Ignite

by Andre Pisco

  The walk eventually led them to an extensive meadow, where light green stretched for miles and contrasted with the clear sky, and the landscape was only interrupted by a mountain range to the west. There wasn’t a living soul to be seen. The inexistence of someone or something reassured them and at the same time caused a certain irritation in the nape of the neck. After all, they no longer believed in peace, nor that life would offer them a moment of respite. A place where they could stretch their bodies, rest and remember past times. To exchange information about what they knew and to organize themselves, to talk under the clear sky, telling stories of the first months in the academy. And everyone, except Ghost, would know these stories already, but it would be the warm hope of one day coming back that would feed the spark of courage that, at the disturbing moment, was hiding in the lowest corner of his mind.

  However, they also knew what was at stake. They contented themselves with not being dead and were struggling to keep up with the goal of getting to Relics.

  "Just more... a little more," Ghost said, blood slipping through his clothes, shivering down his body.

  "Hold on. We're going to make it," Max said, thanking James for helping in carrying him.

  James didn’t answer. He turned his face and spat on the floor. There was no wind and the sun was just right, neither too hot nor too weak for the cold to overtake.

  "If this place had a lake it would look the place where we were after running away,” Neil commented with Lucy.

  "I was thinking about it. It's weird, I feel at peace here. I have not felt so peaceful in a long time." She said, looking at the horizon, breathing in, enjoying the springy scent; the soft, sweet of wild fruits.

  "Not even in the academy?" He asked.

  "There is a certain level that is expected of a princess. In fact, I hate that word. It's so... extreme, so unnecessary. I've never seen myself like that. I've never done anything to deserve it, to have an enviable life. I never wanted to sound rude but I thought it was the best thing to do. Focus on the academy without foisting my problems on others. How could I complain to you when you don’t get along with your parents, or with Alec who came from a poor town?" She said all at once, taking a deep breath and then licking her pink lips.

  "I... I didn’t know you thought so, Lucy. You know none of us would have complained." Neil replied, still baffled by the news.

  "I know, but I wouldn’t feel good," she replied, suddenly stopping, "Look! Smoke!" She pointed behind a group of trees in a triangle.

  A gray smoke hovered above the sky, coming from a place a few yards from them, and from the way it climbed upright and only then changed course it was likely to come from a chimney. There was a sudden exchange of glances but no one rushed. They had learned that what seems to be too good sometimes it really is too good to be true.

  "Trust me," Ghost said, his eyelids fluttering and his body shaking.

  "We have to be fast. He won’t survive much longer!" Max said, putting his arm around Ghost’s hip, and begging James to be quick.

  "Let's go together then. Neil and Lucy go together and I go with Lucian," Alec ordered, walking to where Lucian was.

  The wolf's white eyes had only a light blue layer around them and was baring his sharp teeth whenever someone approached Lucian. The same thing happened when Alec leaned against him. He moved away and waited for Lucian to pat him on his fur until the wolf calmed down.

  "Excuse him. He's still nervous," Lucian said, then whispered into the wolf's ear that made him bow his head in front of Alec.

  "I understand. And you, how are you? With everything that happened, I still haven’t had time to ask. I know you shouldn’t be well, but I still have to ask. That's what... friends... do, right?" Alec asked, approaching him slowly.

  "My whole body hurts. I feel myself improving but at the same time, there is a pain that won’t go away. Maybe it's psychological. It's not the first time I've been tortured, you know that..." Lucian replied. His voice was still sharper than usual, and sometimes it failed him.

  "But at this level? The doctor was crazy. The way he looked at the blood! That was not normal and you know it. What happened to you there... we heard…" Alec replied, clearing the conversation calmly, not wanting to chase him away.

  "Did you hear that?" Lucian said worriedly. His reaction told Alec everything he needed to know. He seemed scared to have shown his weak side, the part of himself that he avoided showing everyone so that they would not take advantage of him, and now he had opened it to all.

  "No one judges you or thinks you're weak. We would all do the same... It's not a weakness."

  "But ... but I should have been stronger. I am one of the reasons why we fled the academy, the reason we were tortured, and then I ended up being ridiculous… begging him to stop. The pain... the pain was so much! And yet, I made a mistake. What makes us strong but the ability to fight the pain? The danger? I failed.” he answered, getting out of breath quickly. He lay down on the wolf, his diaphragm moving up and down at a rapid pace.

  "A mishap on the road does not make the rest disappear, you know? We continue together and on our way to Relics. What happened before, let’s leave it in the past. I bet we still have a lot of chances to mend the mistakes we think we made." Alec replied. He smiled at him and stretched out his hand.

  Lucian hesitated but eventually took hold of him. That handshake carried the understanding they still had. The dreams, desires, and even the frustrations of all of them that wouldn’t give up until they had succeeded. They walked for different reasons but one was mutual. They would do it for the colleagues who gave their lives, and for those who fell on the ground without having had the opportunity to fight or flee, for the teachers who fought to the end, for the mission entrusted to them, whether it was an act of despair or because the director knew they were capable. For what they had survived and the obstacles they would still encounter. They stood on the ground and had their eyes fixed on the present and the future. They knew what they were capable of and that in every adversity their power increased, as well as their experience in the world and in battles.

