Sapphire Ambition (Runics Book 2)

by Jeff Kish

  “I can slice those off,” Era offers as he takes aim with his sword. “Just hold real still…”

  “NO!” Jem cries out as she imagines him slipping and taking off her hand. “Errrr… that is, with the way you fought, Era, we’ll just take out the whole base and find that key ourselves!” She glances to Garn and asks, “Why didn’t you knock this guy out? He seems dangerous.”

  “I thought he might have some answers for us,” Era explains as he turns his attention to his defeated opponent. “Any chance you’ll cooperate without making me beat it out of you?”

  “Hey, I’m good. You guys seem cool,” Garn replies, still facing the wall. “If we’re going to have a chat, can I face you?”

  “Fine. Just sit with your hands where we can see them,” Era says, releasing his hold.

  Garn tugs on each of his hands, surprised at how hard it is to pull them out even without Era actively shaping it. He crumbles the wall enough to get free, and he obediently sits while brushing himself off. “You’ve earned my respect, OAB. What do you want to know?”

  Era blinks in confusion. “Ummm… do I even want to know what that means?”

  “One-Armed Beast, of course!”

  “That’s not… Please don’t call me that.”

  “Whatever you say, ESB.” He leans forward and says, “That stands for Earth Shaping-”

  “I get it,” Era interrupts in annoyance.

  “So what else do you want to know? I just arrived here an hour ago, but I might have some useful information.”

  “Okay, this is too easy,” Jem spouts. “What makes you so compliant all of a sudden?”

  Their prisoner is stunned by the question. “What do you mean? This guy beat me, and if I haven’t made it clear, he did it with one arm. What’s your name, ESB?”

  “Era,” he answers. “And you’re… Garn? From what I heard earlier.”

  “That’s my name! Though my code name is Fireboy.”

  “Is that Fireman guy really your instructor? He’s stronger than you?”

  “I think so!” he exclaims. “I mean, I haven’t seen him in action yet, but I’ve been training under him for three weeks now.”

  “So you both work for these Krypta creeps?”

  “I guess,” he says. “I mean, no one ‘works’ for Krypta. It’s more of a relationship.”

  “Hold up, I’m behind,” Jem interjects. “What is Krypta?”

  Garn laughs until he realizes Jem is serious. “Wait, you really don’t know? I mean, I’d expect that from the Valvoran, though you sound pretty Valvoran, yourself.”

  “Just answer the question,” she grunts.

  “Krypta is a family-owned affair. They control most of the illegal trade market, plus they mastermind private mercenary operations all across this fine country.”

  “The Academy dean said it’s kind of like our Merc Market,” Era adds.

  “Sure, they’re a market,” he affirms, “but their operations are unified. One big family. Papa Krypta is the man in charge. What’s his name… Ulkid?”

  “And Corpit Luk? Where does he fall?” Era asks.

  “Corpit married Ulkid’s niece. She passed away several years ago, but, once Krypta, always Krypta.”

  Era glances at Jem sympathetically. “Seems you entered a Krypta town and asked about one of their mob bosses.”

  Jem rolls her eyes. “That’s about par for the course.”

  “And where is Corpit now?” Era asks.

  “I could make a pretty ault if I knew that,” Garn says. “He and the other bigwigs left a few days ago.”

  Era grimaces. “Unfortunately, that checks out with what I heard from your fellow lackey.”

  “Hey, I’m no lackey! I’m-” With a grimace, he admits, “Okay, I’m kind of a lackey. But I’m moving up the ranks!”

  Jem jabs Era in the side. “We need to move. We’re lucky no one has stormed in here yet.”

  Era raises his eyebrows. “All things considered, it’s creepy how quiet it is.”

  Garn’s eyes bulge. “W-Wait a second, it really has been! That could mean…” Growing quiet, he says, “Ummmm… I gotta go check on something.” Without further warning, he jumps to his feet, jumps over Era’s pitfall, and dashes from the room.

  “Wait!” Era shouts in vain.

  “Way to go, ESB,” Jem groans as she runs after him. “We need to get out of here. NOW.”

