by B. T. Narro
Suddenly it hit me like a brick. “Eizle?”
“Neeko?”
There was no time now for a reunion. The terrislak had broken through the cloud of pyforial energy pushing it away, and now it was thrusting its hand at us. I was just about to deflect it with py when I saw Eizle already had done just that. The terrislak’s hand veered off and impaled the ground beside us, making the dark sand splash against my side. I focused to stop its other hand now coming at us, pushing it down so that it drove into the sand just in front of us.
I covered my eyes to keep the sand out while I locked py in a ring around the wrist of the terrislak’s searching hand.
“Mraraaaa!” The screech the creature made was otherworldly, shrill like an eagle, rough like a growl, yet twice as loud as both combined.
I wanted to get the terrislak off-balance. Eizle must’ve had the same idea, for both of us pushed its massive hands up and away. The terrislak’s arms rose as if reaching for the sky, its terrifying baby-like face showing how much fight it had left as it refused to fall over.
The terrislak leaned forward, putting all of its weight against our py to bring its arms down again. We fought back hard, and its arms stopped just above us, the claw finger on each hand already prodding the air just over our heads. Although it couldn’t break out of my pyforial shackle around its wrist, the terrislak was too strong for me to keep holding it back.
Eizle, however, screamed and threw his hands out, completely overpowering the terrislak’s arm he’d taken as his responsibility. With one of the beast’s hands edging toward us while the other flew backward, the terrislak became twisted. It spun and fell on its back, facing the sky with the top of its bald head not twenty feet away, its extended arms even closer.
Eizle and I both had our pyforial shackles still intact, and we fought to keep the beast’s arms pinned to the ground. Shara ran between us with her wand out. A fireball exploded into the terrislak’s scalp. It kicked its legs, trying without success to stand. Shara shot it again, though all this seemed to do was anger it.
The terrislak’s arm on my side flailed, its hand swinging for Shara. It couldn’t see her, so it was easy for her to step out of its reach and fire again.
“Die already!” she screamed, winded.
Finally the creature seemed dazed, its feet no longer thrashing as violently. Eizle ran straight for its head, produced a dagger, and cocked it behind his shoulder. Eizle seemed to have released the pyforial shackle around the terrislak’s wrist on his side, for the creature’s arm was now free, and the side of its hand slammed against Shara as she tried to move away. She tumbled violently in front of me. I lost my focus right then, and the terrislak’s other arm came free. It swung forward, giving the creature momentum to stand.
But Eizle was right there. He jumped and thrust his dagger into the terrislak’s rising head. Immediately the beast became slack, its arms drooping, its knees sinking. It came down hard right on top of Eizle.
My reflexes betrayed me, causing me to flinch and turn away rather than at least attempt to save him with py energy before he was crushed. Already regretful of my action, I looked back with a grimace.
But his reflexes were better than mine. With his knees bent and his palms raised, it looked as if the weight of a boulder was on top of him. There was a foot of space between him and the terrislak’s head. He must’ve caught it with a blanket of py energy before it struck him. The handle of his dagger was buried so deep that I saw none of its blade.
Eizle carefully moved out from under the floating head, his palms up the entire time to hold it steady with py. Then he let the head fall with a crash. Rather than try to pull his dagger free with his hands, he grabbed the air in front of it. I could feel the py, as he used it to wrap tightly around the handle of his weapon. He heaved, and it slid free. The dagger floated there, blood dripping from its upside-down handle.
Eizle made a wiping motion with his hand. Shara and I watched as viscous liquid spewed from the knife until only thin streaks of red remained. Then the dagger floated over to Eizle. He gave it a few good wipes on the sand before putting it back in his sheath.
He turned and glared at us. I didn’t recognize him in that moment, for he wore a look I’d never seen before. It was as if he expected judgment from us, though he wasn’t worried. Not in the least. It was more that he looked ready to retaliate if the judgment came, and not just with words. There was untouched fury in the depths of him, waiting for a trigger. Shara grabbed my arm.
I asked her, “Are you hurt?”
“I’m all right.”
“Eizle?” I tried, unsure what else to say to stop him from looking like he had plans to murder us.
Suddenly he smiled, and I felt silly for thinking he was anyone else but my close friend. “Thank you for the help,” he said, his voice bright with cheer.