  "Hurry up," James shouted, a few feet ahead of them, "There's a house."

  Alec and Lucian looked at each other wondering if they had heard correctly. There was doubt hanging in the air. Maybe the heat had affected their heads, or the light breeze that ran through the trees had changed the word before it reached them.

  "He said... house?" Lucian asked, continuing to caress the skin at the nape of the wolf.

  "I'm pretty sure he did," Alec said, "we better hurry."

  Alec ran and the wolf carried Lucian. His hair rose like an angel from a shelter, illuminating the path ahead of him and capturing everyone's attention. He ran but his feet didn’t make a sound or touch the ground. He moved silently, leaving no trace except a branch that had trod down the road. The depth of the forest disappeared, being replaced by a trail of steps that approached its exit.

  They all stopped in front of a stone road. It had been made by the man and led directly to the house that was a little higher than them in size. The gray stones had no scratches, and they weren’t broken. They seemed to have been hand-picked by a fanatic about clean objects. It connected the forest to the house and prevented the adventurers or madmen who arrived there from giving up when they ran into the canyons that separated them. In that place, the earth had opened and accepted his work of swallowing those who thought they were brave enough to face it. However, someone seemed to have rejected nature’s challenge and arranged a practical solution.

  "Let's go. Maybe our luck is really changing. “James commented, getting no more response than just a smile in disguise.

  No one wanted to go. They took short steps, looking around, waiting for someone to come through the trunks, to attack them and capture them. They were no longer naive children. They knew the dangers that hid in the most remote places and would not let themselves be captured without fighting, not this time. As soon as they reached the road, n
one of them wanted to take the lead and be the first to step on it. Hearts beat louder than their breathing sound. The temperature rose and sweat crawled under their clothes, flooding them. Even the throats were dry and the sentences dragged on for twice as long as their reaction time. They hadn't slept in over a day and their bodies were tired. Knees trembling and hands too fragile to close. Eyes difficult to keep open and foot pain from so much running

  "We have nowhere to go. We have to try. Stay there," Alec said. He sighed and started walking toward the bridge.

  He pretended to be strong but inside his heart was crashing against the box where it was stored. He lifted his foot and lowered it slowly, fearing that the bridge would be a decoy and would break off at the first touch. He had his right foot still on the ground, not wanting to risk more than mere fright. The sole of the shoe landed on solid ground. He hit the stone to make sure it was safe and only then decided to move forward. He was halfway down the bridge when someone left the house. He could see only his figure, someone small but with a belly bigger than his head, approaching. He had something in his hand, and his body was slowing him down, taking too long to reach the place he wanted. His belly prevented him from seeing his feet and he paused at the end of every 10 steps. When he reached the other side of the bridge, he was almost out of breath and raised his hand, signaling to Alec that he should wait. Alec looked back and shrugged as if to ask his friends what he should do. No one answered. He ended up waiting for the man to regain his well-being.

  It took a few seconds, but finally, he recovered. He arranged his brown hair, short at the tips and flat on top, which detracted from the way his face was seen in the distance, pulling him back, leaving only a hair falling on his face. It made his face look more oval and it only didn’t get any worse because of a few strands of his hair on his face. They were enough to create a straight line from the lower lip to the ear, but not enough to be called a beard. Finally, he straightened his clothes. He wore a light blue t-shirt and black shorts that hung over his knees and a plethora of keys around his neck. Tranquility surrounded him, and yet it was hard to trust him. There was something in the way he smiled at Alec that made the boy think twice before ignoring his request. Darkness behind the smile, impossible to see but easy to be felt. However, and despite having a chip, he had no class.

  "Who are you?" The man asked. After speaking, he opened his mouth again to take a piece of food between his teeth. He tossed it to the floor and stepped on it.

  "We... ah... we're lost. We just want a place to stay the night and where our friend can rest," said Alec, pointing to Lucian, who already had his eyes closed and his breath almost null.

  "Hmmm," the man stammered. He pulled a pair of brown glasses with a thick bottom from his breeches pocket. He wiped them off with the sleeve of his t-shirt and took them to his eyes. He looked back at the group, pausing in each one of them, watching them closely until he noticed Ghost, "Ghost? What did they do to you?"

  "He's in shock. I think he passed out. Please help us. I don’t know how much time he still has. We gave him half a bottle of HP but the wounds are too deep." Max shouted. It was possible to feel the desperation in his hoarse voice due to crying.

  "I don’t usually do this... but come quickly," the man said, turning his back on them and walking as fast as he could.

  They followed him without thinking twice about who he was or if he could be trusted. It was enough that he recognized Ghost and was willing to help them. Alec remembered the last time someone helped them. He wondered what had happened to her, whether she was still alive or whether she had already been captured and succumbed to the pain of torture. She had given her life for them, trusting in their mission, even without knowing what it was. He let her go knowing what was waiting for her when he could have stopped her. He blamed himself even though he knew she had chosen to help them knowing the consequences. The burden he carried increased. He was no longer alone against the world and was not used to having to be strong enough for others. He was distracted for a moment until Lucy touched his shoulder.

