Dreams of Fire

by Christian Cura

  “So, you believe Saba is concealing her true power from us?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And why do you think she would do that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  John leaned back in his chair and stared down at his desk with his fingertips steepled at his lips. “Monitor everything she does. Verify what you can of her background and if anything looks suspicious I would like to know about it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Saba Qureshi Prison, Canadian Wilderness, Present

  The next day, after physical training had concluded Saba stood at attention with the other recruits. Her body ached and her muscles throbbed from all the abuse she allowed herself to take. But despite the pain, Saba stood arrow straight among her peers. Her heart still thumped from their sparring session but her face did not betray her fatigue. Saba was ready for anything the officers could throw at her.

  The recruits were formed in staggered lines in the training arena while Amelia Schumacher paced up and down their ranks. A chill breeze blew through her short, brown hair. She regarded them with the same hard stare she gave them on the day of their arrival.

  “We are looking for volunteers for Tower duty. This is an important responsibility. The Tower is the only thing that keeps the prisoners at bay. So, it is absolutely critical that it is well-guarded at all times. Anyone?” Amelia stopped her pacing and cast her eyes across the arena. All the recruits remained silent as they stared forward. “Really? No one?” she pressed. Silence. She opened her mouth as if she were about to say something else, when suddenly, Saba raised her hand. Amelia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Miss Qureshi! Your initiative is refreshing! What say the rest of you? Is Saba the only willing victim today?” More silence. Only the gentle wind broke through the quiet. “Very well then. Brandon Smith and Stephen Cho, you will join Saba for Tower duty.”

  Saba thought she heard Petra stifle a giggle.

  “Miss Toschakova, do you find something humorous?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Amelia grinned.

  Saba gave Petra a sidelong look as a corner of her mouth lifted.

  “My three victims can stay. The rest of you are dismissed,” Amelia announced. The recruits departed from the arena but Saba, Brandon and Stephen remained. “Right this way,” she said to them. The three recruits followed obediently.

  While the other recruits devoured their lunch in the mess hall, Amelia escorted the three “volunteers” to the Tower. They were met with two guards at the door who stood at attention at the sight of Amelia. She typed in the access code and told the three of them to memorize it. Saba repeated the code internally to herself several times. The door slid open with a hiss and the four of them entered. She led them up a winding stairwell where they saw two more guards descending toward them. Once they arrived at the top, Amelia took them into the control room.

  The whole chamber was bathed in the crimson glow of the crystal. It shone brightly atop a wide, metallic cylinder which contained machinery that amplified its energy, Amelia explained. “The energy output from the crystal generates a lot of heat which is why we need to constantly monitor the temperature to prevent the amplifier from breaking down.” she continued. Amelia motioned to a control panel where two more Enforcers sat. A myriad of screens displayed diagnostic reports on the Tower’s functions. Amelia explained each on in detail and then let the two Enforcers acquaint the three volunteers with the controls. Saba committed everything to memory and by the end of their little orientation, she knew all the buttons and switches like second nature.

  “I can’t believe you volunteered for that shit!” Petra said. It was the evening now, and she and Saba reclined in their dorm. Petra leaned back in her chair with her feet propped on the desk.

  Saba sat cross-legged on the bottom bunk with a book in her hands. “Of course, I would volunteer. I want to learn anything and everything I can about the prison’s operations.” she said without looking up from her page.

  “You know, you don’t need to kiss up to the officers like that.”

  “I’m not kissing up. I just want to be the best Enforcer I can be.”

  Petra shook her head. “Oh, Saba. What are we gonna do with you?”

  “Lights out!” Officer Jones yelled from the corridor outside. The two roommates jumped at his voice. Then Saba closed her book and pulled the covers over herself. Petra clambered up to the top bunk and laid herself down.

  “Good night, over-achiever.”

  “Good night, ginger.”