Shara pointed her wand at him. “Don’t move.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Shara’s face revealed that this wasn’t some quip. I didn’t understand.
“Shara, what are you doing?”
Eizle’s smile was gone, but I couldn’t read his expression. He clearly wasn’t scared. It was as if he’d expected this exact event, and now he was slightly disappointed it had occurred.
“Turn around,” Shara ordered.
Eizle didn’t move.
“Turn around or I’ll shoot you!”
Eizle looked as if he wanted to inflict injury on Shara, and why wouldn’t he? What was she doing? She could kill him with a fireball at any moment.
“Shara, that’s Eizle! Remember him from my story?”
“Of course I do. I know you think this is your friend, but it isn’t. Turn! Around! I’m not joking!”
“Lower your wand, Shara,” I demanded.
Eizle gently raised his hand. “It’s all right, Neeko.” He flicked his wrist just like I used to do to shoo away the flies from my father’s food before he got home. Shara’s wand was plucked out of her grasp. It whirled surprisingly far. I hadn’t even felt the py gathering before Eizle had used it to grab the weapon and fling it away. Shara gasped and froze, now looking ready to flee at the slightest movement, a cat locking eyes with a creature three times its size.
“Neeko…” she uttered.
“Relax, Shara. He’s not going to hurt you.” I offered my hand to Eizle. He grinned, and we had a hearty shake.
“What a surprise to find you here,” Eizle said.
“I thought you were in prison.”
“Well, clearly I’m not.” He and I laughed.
“Glad to see that. I met Effie and Steffen. Do you know them?”
His brow furrowed. “What did they say?”
“They want to take you back to Ovira with them, but—”
“Excuse me!” Shara yelled. “Are we really going to ignore everything that just happened? His use of py magic, his evil looks, my wand, and let’s not forget to mention the terrislak we just killed!” She pointed at the enormous body.
“Why did you aim your wand at him?” I needed to know before I could think about anything else she’d brought up.
“Because of the other obvious thing we’re ignoring—he’s dangerous!”
“He’s not.”
“I’m not,” Eizle echoed. “There’ve been some misunderstandings.”
“I’m sure there have been,” I agreed. “Eizle won’t hurt us, Shara. I know him.” I looked back at this man who’d been my only friend. “I was hoping to find you in Cessri. I think we did run into each other just outside the city, but I didn’t recognize you at the time.”
“Yes, we did. I didn’t recognize you, either, until now.” He raised his eyebrows. “Your hair is not so bright blond anymore, and you no longer resemble a stick.”
I laughed. “And I’m glad for these changes.”
“You’ve gotten much stronger with py energy. And you haven’t told anyone just like we promised?”
Disappointment hit me. “She knows.” Shara looked offended. I avoide
d her gaze. “Does anyone else know about your ability besides Effie and Steffen?” I planned to ask later how they found out if he wasn’t in prison.
“You must remember Swenn.”
My smile disappeared. “I can’t forget him.”
“Of course he knows about us. But besides him, there was a woman…who I cared for.” The fury behind his eyes warned me not to ask about her. “Where are you going?”
“To Glaine.” My answer made his eyebrows rise, but not with excitement. “Are you going there as well?”
He nodded cautiously.
I would’ve been overjoyed if he’d shown even a hint of enthusiasm. Didn’t he want to go with us? I didn’t understand, but no matter. He would find our company valuable soon enough. “Shara’s good at avoiding the terrislaks. Let her lead us out of this place, and then you should stay with us until we reach Glaine.”
“But—” Shara started to object before Eizle interrupted her.
“What’s your business there?”
“There are scrolls we need to bring to the master of coin. We’re owed money.” My words severely affected him this time, forcing him back a step as if I’d pushed him.
“It’s a firestorm,” I thought I heard him utter.
“What was that?”
“I’m not sure we should go together,” he said.
“Yes,” Shara blurted. “Listen to him.”
“We must go together,” I insisted. “We’re going the same way, and there’s so much we need to discuss. I haven’t seen you in eight years. Do you know what happened to my mother?”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He didn’t look or sound particularly sorry, but I figured he was just preoccupied with other thoughts. And maybe he didn’t know it was Swenn who’d done it. That’s right—why would he? He knew nothing about what happened after I left, only what Swenn told him later, and I’m sure it was all lies.
