Sisters of the Sands

by Villinger, James

  A loose rock hit me in the back of my head before rolling off my neck and onto my hand.

  “Help me!” I screamed, still trying to shift backwards.

  “Get out of there, kid!” the boy said from the exit.

  There were other muffled voices outside, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Another tremendous quake took hold and the voices disappeared. I turned over onto my back, closed my eyes and held my hands up to my face, hoping to shield myself.

  “No!” I yelled.

  The quaking stopped. It was silent. I opened my eyes. The small light shone more clearly now, and I could see that the small tunnel had disappeared. I was now in a much larger space, almost enough room to stand up in. The rocky ceiling was in the shape of a dome, and almost perfectly round, too. Strangely, even the air was completely clean, gone was the dust that had been choking me earlier.

  I pulled myself up off the ground, picked up my light and crouched so as to not hit my head. The drill had been freed; it was sitting in some loose rocks at the edge of the dome, so I bent down and picked it up with ease. I turned back to where the hole was, hoping to see it, but it had disappeared.

  I put my hand with the light onto the wall and felt around it. I leant forward and pushed as hard as I could. The wall gave way and crumbled, and light poured in through the cracks.

  The loose stones fell down on the other side, revealing a mix of worried faces staring in.

  “It’s him, he’s alive! Help me get him out,” I heard one of the older men say.

  A hand grabbed onto mine and pulled on it. The others came closer to the hole as well and grabbed onto my wrist and forearm, pulling me through the new hole and out into the cavern again. I knelt down onto the ground, dropped the light and the drill, and looked at the fresh gash on my hand, which was still dripping blood.

  “Barely a scratch,” one of the guards said as she walked over and picked up the drill piece and examined it, before looking at me. “And the boy seems fine, too.”

  The other guards laughed as she returned to them with the drill piece and they inspected it together. The boy and another Nomadic man knelt down beside me. The older man had grey hair and, like the other older men around us, a beard.

  “Are you okay?” the boy asked as I brushed small stones off my shoulder with my good hand.

  I nodded, before looking down at the cut on my hand again.

  “I’m Toroi, and this is my dad,” the boy said as his father looked back over to the distracted guards. “And you’re a very lucky kid.”

  “I’m Eno,” I replied as the old man dipped into his tattered suit and pulled out a small piece of fabric.

  He brought it to my hand and wrapped it around, before tying it and looking up at me with his tired eyes. “We’ll help you, Eno. Just stick with us.”

  14. Enclosure

  Sacet

  The Military Quad

  The doors in front of us opened, revealing a vast, silver mess hall. It was filled with soldiers eating at long row tables, and relaxed chatter and laughter. We entered and many gazed at us. I looked down at my clothing and sighed. I felt embarrassed for wearing a military uniform so soon after being captured.

  Iya marched off ahead of us, leaving Maya and Tau to guide me through the table rows. Although some of the soldiers looked middle-aged, I couldn’t help but notice that most of them were only youths. Occasionally a child Initiate was mixed in with the regulars. I remembered being in a place like this when I was younger, too.

  Many wore full combat armour, whilst others wore a simpler set of fatigues like mine. Most of the soldiers’ streaks were either blue or red, and most of their tips were blue. It didn’t seem like being promoted was something that happened very often for the bulk of them.

  As we strode down the middle of the mess hall, I locked eyes with some of the sitting soldiers. When they noticed me, they prodded the closest person on their tables and pointed me out. Was it because I didn’t have streaks like them, or … did these people somehow know about me?

  The soldiers folded their arms and shot me nasty looks as I passed, and one of them stood up and mocked me by imitating and exaggerating my walk. I tried to ignore the jeers and sniggers, instead focusing on my path ahead of me.

  Tau looked back at me as we walked between the tables. “This is the mess hall of the Military Quad; you’ll eat with Maya at her place so you won’t have to worry about coming here. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t come to visit me here, either.” Tau had noticed the hecklings from the crowd, too.

  Maya had quickened her pace. “Give a tour later, she’s already late for training.”

  We both sped up to match her speed. I was feeling much better than I was earlier, and I seemed to have a handle on this new power. It was even starting to feel natural to me. It was like I was able to anticipate things before they happened because I was able to see my surroundings both with and without my eyes. Everything felt slower, yet time had not slowed.

  We reached the end of the hall, leaving the derisive soldiers behind. As we stepped through the door, my jaw dropped at the sight of a large arena. The ceiling was high, the outside was lined with seats, and in the centre was what looked to be a sparring ring, its enclosure walls made of some kind of see-through plastic. Two soldiers were fighting in unarmed combat in front of a cheering audience.

  Maya tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. “I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be meeting your trainer. I’ll find out. Wait here and enjoy the show for a bit, okay?”

  Tau nodded. “I’ll stay with her.”

  “Great,” Maya replied as she made her way down the steps, before turning back to us again. “And by the way, her name is Sula. Make sure you show the proper respect. Don’t move!”

  I nodded back and she trotted off towards the far side of the stadium. I didn’t mind waiting. Watching the two girls in the arena punch each other senseless was interesting enough, although their forms were sloppy. As we watched, I couldn’t help but fantasise about jumping in there myself.