  Rachel McGuinness Prison, Canadian Wilderness, Present

  Saba slammed the door shut on another rogue. The heavy clang echoed through the stone passage and Saba locked it with a single gesture. She sighed with relief.

  “Great work today,” Rachel smiled.

  “Thank you, Miss McGuinness,”

  They had just returned from their fifth patrol in Vancouver which ended in a foiled bank robbery. She and Rachel confronted three outlaw mystics while they held customers and employees hostage in the lobby. After a brief but intense exchange of magical lightning, the two of them subdued the criminals and brought them into custody. The astounded bystanders only stared as Rachel and Saba floated the unconscious rogues out the door and into the cruiser.

  This was their first successful patrol together and Rachel could see the difference in her new partner. Saba had a rocky start in her training but it seemed the more she was out in the field, the more competently she handled herself.

  “How does it feel to lock up your first rogue?” Rachel asked.

  Saba smiled. “It feels great. When is our next patrol?”

  “Not until next week. We’re starting you off slow. Why don’t you retire for the evening? I’ll take care of the paperwork.”

  “All right. Have a good night, Miss McGuinness.”

  “And you as well.”

  Then Saba turned and went to her living quarters.

  Rachel sat at her desk and typed a detailed report on the rogues she and Saba had apprehended earlier that afternoon. Her fingers clicked furiously at the keys while the sun sank outside her window. One by one, the desks around her were vacated as her fellow Enforcers trickled out of the office for the day. Eventually, Rachel was the only one left, the lone sound of her typing filling the empty room. Rachel finished her report and sent it off to the Council database.

  She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms. Then Rachel gathered up the dossiers of the three criminals and sorted them into their respective folders. While she slipped them into a cabinet beneath her desk, Marcus walked up to her cubicle.

  “How’s the new recruit doing?” he asked.

  Rachel closed the cabinet and spun around to face him. “Very well. She helped me put away three rogues today.”

  Marcus’ eyebrows rose. “Three? Really?”

  “You don’t need to sound that surprised.”

  “I’m just sayin’ she’s not the most brilliant fighter I’ve ever seen.”

  “She’s evolving. It may have taken her longer than the others, but Saba is on her way.”

  “Well, she’s still got a ways to go from what I’ve seen.”

  “Don’t worry. She’ll get there,” Rachel reassured him.

  Marcus gave her a skeptical look. “We’ll see.”

  Amelia Schumacher Prison, Canadian Wilderness, Present

  Early the next morning, Amelia walked through the arena while the new recruits performed their combat training. Her sharp gaze observed the pairs around her as they rehearsed their throws and takedowns. Soft thuds and stifled groans echoed all over the arena. Sweat stained the recruits’ sweaters even while panting for breath, they rose to their feet again. Amelia nodded with stoic approval at the techniques she saw. The recruits in general threw one another with trained finesse and Amelia found little to correct. She cast her gaze across the arena as another recruit hit the ground at her feet.

  Her eyes stopped when she found Saba with her partne
r, Petra. Amelia watched closely as Petra stepped back and dragged Saba’s arm forward. She then scooped under it with her right arm and hoisted it over her shoulder. But Saba halted the technique right there. Petra released her arm and turned back to Saba with an inquisitive look in her eyes.

  “You don’t want to wrap my arm over your shoulder like that.” she heard Saba say. “Because you’re placing my arm directly against your neck which means I could choke you. Try this instead.”

  Petra allowed Saba to demonstrate. She dragged her arm forward then turned and clamped it in place against her own bicep. Then Saba dropped to her knees, bent forward and threw Petra over her shoulder. The red-haired young lady hit the ground in a perfect break-fall then stood up and attempted the throw again. This time she did it flawlessly. Petra smiled and thanked Saba.

  Amelia made a mental note of the interaction and filed it away for future reference.

  Later that morning, Amelia called Rachel to her office. She looked up from her desk as soon as she entered. They greeted one another and Rachel sat down.