  With their escape and the two other prisoners now passed out, the room is quiet until a voice echoes from the deep hole just inside the doorway. “Hello!?” the Fireman calls out, but he is met with a cold silence.

  * * *

  Jem dashes up the stairs, giving little regard for stealth as she attempts to close in on their escaped prisoner, but the heavy shackles tire her out faster than usual. As Era catches up, she reaches a hand out to keep him inside the stairwell. “Hold up! There could be a dozen armed mercenaries waiting for us.”

  Era grips his blade. “Can you fight?”

  “They stripped me of my gear, including Crystalcutter! I never even got to use it,” she laments. With a grimace, she realizes, “I guess we need to leave it behind.”

  Her partner nods his agreement. “If I’m the only one who can fight, you just need to focus on running. I’ll clear a path, so make a dash for the town’s perimeter. We need to-”

  Suddenly, a clamor echoes out from the hallway. Era pushes Jem behind himself and readies his blade, only to watch as Garn races by the doorway in a panic. A moment later, he reappears and says, “You guys might want to run!” before he disappears once again.

  Confused, Era peeks into the hallway to find dressed military soldiers marching their way. “Uhh… Jem? We’d better listen to him.”

  Jem also sticks her head out. “I am so very sick of our luck, Era!”

  “You and everyone we’ve ever met!” he cries as they chase after Garn. They race around a corner and locate an exit, only to find an outdoor area contained entirely within the facilities walls.

  “Why would you escape into a courtyard!?” Jem yells at Garn.

  “I-I’m new to this town! I don’t know where I’m going yet!” he argues.

  “I can get us through a wall, but are there more enemies inside?” Era ponders as Allerian soldiers flood into the open area, and he realizes this may be their best chance to turn and fight. He looks to Garn and says, “Just get your fire ready.”

  “I’m not a fire maker.”

  “Don’t you have a fire rune?”

  “The Fireman wouldn’t let me carry one,” he explains sheepishly. “He said it would hone my fire shaping skills if I didn’t rely on something like that.”

  “How does that make any sense?” Jem asks.

  “I… I guess I didn’t question it!” he admits. “In hindsight, it seems downright ridiculous.”

  Era’s eyes fall to the torches lining the outer walls of the complex. “Okay, I’ll slow their advance. You get some fire and come help me.” He looks to his partner and says, “I’ll try to get you a weapon as well.”

  Jem swallows hard. “Era, maybe we should just surrender.”

  “They don’t look like they’re taking prisoners, Jem.”

  “But there are seven of them!”

  Already focused, Era peers into the darkness and starts analyzing his enemies. “There are eight, actually, but don’t worry. I can take them out by myself if necessary.”

  Jem smacks his arm. “Stop talking like that! You’re not a soldier. You’re Era!”

  The runic’s eyes fall to his feet. “Then it’s a good thing Era was built for combat.” With that, he charges the group of Allerian soldiers, leaving Jem helpless to do anything but watch her friend plunge himself into the darkness.

  Era aggressively swings his blade into the sword of a combatant, but the blades don’t deflect as the earth weapon wraps itself around the opponent’s sword, slithering like a snake toward the hilt. The bewildered soldier releases the weapon, and, in one quick motion, Er
a flings the sword along the ground toward Jem and cracks his earthen whip into his opponent’s thigh to drop him.

  Garn has to force himself to avert his attention from the impressive display as he races to the wall amidst the chaos of Era’s assault. Itching for his chance to join in, he only grows excited when half the soldiers chase after him.

  As Era continues his reckless yet successful assault on their aggressors, Jem slowly kneels and grasps the cold handle of the sword lying at her feet. The courtyard’s torchlight glimmers off the blade as she watches her partner. Never before has she seen such polished and precise attacks out of him, and yet, for some reason, she finds herself terrified. His words echo in her head as, for the first time, she wonders if this is who Era really is.

  Garn gleefully plunges his hand into the largest of torches and unleashes the flames on his pursuers. Two of the adversaries suddenly find their clothes ignited and dive to the ground flailing, and the others put space between themselves and their suddenly dangerous target. A water maker tries his best to douse his allies, but the flames are too intense for his weak salvo to extinguish.