  "Are you coming?" She asked. His shoulders were tense and her attitude rigid.

  "Yes. Let's go. Everyone is already on the way. We all need a good night's sleep." Alec said, venting, "My eyes hurt and I feel pain every time I move my arms."

  "We could have stopped to rest ..." Lucy said, not telling him how much her feet hurt.

  "Look at them, Lucy... We're all tired. Even you, right? No one stopped. No one complained. We all know what's at stake. Our life, the mission entrusted to us... We’ll rest when we succeed. When we can breathe with relief knowing that the hope they placed on us was not in vain.” He said, getting silence in return.

  They walked beside each other without exchanging words. There was not much to be said. Without the breeze and shadow of the forest, the sun's rays, warmer and hotter, hit them in the face. There was no place to hide, no way to protect themselves. They were at the mercy of heat strong enough to blind them for seconds if they looked up and made their heads into an oven about to explode. They used their hands to protect themselves, but it was useless.

  Chapter XX

  As soon as they arrived at the house they were greeted by a woman in her fifties who was leaning against the door and invited them in.

  "It's Ghost. He's hurt again. I'll get the emergency kit." The man said. The woman's expression changed quickly from tender to worried. Her eyes grew wrinkled, and her cheeks were sucked in by the spaces between her teeth.

  "Again?" She asked, "Come in fast. Second door on the right. Take him there. The wolf can’t come in.” she said.

  "Go. I'll stay here with him. It will be good for both of us," Lucian told them, rising from his lap and lying on the grass, stretching his body. The wolf lay down beside him and pressed his furry muzzle to his face.

  "Come," said the woman. She waited for everyone to come in and closed the door behind them.

  Max and James were the first to enter the place the woman had told them. The first thing they noticed was the white ceiling. Then on the litter that was in the middle of the room and the smell of mothballs, which they weren’t accustomed and caused them an itch at the tip of the nose. Ghost was laid down, and James took a few steps backward. Max held Ghost’s hand, begging him to wake up. His voice dissipated in the room in a few seconds. There were no windows and the walls didn’t echo. The puzzled thoughts of all were interrupted by a quiet song coming from a guitar that was outside the room. They could hear the chords and even the fingers touching the fragile strings that transmitted the sound through the air.

  "What now?" Neil asked, looking around.

  "I think we're supposed to wait. I don’t like this." James replied, getting ready for a trap.

  "Calm down. Let's trust them.” Alec told them, even though they knew the risk of the situation they had gotten into.

  "We are in no position to do so. You have to lose that habit of trusting people so easily." James replied.

  "If there is no kindness in people why should we strive to save anything?" Alec replied, catching James by surprise.

  He was going to respond but was interrupted. The door opened and the old man entered. His old-fashioned clothes had disappeared and he was now wearing a white coat, transparent gloves, and a blue hat that covered his ears. In his hand, he carried a medical bag with some black pockets lined on the sides.

  "Stand back," the man said. He looked to the side and belched, "He needs intensive care."

  "Max, come here," James said, following the man's movements.

  "But…."

  "Let him do his job. We have no other choice," James said. Serious voice, tense shoulders and lifting his chest.

  "He's right. It's the best thing to do now. Maybe we should go," Alec said, looking at the man as if he were indirectly asking if they needed to stay there.

  "Hmmm. You don’t need to stay here. I thought you’d want to see me treating your friend, but this could get complicated and bloody. Maybe it'
s the best thing to do. My wife is outside. She will appreciate the company," the man said, smiling at them and pulling out medical instruments from his suitcase. Recognizing a few of them gave Alec a sense of comfort and made him remember his home and friends he had left behind. He wondered if Tommy was all right and whether it would be different if it was him there instead.

  "We better go then. We need to stretch our legs and get some rest." Alec said and glanced over at his colleagues, watching their reactions. They all had eyes on the man who was opening Ghost’s stomach in a surgical way and whose blood flowing through the opening made no impression whatsoever.

  "I need to get out of here," Neil said, bringing his hands to his mouth.

  "I'll go with him," Lucy added, using her hands to cover her eyes.

  "You coming?" Alec asked Max, who couldn’t take his eyes off what was happening in front of him. The man was sputtering Ghost’s insides, touching him everywhere, leaving his impressions on the stomach of a fainting Ghost with the HP almost at 0.

  "I rather stay here," he answered without hesitation, "He saved my life. It's the least I can do." He added, wiping away tears and snot from what was left over from the sleeve of his t-shirt.

  "Let him be. He likes to suffer." James corrected him and went to the door. He opened it and let the impact as he closed it tightly spread through the house and plague Max.

  "You think I made the wrong choice? When I decided to trust him? When I asked to give him the HP’s bottle? Max asked Alec, looking into his eyes, his face shaking lightly.

  "Only you know the answer to that, Max. What is wrong for me may not be for you. The way we act is different, you know? Don’t let others tell you what is wrong or right. We'll see in the long run whether that was the right decision. I'm going. I need to stretch my feet and lie down for a while. If you need us, we're out there." Alec answered and walked to the door, opening it and closing it carefully.