  It was so long ago now, but the memory of waking up to a desert sunrise and sparring with my grandfather was still fresh in my mind.

  “Hey, desert girl!”

  We both turned to see a group of young soldiers approaching.

  Tau positioned herself between them and me. “Sacet, just ignore them. Let me handle this.”

  One smug-looking girl in particular strutted towards me with folded arms. “All settled in are we? So much better than hiding in caves like a coward, right?”

  Tau turned to face her, still blocking me. “Tifa, in case you didn’t know, Sacet is our superior.”

  Tifa pushed past Tau and flicked my fringe. “Not yet she’s not, not until she gets her streaks.” She moved closer to me until she was face to face. “You don’t belong here, sand freak.”

  A crowd of smiling soldiers was starting to gather around us. Iya was among them. She grinned like the others. Was his her doing? Tifa shoved me in the chest and I reeled back. The crowd jeered and laughed.

  “Stand up for yourself you stupid savage. Or better yet, why don’t you run away? That way, when we’re sent out to hunt you down, I’ll kill you myself.”

  Tau was frantically looking around, losing control of the situation.

  Tau scowled and crossed her arms. “You know you’re messing with an Acolyte, right? She could kill you.”

  “No one cares what you think, Nomad-lover,” a different girl called out, eliciting more laughter.

  “Oh, what’s that?” another soldier said as she raised her hand to cup her ear. “I think I hear some Nomads calling out. They say they need a hostage?”

  We were both outnumbered here. I didn’t seem to have anyone on my side other than Tau. And I couldn’t just kill them here as she had suggested, as much as I wanted to. This was all bluster, I knew what Tifa wanted.

  I looked over her shoulder and saw that the arena was now empty. I glanced at Tau. “Sor
ry, but I have to do this.”

  Tifa smirked and shrugged. “Do what, wasteland wimp? Without your powers, you’re nothing.”

  I quickly opened a portal underneath Tifa’s feet, and she fell through to the arena. The crowd blurted confused murmurs as I opened another portal underneath my own feet. I dropped into the arena, too, and once everyone had caught up with what had happened, the entire arena erupted with cheer.

  A surge of soldiers poured through the doorway from the mess hall, filling the seats. They must have heard the commotion coming from inside the small stadium.

  “I suppose you’re not a coward after all. Just stupid,” Tifa said before she raised her fists and cracked her knuckles. “I’m going to make you bleed, you filth.”

  I shook my head at her. “Just shut up already.”

  We both got into our fighting stances. I didn’t recognise hers, but I could assume she’d fight like all the other Female Dominion soldiers.

  Tifa sprinted at me. I raised my arms to defend and she leapt into the air. She landed a kick into my chest, pushing me back towards the arena wall. The crowd cheered. I grabbed my chest and doubled over in pain. I stood back up and backed off.

  I needed to be smarter than this. My concentration shifted away from the booing crowd. I tried to focus my second perception on Tifa. It was as if time moved slower again.

  She closed the gap between us and attempted another kick. I sidestepped and weaved around her as her foot whizzed past my shoulder. She continued to spin, each time kicking, but I dodged them all. When the moment was right, I shifted in and thrust a double open-palmed push to her chest, which knocked her off her feet and onto the ground.

  Did I really just do that? The crowd exploded with taunts and scoffs, but I tried putting them out of my mind again. Tifa rose to her feet with a look of pure hatred. She hadn’t clued in that I was too fast for her yet.

  She dashed at me again, this time with a volley of punches. But she was still too slow. As one of her punches brisked past my face, I shifted my hips close to hers, grabbed onto her arm, and threw her whole body over mine. She fell onto her back and stared up at me in surprise.

  I was going to beat her in a fair fight, not kick her while she was down, so I walked away and gave her room.

  Again, she rose to her feet. She wiped her sweat from her forehead, and her anger faded. She smiled back and nodded, as if impressed, before looking over to her friends and beckoned them. The crowd stood and roared as the other two soldiers entered the ring behind me. What? Three on one?

  I gestured at her friends. “You think this is fair?”

  Tifa grinned. “We’re not leaving here until we see your blood.”

  All three girls charged, and I tried focusing on all of them at once. Tifa approached from the front with an uppercut, but I ducked and grabbed hold of her wrist. I used her momentum and threw her into one of the other attackers. The third was still moving in.

  My two perceptions were working in tandem now, allowing me to react far quicker than usual. I dodged the third attacker’s punches and countered with a barrage of jabs to her torso. She clutched her ribs and leant forward. While she was stunned, I smashed my closed fist on the back of her neck like a hammer, putting her on the ground.

  The other two girls were back up, and Tifa stormed towards the ringside entrance. She opened it and gestured for others to enter, too. Five more soldiers poured in through the doorway, one coming to the aid of the girl I had just felled, pulling her up.

  This was insane! I pressed back up against the wall as all eight edged closer. They quickly surrounded me. Being able to process everything around me at once wasn’t going to help now.

  “Enough already, she obviously won!” I heard someone scream from the crowd. It sounded like Tau.