  Taking advantage of the pause, Garn extends his flames along the outer walls. Like a ravenous worm, they circumvent the courtyard and devour each of the remaining torches, growing brighter and hotter as they consume even the walls, themselves.

  One soldier desperately takes aim at Garn and jettisons a spray of water, prompting Garn to gleefully spread his engulfed arms wide and enjoy the cool bath. Devilishly, he aims at the soldier and asks, “Did you really expect that to work?” He unloads the full blast of the searing fire into the soldier, reducing his opponent to ashes.

  The remaining soldier flees in terror, prompting a sigh from Garn as he extends his arm one last time. “All this fire, and I barely get to use it?” The flames lash out at Garn’s final victim, consuming him in an instant.

  Earning his final knock-out, Era wipes the sweat from his brow and starts to relax, but Jem grabs his arm and tugs violently. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks.

  Eyes wide, Jem points at the two smoldering soldiers who weren’t incinerated. “Era!” she whispers. “H-He’s a monster!”

  Garn trots up, disappointed to find that Era also made quick work of his opponents. “Hey, save some for me!” he jests while keeping his flames contained.

  The runic motions toward Garn’s opponents. “What did you do to them?”

  “Toasted ‘em!” he exclaims.

  Jem watches Era for his reaction, but the earth shaper just turns away. “Come on, we’d better see if there are more soldiers around.”

  “I’ll take the lead,” Garn offers as he charges back toward the base. “I want first go at any stragglers!”

  Era starts to follow, but he feels a strong slap from behind, and he’s surprised to find Jem to the point of tears. “He fried them, Era! Turned them to ash! There’s… There’s nothing left to bury.”

  “They were trying to kill us, Jem,” he reminds her as darkness envelopes the courtyard with Garn’s departure.

  “Since when does that matter to you?”

  “Well, why shouldn’t it?”

  “What about your father’s great wisdom!?”

  “I don’t HAVE a father!” Era shouts, his voice booming off the courtyard walls, “so why should I care about his advice?” He stomps the dry ground in anguish. “I-I’m serious, Jem. Tell me,” he pleads, his voice cracking. “Tell me why I should care.”

  She remains quiet, despairing that she doesn’t have a response for him, even as he looks to her in desperation. Era subtly nods, accepting her silence as he follows after Garn. She trails at a distance, longing to help her partner find the answers he so earnestly seeks.

  * * *

  “About time,” Garn says as his newfound ally slides in behind him. The mass of fire he wields has been condensed down to a thin, painfully bright film covering each fist, and Era can’t help but be amazed by Garn’s shaping skills. “Looks like we took out about half the force,” the Allerian says, peeking out the front entrance. “They have our don out there.”

  “Base is quiet, so maybe that squad we found was searching for anyone left,” Era guesses. “Your Krypta friends didn’t put up much of a fight.”

  “No problem. We eliminate these weak soldiers, save my boss, and bask in the glory of victory,” he says with a snide grin.

  “Not me,” Era contends. “Do what you want, but Jem and I are getting out of here.”

  “You can’t leave! The fight’s not done yet!”

  “Like you need me. You’re strong enough to save your boss by yourself.”

  “Not if there are a couple fire shapers out there,” he suggests. “Plus I want to see you in action again, ESB. You gotta come!”

  “And what do I get?” Era asks.

  Garn frowns. “What do you want?”

  “Corpit Luk’s location. I still need to talk to him.”

  “That’s impossible!” he exclaims, too loudly. “My impending promotion would get wiped out if I requested and then shared that info.”

  “Then we’re leaving,” Era replies. “I have better things to do than save the people who captured and beat my partner.”

  Garn wrinkles his nose. “Okay, okay… I’ll do what I can.”

  “Not good enough. Swear you’ll get me that info, Garn.”

  “I’ll keep my word,” he promises. “My word is as good as my flame, and my flame is hot.” Era studies his ally, but he appears to be earnest in his promise. “Okay, now let’s go fry some soldiers!”

  As Jem approaches from behind, Era gets an idea and taps Garn’s shoulder. “Say, Garn, you seem like you’d be up for a challenge.”

  The fire shaper perks up. “What’d you have in mind?”