  “So, how have your patrols with Saba been going?” she asked.

  “She’s been doing great. I think she has a lot of potential as an Enforcer.”

  “I’m pleased to hear it. And what has she told you about herself? Do the two of you talk much during your patrols?”

  Rachel told her everything she knew of Saba’s background.

  Amelia checked her statements against her identification records. Everything was consistent.

  “Why do you ask?” she continued with a crinkled brow.

  Amelia paused before she answered. “I think she may be hiding something from us.”

  “Is this about the guitar incident?”

  “Yes.”

  “Amelia, don’t you think it’s possible that Saba was not aware she could read energy before that night?”

  “Maybe. I’m not really sure what to believe at this point.”

  “Saba is quickly becoming a valuable asset to me in the field. Please don’t allow that one little quirk to twist your perception of her. She may be reticent, but I would not believe for a minute she is deceptive.” Rachel said with a steady gaze.

  Amelia sat back in her chair and nodded. “I will take your words into consideration. That’s all for now.”

  Rachel rose from the chair and left.

  Saba Qureshi Prison, Canadian Wilderness, Present

  During the lunch period, Saba sat alone as usual. The long, empty table stretched on either side of her while she ate in silence. A general buzz of conversation filled the room with an occasional burst of laughter. The clinking of silverware rang in her ears as the aroma of steamed vegetables and roasted meat wafted by her nose. Saba had just barely begun to eat when she heard someone call her name.

  She turned and looked around. Directly behind her, she saw the red-haired Petra wave at her. She sat on the far side of the table surrounded by several others she only recognized by facial appearance.

  “Come sit with us!” Petra called.

  Saba rose from the bench and picked up her tray. Then she re-seated herself with Petra’s group.

  “Everyone, this is Saba, my roommate.”

  “Hello, everyone.”

  Petra then introduced her friends. Seated next to her was a muscular young man by the name of Brandon. His short brown hair was neatly trimmed and his dark eyes twinkled with a cocky gaze. Across from him was a skinny recruit of Chinese descent. His name was Stephen and he greeted Saba warmly. His thin lips curved upward beneath a pair of narrow eyes.

  “Thanks again for helping me with that throw today.” Petra said.

  “Oh yeah. You also taught me a takedown I was struggling with a couple weeks ago.” said Stephen.

  “You’re welcome.” Saba grinned at both of them.

  “You’re probably the one good thing in our brutal training sessions. Today was hell!” Petra said.

  “I was dying out there when we were running laps. The only thing that kept me going was Officer Jones’ whip.” said Stephen.

  “Is that whip really necessary?” she asked.

  “He likes to indulge his dominatrix side.” Brandon smiled.

  Petra slapped her forehead. “Gods, I can’t believe you just said that.”

  Stephen covered his mouth and laughed.

  Saba chortled but made no comment.

  They spent the rest of their lunch period talking about casual things. Saba said little but smiled and nodded in all the right places. Petra and her friends exchanged gossip about the other recruits and recounted stories of their patrols in the city. The three of them had yet to apprehend their first rogue.

  “What about you, Saba? Have you seen any action in the field?” Stephen asked.

  “Yes. Rachel and I stopped a bank robbery just recently.”

  “No way!” Brandon replied.

  “Do tell,” Petra grinned.

  Saba told them in detail how she and Rachel battled the rogues inside the bank. They listened fully enthralled as she went through the encounter blow for blow. She kept them fully captivated by her story right up until the last second of their meal. When she finished, Petra and her friends congratulated her on a job well done and then they all resumed their training for the day.

  Saba looked up at the unchanging readouts while her partner, Stephen, snored in the chair beside her. He slumped against the seatback with his eyes closed and his feet propped on the control panel. She could hardly blame him. The temperature of the amplifier was nominal and would always be nominal. The glow of the Tower was unceasing, perfectly static. Up here, above the grounds of the prison, there was nothing but the constant hum of the machinery and the red light of the crystal. Within hours of her first shift on Tower duty, Saba was beginning to see why the other recruits didn’t want to volunteer for it. Tower duty was mind-numbingly boring.