  Tifa threw another punch, and as I dodged, one of their kicks connected with my stomach. I doubled-over in pain and received two more hits to the face, forcing me backwards into the ring wall. I placed my hands in front of my face and braced for another hit.

  A draught picked up around me. An elderly woman materialised between us, stopping the girls in their tracks. She wielded a long sword, which shone an iridescent blue.

  “Touch my student again and you’ll pay with your hand,” she warned the attackers.

  15. Tutelage

  All of the shocked soldiers gave the woman a short bow before quickly exiting the arena. All except for Tifa, who stood her ground and scowled. The old woman sheathed her sword into what appeared to be a walking stick, and then smacked it into the side of Tifa’s face, launching her to the side of the enclosure.

  The old woman faced me. “Take my hand!” she ordered as she stretched out to me. I struggled to my feet and grasped my fingers around hers. The crowd’s cheering subsided into a muddled low tone.

  My head started to hurt and the crowd’s faces blurred and warped grossly. I felt my feet leave the ground and the weightlessness made me feel faint. The sight of the arena faded and morphed into another room. This was her teleportation.

  My second perception was acting up again. I didn’t think it was used to such a rapid change in the environment around me. While still holding the woman’s hand, I fell to my knees.

  This room was much smaller than the arena. There were weights, punching bags, benches and mirrors lining the walls, and in the centre of the room was a large padded floor.

  As I rose, the old woman let go and shuffled to the middle of the room. She sat down on the cushioned floor with her legs crossed and placed her walking stick to the side. Her time-worn face was wrinkled, misshapen and had hideous scars upon it. Had she been in some kind of accident? Her short, white hair was lacking any coloured streaks and her body was frail.

  The armour she wore didn’t appear to be the same as that of the other soldiers; it was still silver but the plate configuration was different. Was this woman my trainer, Sula?

  A door opened behind me, and both Maya and Tau rushed into the room.

  Sula looked over to Maya. “Did you bring it?”

  Maya nodded. “Ye … yes ma’am.”

  “Good. And don’t call me ma’am, I’m retired,” she said before pausing for a moment and letting out an exasperated sigh. “At least I thought I was. Well? What are you waiting for? Get to it!” she said to Maya and pointed at me.

  “Right! Sorry. Sacet, sit down please.”

  Maya knelt down beside me as I sat, and brought what looked like small forceps up to my hair. She clamped the small device on and gently pulled down along some of my fringe. Meanwhile, Tau took a seat along the side of the room.

  She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. “So there I was, sitting in my beautiful manor, sipping on a cold Hapoyo juice. This war was over for me, I had earned my rest. When wouldn’t you know it, the renowned Commander Mira came upon my screen spouting something about a teleporting prodigy in need of my expertise. The less said about that Commander the better, I say.”

  She glared at me. “And I wasn’t particularly fond of her idea either,” she said as Maya finished the first streak and moved onto the second. “And, of course, after I travelled a long journey, from the other side of the planet no less, I arrive to find that this notorious neophyte is a nitwit.”

  I shrugged. “What are you talking about? That fight?”

  “You shouldn’t have fought them,” Tau interrupted from the side. “Now they’re going to keep harassing you.”

  Sula raised an eyebrow, and her scarred face contorted an odd smirk. “Excuse me, who asked you anything? The Acolytes are talking.”

  Maya finished the second streak. She pushed a small switch on the device and then brought it back up to my hair again for the tips.

  Sula shot a look back at me. “How did they convince you to not use your powers? Is your gullibility going to be an ongoing problem, I wonder?”

  I glared back at her. “No, but I …”

  She waved her finger and interrupted. “I’m not finished talking! How could yo
u, an Acolyte, let those feeble and weak fools order you around? Do you not understand your position in this place?”

  Maya stood up now that my streaks and tips were complete. I could see the white-tipped, purple streaks on the edge of my vision.

  “Leave us!” Sula yelled.

  Maya looked at Tau. “But, uh, we’ve been ordered to keep an eye on her …”

  “I said leave us! Or are you stupid, too? Perhaps she learned that from you?”

  Maya gave a quick bow, turned and left the room with Tau in tow behind her.

  Sula locked eyes with me again. “You never let a subordinate tell you what to do. You of all people have earned the right to command over those weaklings. You are not a coward for using your powers. No, you are superior to those people and you must remind them of that every chance you get. Next time one gives you disrespect, you will put them in their place. Understand?”

  What did she mean I have ‘earned the right’? Wasn’t I was born with these powers? She seemed to be waiting for a response, so I gave a quick nod.

  “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get this session over with,” she said as she picked up her cane and stood back up again. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Maya told me that your name is Sula. That’s all I know.”

  She stood back up and paced with her free hand behind her back. “Well, your friends neglected to tell you that I’m a war hero. In my time, I saved hundreds of lives, and killed many thousands more. You’re lucky to benefit from my experience.”

  Sula stopped and bent over me. “Now, tell me what you can do.”

  “Well, I create portals …”

  “Yes, yes, yes … I know that part. Mira has already filled me in, but the question is: what can you do with those portals?”

  Was this part of Mira’s interrogation, too? Again, I needed to be careful not to mention how far my portals could really go.