  “Think you can take all these guys out without killing them?”

  “You mean like that wimpy display of yours in the courtyard?” Garn asks, disappointed.

  “Wimpy?” Era scoffs. “It’s too easy to just incinerate your opponent. It takes true skill to incapacitate someone.” With a shrug, he suggests, “Maybe it’s too hard for a fire shaper.”

  Garn’s eye twitches. “You’re on, earth shaper.”

  Jem gives Era a look of relief and mouths the word ‘thanks’.

  He offers her a smile and says, “We could use your help, if you’re willing.”

  Jem grimaces at her unwieldy sword, which is doubly heavy thanks to the shackles fastened to her wrists. “Sure wish I had my Crystalcutter. Heck, I’d even take my shattered dagger over this thing!”

  Garn hears this and asks, “Did our men strip you of your gear? I’m sure it’s stashed in the storage room next to the prison area.”

  Jem’s spirits lift. “Do I have time to go get it?”

  “Sure, that will give us a chance to stir up some chaos,” Era says. Jem instantly hurries back to the stairwell.

  “I’ll take the lead,” Garn whispers. “Try to keep up!” Without further warning, he charges with a battle cry, and Era scrambles after the hasty warrior.

  The fire shaper’s screams alert the soldiers to their incoming foes, but Garn finds an unprepared soldier and tackles him. When his prey’s allies race to his aid, Garn expands the compressed fire on his fists, creating a searing wall of protection around himself as he rolls off his first victim.

  As the soldiers shield their eyes from the intensity of the fire, Era dashes around the swirling inferno and clubs an unwitting victim in the back of the head. His presence now noticed by the others, he finds himself the target of half the group. He morphs his club into a shield and uses it to protect himself from the heat as he keeps close proximity to Garn, leveraging the searing temperature to keep the group at bay.

  Discontent with the standoff, Garn unleashes his flames in a line to split the group and corral one half, which he charges with another exaggerated battle cry. He condenses the fire to his fists once again and sweep kicks one of the soldier’s legs out from under him. He stom
ps on his victim’s head and spins to the others, exhilarated by the battle. “Not a bad challenge, after all, ESB,” he says to himself as he engages with delight.

  Era rips away another opponent’s sword and slams him in the stomach, but a forceful breeze picks up and causes him to lose his balance. As he stumbles backward, he notices a decorated officer unleashing the torrent that ramps up enough that Era needs to hit the ground. He shapes a solid handle from the earth and holds tight.

  With the wind at their back, the officer’s subordinates charge dauntlessly into the gale and accelerate toward their Valvoran enemy. Era reacts by releasing his hold and allowing himself to be blown backward to escape their reach. He regains his footing and pulls a club from the ground once more, but there are too many opponents to engage at once. He deflects a strike from one as the others crowd around him, yet again wishing he had his good arm back.

  Suddenly, one of the soldiers falls victim to an attack from behind. Brandishing her unique weapon, Jem offers Era a wink as a soldier turns his sword on her, but the elemental blade slices cleanly through his weapon. When the soldier fails to react to the unexpected event, Jem twists her weapon to its side and beats him with it.

  Era’s remaining foe goes on the offensive, but the winded earth shaper simply points his club at the combatant’s head and extends a rod outward that strikes his opponent in the forehead with enough force to incapacitate him.

  The partners bump fists before setting their focus on the air making officer. The squad leader is unnerved by his men getting taken out so effectively, and he glances to the rest, who are also getting eliminated by Garn one-by-one. Boldly, he grips his sword and charges.

  Era and Jem split up, each running to either side so as to pincer their foe, but the Allerian plants his feet and fires a fierce blast of air at Jem to take out her feet. When Era closes in, the maker aims his hand at the ground and fires a blast strong enough to fling him skyward. The maneuver catches Era by surprise, and he readies his blade to intercept the seemingly haphazard assault.

  The officer continues to skillfully send blasts of air toward the ground to keep himself in the air, and he clumsily but effectively gets above Era. Even with one hand still on his blade, the air maker sends a heavy gale down onto his adversary, forcing Era to his knees. With his victim pinned, he releases the wind and falls, his blade ready to strike.