by Sean Hinn
“He’s concerned,” Yano declared. “He’ll know that quake interrupted the harvest. He may not be able to hear us at this distance, but you can bet he’s keeping tabs.”
“If he is, he’ll know the Incantors left,” said Earl.
“Maybe. Sienni, would you be so kind as to make some tea?”
“Make it yourself, Felsin. I’m not here to serve you. Not anymore.”
Mila’s expression darkened for a moment. Earl shot her a glance. Mila stood.
“Of course. How do you take yours?” Sarcasm dripped from her full red lips.
“Hot. With honey.” Sienni was not intimidated.
Earl and Yano shared a sly smile. Mila glided from the room.
“Might want to be careful,” Earl warned. “She’s tryin’ to change, but she’s still Mila Felsin.”
“So? I’m Sienni Gan. And I don’t make tea.”
Yano laughed. “Clearly.”
The three sat quietly until Mila returned with a platter and four cups.
“Here you are, Sienni. Anything else?”
“Give it a rest, Mila,” she replied. “Thank you for the tea.” The others took their cups. Sienni wrinkled her nose as she took a sip.
“No honey?” Sienni asked sweetly.
“Fresh out,” Mila deadpanned.
Earl and Yano sipped their own teas. Both were pleasantly saccharine. The men’s eyes met; they immediately fell into laughter.
Sienni did not miss the joke.
“Funny,” she smirked. Mila snorted. The four shared a brief but genuine laugh.
“Taste it again,” Mila said finally.
Sienni was skeptical.
“Go on. It’s not poisoned.”
Sienni took a sip; her tea was suddenly sweet.
“Impressive. Must have missed the ‘tea-sweetening’ lesson at Kehrlia.”
“Speaking of lessons,” Yano interjected. “It’s time we began.”
Mila nodded. “Let’s start with what you know. You first, Yano.”
“Well, as far as combat spells are concerned, not much. My specialty is wards.”
“Making or breaking?” asked Mila.
“Both. I’m fairly balanced. Though I doubt I can break Sartean’s, not even if I catch him by surprise.”
“We’ll focus on the making, then. What of your elementals?”
“Marginal at best. Though I have some skill with water.”
“Good. That’ll do nicely. How about you, Sienni?”
The red-haired woman demurred. “I’m barely out of Kehrlia, Mila. You know this.”
“I do. But we all have a specialty. What’s yours?”
“Well, I don’t know how it could help, but I’m great with containment fields. If you recall, that’s why you recruited me.”
“It is. That could help a great deal. Anything else?”
“Not really. Well, wait. There is something.”
Mila waited.
“Well, again, I don’t know how it could help, but I’m talented with infusions.”
“How talented?”
“Got a gem?”
“What kind?” Mila asked.
“Well, a diamond if you have one. But anything, really.”
Mila walked to her desk and withdrew a leather pouch. She returned, handing a large stone to Sienni.
“Will this do?”
“Fury!” Sienni stared in awe at the eyeball-sized diamond in her hand. “Yeah, that’ll do!”
“I think you underpaid me, Mila,” said Earl.
“Me, too,” agreed Yano.
“Kehrlia paid you, not me. That’s mine. Dug it out myself.”
“You did not,” said Earl.
“I did. On my second-year excursion to the Sapphire Sea.”
“But… how?” asked Yano, stunned.
“A tale for another time. Show us what you can do, Sienni.”
Sienni stood. “Follow me.”
The three followed Sienni outside. She led them to the empty stable that sat a few dozen paces east of the farmhouse.
“Think anyone will miss this stable, Mila?”
“Well, probably. But the Hanse family has been well compensated.”
“Burn it.”
Mila frowned. “The whole thing?”
Sienni nodded. “Light it up.”
“Stand back,” she warned. Mila closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating. When she opened them, they shone like emeralds. She raised her hands over her head; nine small balls of fire appeared between them, roiling and blazing, dancing around one another in intricate patterns. Mila took a breath. When she exhaled, the balls sped from her towards the stable, each growing to the size of a wagon before they crashed through the walls of the wooden building. In an instant, every flammable surface of the stable was ablaze.
