“Ren! Let it go. Not here, not now.” Few-Fries-Short urged as he pulled at the other teen arguing with Torin. Torin towered over the kid; he was smart to urge the other kid to back off.
“Lay off!” Ren shouted back. “We tried it your way, Fenick. It didn’t work.” Ren snapped his fingers, causing a spark that quickly formed an arc of flame directed toward the side of the building.
BOOM! The ground shook and a huge fire blasted skyward.
“No!” Jonas ran to the side of the building where the explosion had originated. Torin punched Ren in the jaw causing him to stumble backward.
“Let’s go!” Fenick pulled Ren away from the fight he seemed eager to continue. Ren fought Fenick but finally gave in and ran away with him.
Torin and I caught up with Jonas. He helplessly stared at the fireball that was once his car. The extra gas filled canisters Jonas had packed for the remote parts of the trip fueled the huge inferno. All our supplies and personal items were gone.
“Your meds are in my bag.” Jonas patted the black backpack on his shoulder. “But the rest of your stuff was in the vehicle.” He shook his head.
Torin came up next to us and cleared his throat. “They’re gone.” I wasn’t surprised to hear this as Fenick seemed to evaporate into thin air each time I had encountered him.
Jonas spun and shoved Torin. “What did you do? Huh? Who the hell was that guy and what did you say to piss him off?”
Torin pulled away defensively, “Look, I don’t know who that was. He went on about wanting us to turn around and leave well enough alone. I told him to mind his own business, but the hot head wouldn’t let it go. How was I supposed to know he’d do this?” Torin motioned to the blaze.
“I knew the other one, or at least I’d seen him before,” I said.
Jonas and Torin turned and faced me.
“He said the same thing, that we should not be heading back to Yardis. Maybe it’s a trap.”
“Nonsense. They are just two punk kids causing trouble. Probably trying to scare you off.” Jonas concluded.
“Two punks with mystical talent,” Torin muttered, earning him a cross look from Jonas but a “you’re not wrong” look from me. Why was Jonas downplaying this? Torin and I exchanged frustrated glances.
Jonas pulled out his billfold and handed a few bills to Torin. “Head in and pay the bill. I’ll…deal with this, then we’ll settle in for the night at that inn over there,” he nodded down the street, “and start off in the morning.”
“What about our stuff?” Torin asked.
“It’s replaceable. We’ll get new supplies at the local shops before we head off again. We’ll have to find another way to Yardis though.” Jonas ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“What should I do?” I asked.
“Keep a look out for those two troublemakers. They owe me a new car and an apology.” Jonas pulled out his phone and dialed 911. The few people outside of the café had come to watch the blaze at a safe distance. Thankfully, no other cars were parked out back.
I turned on my phone, snapped a shot of the blaze, and sent it to Leo.
Me: Lost our ride.
It took a moment for him to respond.
Leo: WTF! Well it’s not a party till you torch the car. What happened? You okay?
Me: Yeah, I’m fine. My stuff is gone—nothing big, except some pics and my novel.
Leo: What happened?
Me: Too complicated to text. Promise to tell you when I get home.
Leo: K. That mean you’re headed home now?
Me: I don’t think so. Spending the night in this town, then heading off, somehow, tomorrow.
Leo: K, stay safe and go roast some marshmallows! Make the most of the moment. Lol!
Me: Ha! Nice. Bye.
Chapter 6
The night at the Inn was uneventful. I phoned home and told my parents about the explosion. They were concerned, but I reassured them everyone was okay. Jonas called for a morning charter flight to some place north of here named Fort Albany. He and Torin shared a bed and let me have the other one to myself. We stayed up watching latenight TV until Jonas turned it off and reminded us of a heavy travel day tomorrow. The red neon Inn sign, glowed bright through the thin curtains.
“Hey Torin? Know why they just call this place Inn?” I asked.
“Because they couldn’t afford more letters for the sign.” We both burst out laughing at his answer.