  Saba had to admit to herself that she would much rather spar than sit here in the control room. At least that was stimulating. But Saba had a mission and she embraced all parts of it, not just the exciting ones. She looked at the data screen and recorded the temperature in the logbook. Then she sighed and gazed out the window.

  She watched the tiny Enforcers below crisscross the compound in a continuous flurry of activity. Uniformed officers arrived and departed for patrol as their cruisers trickled in and out of the prison. Recruits trained in the arena. The office windows burned brightly under the darkening sky while the veteran Enforcers plowed through paperwork. Saba checked her watch and saw there was still another hour before the shift change. There had to be something else she could learn while she was here.

  She rose from her chair and paced about the chamber. Saba walked past more instruments and more screens surrounded by panels of knobs and switches. Then she came to a tall, narrow bookshelf filled with thick volumes. Saba pulled one of them from the shelf and perused its contents. It was a manual that detailed all the inner workings of the Tower. She saw diagrams which illustrated all the machinery and the functions of the controls. Perfect. Saba sat down and pored over the document.

  When the hour was done, the next pair still had not arrived for their shift. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. Yet still, she and Stephen sat there. Saba was in the middle of her reading when suddenly she felt a prickling on the back of her neck. The second-in-command was on her way. She could feel her energy ascending the stairwell. Saba reached across and shook Stephen gently. He jumped in his seat.

  “Look busy, Cho. Schumacher is coming.”

  Stephen sat up and grabbed the logbook in front of Saba. He immediately began noting the statistics on the screens before him.

  When Amelia entered the control room, she found them both occupied. “What are you two still doing here? Where are Scott and Preston?”

  Stephen shrugged.

  “I don’t know ma’am.” Saba answered.

  Amelia cast an Orator Spell and connected with the two missing recruits. “Scott and Preston,
report to the Tower for your shift immediately.” Then she severed the spell. “This lack of discipline is disappointing,” she fumed.

  “We’re both happy to stay until the other two arrive,” said Saba. “Aren’t we, Cho?”

  Stephen’s shoulders sagged. “Sure,” he replied.

  “Thank you.” Amelia said.

  When the two unfortunate recruits arrived, they resembled a pair of guilty puppies with their tails between their legs. Amelia gave them a verbal lashing that neither Scott nor Preston would soon forget. She ended her tirade by demanding them to turn over their bracelets. Without the silver bracelets, Scott and Preston’s magic would be stifled just like the prisoners. The pair of recruits dropped their eyes to the ground and unfastened their bracelets slowly. Amelia snatched them away. “I will return these to you when I feel like you’ve learned your lesson,” Then she turned to Saba and Stephen. “You are dismissed.”

  Later that night, Saba slept fitfully in her bunk. She lay there beneath the covers, her eyes clamped shut while she muttered in the dark. The echo of distant thunder rumbled in her thoughts. Saba’s heart raced and she clutched at the bedsheets. She tossed and turned while sweat trickled down her face. Then the crack of lightning pierced her ears and her eyes snapped open. Saba gasped and sat up in her bed. For a moment, she simply breathed as her heart rate gradually slowed. She had had the dream again. Saba remembered it all too well; the glow of the Tower, the drizzling of rain, the odor of a burnt corpse.

  Saba heard the rustling of bedsheets above. Petra must have felt her energy spike and awakened. Her roommate floated down to her.

  “Are you okay? I felt a spike in your energy just now. What’s the matter?” she asked.

  Saba took a composing breath before she replied, “I’m fine. It was just a bad dream. Go back to sleep.”

  Petra looked at her skeptically in the dim room. For a moment, Saba thought she would press the matter but instead she just said, “All right.”

  Then she climbed back up without another word.