Sienni stepped forward. Intense waves of heat assaulted the fair-skinned woman, but she held her ground. She grasped the diamond before her in a tight fist. She muttered a few words, and without further warning, the flames from the conflagration shot over Mila’s head in a thin, concentrated line, directly towards the diamond in Sienni’s hand. In the span of a few breaths the fire was out; the facets of the diamond shone in brilliant hues of auburn and crimson, flames dancing within, still burning, still alive.
Sienni smiled broadly at Mila. The sorceress was awestruck, and did not bother to hide it. Yano applauded loudly.
Earl, on the other hand, looked as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. His brow was lined with sweat.
“You people are crazy,” he said, meaning it. “How in Fury do you not kill yourselves with that stuff?”
Yano shrugged. “Sometimes we do.”
“Sienni,” Mila asked, “how long will that fire live?”
“Oh, as long as I like, really. If you want I can put a containment spell on it, and it will virtually last forever.”
“And you can release it at will?”
“Anyone can, if I attune the stone to them. But it’s dangerous. Whoever does it will need to know what they’re doing, or it could blow in their hand.”
“Is the diamond… is the fire in there?” asked Earl in awe. “That little rock can hold all that fire?”
“This diamond? Are you kidding me? It would take fifty burning stables to fill this thing. And it could hold other elements, too but it can only contain one at a time. Really, though, fire’s best for diamonds. You want to charge a gem with water, rubies work best.”
“What about air magic?” asked Mila. “Sapphires, yes?”
Sienni nodded. “Or emeralds. Both work fine. Sapphires discharge faster, emeralds are better for a steady flow. What do you have in mind?”
Mila turned to Earl. “Oh Earl,” she said coyly. “You big strong man, you. How’d you like to see if you’re as crazy as the rest of us?” She smiled playfully at the enormous wagon loader, one delicate finger twirling a tease into her long brown hair.
Earl sighed deeply. “Mila Felsin, I think you’re finally starting to scare me.”
XXXIII: THE MAW
Kari woke to a sharp pain in her shin. And another. And a third.
“Ow!” Her eyes snapped open to find Nova kneeling over her in the small tent.
“Breakfast.” Nova crawled through the flap. Kari pulled her boots over blistered feet, wincing.
When she emerged into the cold grey light, what Kari saw next chilled her to the bone. The world was covered in ash. The wind had shifted to westerly at some point since they had made camp shortly before dawn; the pale hand of Fang had extended its reach. The six had set up tents beneath a copse of great elm trees, and the ground on which they camped was the only area visible that was not bleached grey.
“Eat, Flint,” Jade ordered, handing her a bowl of watery stew. “Ye won’t like it, but eat it.”
“Ye can say that twice,” agreed Jasper. “Would it kill ye to bring a bit o’ salt next time?”
“Ye don’t like it, I’ll eat it,” Lux said. “Meat’s meat.”
“This ain’t meat,” Ferris declared, watching Kari pull a face as she began eating.
“How do ye like it?” Jade asked Kari, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth.
Kari forced a swallow and looked up from her bowl. Her five companions expectantly awaited her reply.
“Fury, Sarge, this is awful. Bleedin’ awful.”
The scouts laughed riotously, including Jade; the sergeant was not offended. She had learned the trick of managing rations from Captain Latimer: bad food lasted longer.
“Well, ye’ll get used to it,” said Jade plainly. “Or ye won’t.”
Nova shook her head. “Ye won’t.”
“ ’Nuff about the stew. Talk to me, Jasper.”
“All’s quiet north, Sarge. Bit of activity west.”
“Ours?”
Jasper shook his head.
“How many?”
“Two camps, from what I could tell. Hunters or trappers.”
“Trappers, this far north,” said Lux.
Jasper wasn’t so sure. “Hard to say. Quite a lot o’ game up here, more than I’d expect.”
“Odd,” Lux said.
“Odd,” Jade agreed.
“Why’s it odd?” Kari asked.
Jasper answered. “This time of year, up here in the Maw at least, big game migrates south and west, not north and east.”
“Why?” Kari persisted.
“The snows, methinks. Higher we get up in the hills, deeper the snow gets.”