“Alright you two, go to bed.” Jonas ordered before rolling over and going to sleep.
In the morning, I awoke to the sound of hushed voices. I stayed still, and peered through my eyelashes at Jonas talking at Torin. I couldn’t make out what he said, but I didn’t miss Torin say “I’ll do my best. I understand the importance.”
Jonas shook his head in frustration. “You’ll do your best,” he mocked. “This is not a time to try; this is the time to succeed. Whatever it takes.”
Torin clenched his fist at his side then stormed out of the hotel room. I stirred in bed, letting Jonas know I was awake. He went about getting ready without addressing me.
Once Torin returned a half hour later, we headed further into town to get essentials for the rest of our travels. We downsized to backpacks as the store didn’t have any duffel bags. It didn’t matter; I had no intention on staying any longer than I had to. My Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies were replaced with Jos Louis snack cakes. Unfortunately, Duncan Dop’s Shop did not have a copy of The Hobbit to replace mine, so I settled for a Choose Your Own Adventure book, figuring it was a novice read but better than the trashy romance novels they stocked. Jonas paid the bill, and at some point, he must have called for a cab, because we walked out of the store to find a yellow cab parked at the curb.
The ride to the airport wasn’t long, though Jonas grumbed in his front seat about having to change our flight plans. And that we had to cross back into Michigan to get a different plane to our next destination, Fort Albany. I Googled Fort Albany, Their web page was terribly out of date. I zoomed in on a black and white photo of a bunch of kids in old fashioned clothes. The photo reminded me of the kids in that Our Gang DVD mom had borrowed from the library. I showed the picture to Torin.
He looked closer at it. “Who are those people?”
“Kids from Fort Albany.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He scrolled up. “First Nation Communities” he read the banner at the top.
“Hey Jonas, how remote is this village?” I asked.
“Pretty remote.”
The nervousness that I often battled sent my heart beating faster and made my breathing quicken. As much as I was up for an adventure, the worry of being so far from a qualified hospital petrified me.
“Hey man, it’s gonna be okay.” Torin said quietly so Jonas wouldn’t hear. “Don’t worry.” I wondered if it was a twin thing, him sensing my unease, or was it that obvious this bothered me?
At the airport, we made our way to the charter planes where Jonas chatted with a guy a moment before telling us to follow him. We boarded the plane which was small but luxurious. Two white leather chairs faced each other and a white leather couch faced the two chairs. Torin claimed the couch and stretched his large frame across it. “You know you’ll have to sit up and buckle in at take off,” Jonas reminded him.
“I will. Hey, Cross, if you need to tag off and lay down for part of the trip, let me know,” Torin offered as he folded his arms behind his head.
“Thanks, I’ll let you know.” I had been wrong; Torin was nothing like Derek Mavers. He may have started out cold but the more I got to know him, the more I could see he actually cared about others. “This is impressive. I’ve never flown before, but if it’s always this nice, I’ll have to insist on doing it more.”
“Ha,” Jonas chuckled. “Even I don’t travel this fancy. This was the only chartered flight willing to go to Fort Albany. It cost a pretty penny, but we gotta get there.”
Our flight was a little over six hours
and while the takeoff was terrifying, the ease and speed made it my new favorite way to get around. Torin and I swapped seats and took turns napping on the couch. We offered it to Jonas as well, but he said he was comfortable resting in the fancy leather chairs. The landing was a little rough, but we had made it there safely. Jonas thanked the pilot who had radioed ahead and asked for a driver to help get us further along the path.
“You the fellows that needed a lift?” A middle-aged man called to us from a black sedan.
We approached the car and Jonas asked the driver to take us to the nearest place to stay. It was a long day of traveling, and Jonas thought our hike would be more manageable after we rested. The driver pulled up to a convenience store and advised us to grab some soups, snacks, and drinks as there weren’t any nearby restaurants. Torin and I waited with the driver while Jonas did a quick shopping trip. We then continued on to a lodge. The place was medium sized and probably housed twenty or so rooms. The décor was generic at best. White walls, wood doors, basic furniture, nothing fancy or ornate. But it was clean and it had a kitchen for us to heat up our food and a shower to get clean.
