanced across at me, a quizzical look on his face. “I don’t think so. You sure you jumped on the right van?”

  “I am. I better check the back. Is it just Persia? Never mind, I’ll let it be a surprise.” I didn’t want to put Danny in a position where he felt he had to betray someone.

  “Should I pull in then?” Danny asked.

  “No need.” I put my hand on the door handle. “I’ll just climb onto the roof and scramble to the back door.”

  “Okay.” Danny said it in a matter-of-fact tone as if that was the most sensible way to enter the back of a van.

  “Keep her steady then.”

  As I pulled on the handle, Danny grabbed hold of my sleeve. “They say you’ve gone bad,” he said. “Don’t worry. I believe in you.”

  I didn’t know how to reply to that, so I just pushed open the door and stepped outside, using a little step to support myself as the door slammed shut. I climbed up to the roof, then carefully crawled toward the back, the wind thundering in my ears. Once I reached the back door, I began to have doubts. What was I going to do if it was locked? I didn’t want to use my magic to blast through in case I injured Persia inside. Perhaps I should have asked Danny to pull over. Just because I could navigate the outside of a van at sixty miles an hour didn’t mean I should.