“It ain’t snowin’ yet,” said Kari.
“It will be, and soon,” Lux said. “Cold enough to snow already. Weather turned quick this year.”
“It’s the quakes,” Nova said. “Scared them whitetails up here towards G’naath, where it ain’t been so bad.”
“Maybe,” Jade allowed. “Doesn’t matter why; point is, if there’s deer up here, there’ll be hunters. Not trappers.”
“Why’s it matter?” Kari asked.
“Ye sure do ask ‘why’ a lot,” Nova mocked.
Ferris objected to Nova’s tone. “Let her ask, Nova. If she’s to be a scout, she’ll need to learn.”
“He’s right,” Jade agreed. “It matters, Kari, ’cause we gotta decide on a route to G’naath. If it’s trappers up here, we just head west. Gnome trappers like to drink and tell stories. Hunters tend to make trouble.”
“So, we head north. Take to the hills,” said Lux. “Great.”
“Is it a longer journey, heading north?” asked Kari.
“Longer, aye,” said Jasper. “And more treacherous.”
“Not much longer,” said Jade. “And not all that treacherous.”
“ ’Cept for Mama,” argued Ferris.
No one spoke. Kari glanced at Nova, but decided to ask anyways.
“Who’s Mama?”
“Not who,” replied Ferris. “What. Dire wolf. Nasty ol’ thing.”
“Ain’t a scout laid eyes on Mama all year,” said Jade. “Could be gone for all we know.”
“She ain’t gone, Jade, and ye know it. That wolf’s been up here ten years. She ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
“How long do dire wolves live, anyhow?” asked Lux.
Nova answered. “Well, if ye believe what Cap used to say, they can outlive a dwarf.”
“Cap tells it like it is. I believe ’im,” Jade asserted.
“Aye,” agreed Nova.
“Aye,” echoed the rest.
“Either way, I say we head north,” suggested Ferris. “Hard to say what the gnomes be thinkin’ these days. Could be they’re anglin’ for a fight. I’d rather we take to the hills and come down on the gate, get word to ol’ Rak, see if he can’t bring this Sandshingle woman out to us.”
“Aye.” Jade was in agreement.
“Easy for ye all to say,” Jasper argued. “Ye aren’t taking point through Mama’s neck o’ the woods.”
“Aw, do ye want me to come protect ye, Jasper?” mocked Nova.
“Hmph,” he replied. “Ye probably just want to get me alone, ply me with drink.”
“Not likely.”
Jade stood. “Let’s get packed up. Lux and Ferris, get the tents. Jasper and Nova, pack gear. It’s near to noon, I’d guess. I’d like to make the caves afore sundown.”
“What sun?” sneered Jasper. The four went about their assigned tasks.
“What can I do?” asked Kari, standing.
“Ye can sit back down.” Jade sat beside her. “Take off them boots.”
Kari frowned, confused, but complied. Removing them proved more painful than putting them on.
Jade inspected Kari’s feet carefully. Angry blisters lined the tops of her toes, but Jade was most concerned about one on the new scout’s left heel.
“This one’ll get infected if ye don’t take care of it. Where’s your skin?”
“Here.” Kari untied the waterskin from her waist.
“Wait here.” Jade stepped away and returned briefly with her pack. She withdrew a small vial of fine green powder.
“What’s that?”
“Moldpowder. Hold out your hand.” Jade shook out a small sample of the substance into Kari’s palm. Jade dribbled a few drops of water from Kari’s skin into her hand.
“Mix it up good with your finger, make a paste, then rub it into the blister.”
Kari did as she was told. “This will kill the infection?”
“It’ll stop it from getting infected at all, if ye put it on every time we stop. And ye will. Every time.”
Kari nodded. “Thank ye, Sarge.”
“Listen, Kari,” Jade said quietly. “The rest o’ these don’t think ye got it in ye to be a scout. But ye made it to dawn last night, and that’s more than I expected.”
“I thought ye said we needed to march through dawn, and all day.”