We each had our own bed. I crashed early and slept like the dead. In the morning, Jonas made us oatmeal and told us we had half an hour to pack up. We packed our gear and snacks and checked out. The car from yesterday was parked out front waiting for us. Jonas walked up to the window and passed him a small piece of paper. “Good morning. Take us here, please.”
The man typed in something from the paper on his phone, then shook his head. “Your information is wrong. There is nothing out there. This is over thirty miles north west of here, in the middle of nowhere” He held the phone out to Jonas. “See? No roads lead to it. Perhaps you’ve made a mistake on the coordinates.”
“It is not a mistake. Take us as close as you can, please.” Jonas insisted as he climbed into the passenger’s seat.
Forty minutes later, the driver pulled to the side of the road. “This is the closest I can get you.”
Jonas leaned forward and studied the dash-mounted cellphone. “But it looks like the road continues another mile or two ahead. If you take us—“
“No. This is as far as I am permitted.” The driver interrupted. “The treaty forbids me to enter their land.
“The Swampy Cree Treaty?” Jonas asked.
“You know of it?” The driver turned and looked at Jonas suspiciously.
“I’ve heard of it. I thought it was just a legend.” Jonas played it cool, and the driver bought his act.
“No, it’s a real thing. When the Yardinians first came many moons ago, they were wild and hungry for a life of their own. They had no king and no way to enforce any rules so they took what they wanted and did as they pleased. Finally, my people had enough and fought hard to drive them out. We pushed them to the confines of the Great Oaks and the treaty was born. They were to elect a king and respect the boundaries, and we were to leave them to their region and not interfere unless the treaty was broken. My people believed they would only survive another winter or two but somehow they’ve made it much longer than that.” The driver explained.
“The Yardinians still exist?” Jonas asked, even though he knew the answer.
“They do, though, come to think of it, it has been many years since I have come across one. Of course, it’s been awhile since I’ve been up in those parts. The Missus found us a place south of here so I only come up to this area to help with transportation from time to time. I used to run into them at the Trading Post near the Gylos Settlement. If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to these parts?”
“Just visiting.” He turned to Torin and I. “Grab your packs.” He handed some folded bills to the driver and thanked him. Once we exited the car, Jonas hurried over to the driver side window and knocked on it. The driver rolled down the window. Jonas opened his palm and blew gently.A purplish dust invaded the driver’s air, causing him to slump back into his seat. Jonas wiped his hand on a cloth and shoved it into his pocket and returned to lead us. “Let’s go.”
Shit! Did he kill the driver? “What did you do to him?”
“He’s sleeping. When he awakens, he won’t remember meeting us or how he got here.” He said as he headed toward the forest with Torin close behind him.
I found myself stuck next to the taxi, worried for the driver.
“Raynar, let’s go! He will be fine. If he wakes and sees us, I’ll be forced to use something stronger that could kill him. You wouldn’t want that, would you?” Jonas threatened.
No I wouldn’t.
I looked back at the cabbie. He appeared to be peacefully sleeping, his chest rising and falling with each breath. I hurried over to Torin and Jonas. “I’m not used to this mystical stuff. Thought you might’ve killed him.”
Jonas laughed. “I’m a doctor Raynar; It’s my job to help people, not kill them.”
“Dr. Kevorkian was a doctor,” I muttered.
“Dr. Who?” Jonas asked. Torin chuckled, apparently having heard about the assisted suicide doctor or laughing at the nod to the epic sci fi TV show.
“Nevermind.” I didn’t bother explaining the reference as I followed him to God knows where.
Chapter 7
Torin and Jonas strode ahead easily, hacking away to clear the way. I had a harder time and they had to repeatedly stop and wait for me. The uneven ground, dotted with rocks and large tree roots, proved to be taxing on my body. And I soon realized the Swampy Cree Treaty must refer to this area as at least half of it was wet and swampy.
“No wonder there aren’t any roads up here.” Torin stopped and sat on a log as he waited for me to catch up while Jonas scouted ahead. “They’d have to bring in all kinds of dirt and materials to build up the ground. It’s so wet and mucky in these parts.” The bottom of his jeans were soaked. “Almost there Cross. It’s less deep on the left.”
“Thanks. I’ll only say this once because it needs to be said. This friggin’ sucks.” I stepped down into the wet and muddy terrain and nearly lost my footing.
Torin chuckled. “I’ve been on worse treks, but yeah, that wet shit is more than I signed up for.”
My entire lower half hurt, including my toes. My muscles had never worked this hard before. I had to keep my balance, turn left, climb, and crouch, and the worst was the “wet shit,” as Torin had put it, that made my legs feel like I had twenty pound weights attached at the ankles. My poor legs didn’t want to take another step and I worked hard to will them into action. Each time I stopped, I lifted my pants legs to check the bruises on my legs. They were darkening; I knew I’d be out of commission for a few days once we got to this village. My body was not made for this type of activity. It also didn’t help that years of playing it safe left me with weaker muscles. I was overall less fit than most males my age. But Torin and Jonas waited patiently, never once complaining about my frequent stops.
Focusing on my surroundings instead of my pain seemed to help. Thousands of evergreens of various types stretched as far as I could see. Small pockets of snow had collected on the branches, shielding the ground from the recent snowfall as there was only a minimal accumulation where we walked. I noticed the sun had past the midpoint of the sky and continued its slow descent, making me estimate it was early afternoon. The air here was fresher and colder than Midland.
After a few hours, the forest gave way to a large clearing where a small wood building sat at the edge of the tree line.
“It’s still here.” Jonas turned to me with a smile on his face. His expression quickly changed to concern when he saw me. “I’ll fix you up inside.”
I nodded, glad we’d made it to this shack as I wasn’t sure I could go much farther.
“Think anyone is in there?” Torin asked.
“I hope, but the only way to know is to go and find out.” Jonas started toward the building.
The grassy clearing was even ground, but those last steps felt harder than any of the others I had previously taken. I made it to t
he weathered wood steps, sat down, and removed my shoes. I let out a big breath, enjoying the freedom from the confines of my sneakers.
Jonas peeked through the window and tried the door, which opened with ease. He and Torin entered, but I remained in place, not sure I could move unless I absolutely had to.
“Can I help you?” A male voice asked from within the building. The three chatted, but I couldn’t make out the conversation specifics. Honestly, I didn’t care about the specifics, as I didn’t have much say in things. The conversation seemed light and friendly. I leaned back and relished in the warm sun soaking into my pores. The temperature in the clearing had to be at least fifteen degrees warmer than the wooded areas. I propped my feet up on my backpack to help give my blood vessels and heart a moment of peace. If they weren’t throbbing with pain, I’d probably have fallen asleep. Not a cloud in the sky existed to disrupt the warm blanket the sun provided me.
But a moment later, a shadow crossed my eyelids and my warmth disappeared. I opened my eyes to see a large flying beast bat it’s wings and fly over the shack.
“What the…?” I couldn’t see it anymore. I was curious and scared as hell at the same time. I got to my feet and hurried to the back, not bothering with putting on my shoes. I rounded the corner of the shack, but saw no beast, only the guy named Ren who had destroyed our ride a few days ago. Crap! Torin and Jonas were in the building and they were bound to cross paths with Ren. Another large shadow crossed the ground and I looked up in time to see a large scaled beast that resembled a dragon land in the woods behind the house and exit as a human. As he neared, I could see it was Fenick, the guy who had frozen me in place. This was too unbelievable for words.
Torin and Jonas…
I hurried to the front of the building where Torin, Jonas, and a tall teen with shaggy brown hair stood at the top of the stairs looking around.
“Torin! Jonas!” Their heads snapped my way. “We need to leave.”
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