“Aye, I said that. Wanted to see what ye could handle. Ye kept good pace, but ye tore your feet up doin’ it. Ye need to learn to listen to your body. Pride’ll get ye killed out here. Ye take injury, ye say as much. Don’t matter if it be a blister or a bleed. We know how to treat just about anything, but not if we don’t know it needs treatin’.”
Kari nodded. “I didn’t want to complain.”
“And I don’t wanna hear Lux complainin’ as he carries ye. Lace those boots up and go help with the tents.” Jade stood. “Put a move on, scouts! I be freezin’ me gems off out here!”
“Ye got gems?” Kari asked, laughing.
“Aye, bigger’n mine!” joked Lux.
~
Flint’s Five and Kari dashed between the pines, rushing north by northwest to the foothills delineating Belgorne from G’naath. The distance between the entrances to the two kingdoms was not great, three days’ march at a leisurely pace, but longer by half on the route they had chosen. Jade wanted to make the gates of G’naath before sundown the following day, and such a pace required a run. The air was cold and the path was challenging, even more so with a layer of ash blanketing the ground, concealing mudholes and other obstacles. By the time the sun began to set they had emerged from the pines; the terrain had turned rocky and hazardous. Their pace had necessarily slowed, their eyes no longer focusing ahead but on the ground before them so as to avoid ankle-breaking rocks and crevices. Kari was covered in dried mud to her knees, and she no longer worried over her blisters; her feet were practically numb, and it was all she could do to keep sucking frigid air.
A haunted howl split the twilight air, and Jade held up a fist. Kari was too exhausted to notice; she kept jogging ahead until Jade called her name.
“Flint!”
Kari stopped, turning back to see her sergeant glaring at her angrily. She doubled back.
“Ye watch me, Flint! Always!” Jade hissed.
“Aye,” Kari panted. “Sorry.”
“Ye’ll be sorry if ye run headlong over a cliff, ye blasted fool. Now quiet.”
Lux caught up to the others and the five stood silently, listening. After a turn, Jasper came into view, retur
ning to the group.
“She’s out there,” he said, breathing heavily. “Sure as stone.”
Kari shivered, not from the cold.
“Mama?” she asked, needlessly.
Jasper nodded. “And close.”
“Fury,” swore Jade. “Alright, we’ll need to hole up.”
“The caves aren’t far,” Jasper said. “But I be pretty sure Mama’s between here and there.”
“Can we cut around?” asked Lux.
“Aye, if we head north a few miles, then over. But it’ll be dark soon, and that way’s fair precarious.”
“Nothin’ for it,” declared Jade.
Kari asked another question she suspected to be pointless. “Can ye not kill the wolf?”
Nova laughed. Jade shot her a look. “Doubtful,” she answered Kari. “Gnomes and dwarves been huntin’ Mama for a decade. She’s big, and smart. Last scouts to try never came back.”
“Let’s just go, while there’s light.” said Jasper. “I don’t feel much like breaking a leg.”
“Lead the way, and take it slow,” agreed Jade. “Kari.” Jade’s voice carried an edge of caution. “Ye stay on me heels, now.”
Kari nodded.
The six trudged north as the light of day began to fade. The terrain became increasingly difficult; large boulders blocked their path repeatedly. Some they scaled, some they avoided. Their march became a climb as the slope of landscape grew steep. Loose rocks gave way beneath their feet as they struggled to ascend the hills. Smoother stone sections blanketed in ash were no easier to tread. More than once Jade caught Kari as she lost her footing; eventually they switched places, Jade assisting the new scout from behind.
Kari began to tire; her legs felt like lead.
“I need a rest, Sarge,” she said as they reached a narrow plateau.
As if in response, a ghostly howl pierced the night.
“Nearly there,” Jasper promised, breathing heavily. “A hundred paces west.”
Kari looked to the west; she could see no cave, but could scarcely see anything.
“Ye’ll rest soon enough. Move your arse,” Jade ordered.
Kari heard a tinge of anxiety in her sergeant’s voice. She moved, her eyes darting between Jasper and the terrain in front of her. She could barely make out the contours of the ground; she advanced more by feel than by sight. Jade kept a hand on the small of her back as she proceeded; suddenly, that hand was gone as Jade let out a yelp.