“Come with us, Eizle. We can talk on the way.”
“Neeko, can we speak for a moment?” Shara asked. I didn’t want to hear her objections to taking Eizle, but I agreed to listen for her sake. I followed her as she retrieved her wand while Eizle went to corral his horse. The poor animal had been startled into running a good fifty yards away.
“Don’t you see that he’s dangerous?” Shara whispered, even though he was too far to hear us.
“He’s not. I know him. He may be behaving a little strangely, but that’ll pass once he gets more comfortable around us.”
“He’s not behaving strangely. He is strange.”
“You’re strange, too, and it doesn’t worry me.”
She frowned. “But I’m not strange like he is. I’m just different. He’s…there’s something not quite right about him. He’s dangerous, I can feel it. He’s not the same person you knew as a child. We all change. Maybe he’s like Swenn now.”
If she were a man, I would’ve shoved her. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”
She put her hands up. “Sorry, not like Swenn. That was wrong of me to say. Still, I’m confident he’s off in some way. It’s more obvious with him than it was with Tyree, and you saw through the child right away. Your judgment is clouded because you knew Eizle as a boy.”
“I don’t know how else to say it. You’re wrong. He won’t hurt you. I’m sure of it. I think you’re overreacting just because he’s a pyforial mage. Remember, I’m one too. Don’t you believe I would never hurt you?”
“I do, but—”
“He’s just like me Shara! You’ll see as soon as we start traveling.”
Eizle was walking his horse back to us by then. I didn’t wait for Shara to respond, going over to meet him instead.
I heard her mutter, “he’s not like you,” but I pretended not to hear. She ran to catch up to me. “Two hells, I can’t even enjoy that we killed a terrislak because I’m too worried about him.” She pointed at Eizle, which was completely unnecessary because she spoke loudly enough for him to hear.
“She’s just nervous,” I told him. “Will you ride with us to Glaine? We need to get there in less than six days, so we’ll be riding as much as we can each day.”
“If you’ll be riding hard, then I’ll stick to you.” And just like that, he hopped onto his horse and started north.
“Shara, get to the front so you can lead us,” I said.
Her shoulders slumped as she gave in with a sigh. As I struggled to keep my mount close, I heard her tell Eizle as she passed, “Let me lead.”
He shot her an annoyed glance, and I began to wonder what he thought of Shara. I was so worried about her impression of him that I hadn’t considered the opposite. She returned his look of irritation. “I’m better at detecting the patterns in the sand.”
“Fine.” He slowed his mount.
I rode beside Eizle, hoping we could speak. He wouldn’t look my way, though, too focused on the mounds, clearly not trusting Shara’s abilities.
The silence was nearly unbearable. I hadn’t seen Eizle in eight years, and he looked drastically different. He had oily brown hair that poked up in the front and went in all directions everywhere else. It was layered unevenly, like it had been cut with a dagger instead of clippers. He was thin now, quite a change from the strong child I remembered. But the most different feature was his eyes, cold and difficult to look at. As we rode on, I became used to the idea that we wouldn’t be speaking.
Should I tell him it was his brother who robbed and killed my mother? I wanted to, but what would it accomplish? It would be like hearing that my father had hurt Isa, Eizle’s older sister. I would’ve felt guilty and ashamed. There was no reason to make Eizle feel this way.
The hours dragged and the sky dimmed as clouds settled in for the night. It took nearly the whole day to reach the end of Talmor Desert. The sight of thick trees and lush grass was refreshing.
I couldn’t hold my silence any longer. “How have you been?” I asked Eizle.
“Fine.”
I tried a slightly more direct approach. “What have you been doing in the last eight years?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Shara had a knowing look, silently telling me, “See, he’s strange.”
I tried another tack. “I was miserable after I left. I never should’ve believed Swenn.”
“Neither of us should’ve believed anything he ever said.”
Maybe Eizle was just tired. It was getting late and cold. “Let’s make camp,” I said, mostly to Shara.
“Still hours left for riding,” Eizle objected.
Hours? Maybe one hour at most, and then night would be fully upon us and the moon would be lost among the clouds. Making a fire would be troublesome. I found myself wanting to object but refrained, something I knew was unlike me. But this was Eizle. I trusted him. We would ride tonight and see when he suggested we stop.
After what felt like an hour, Shara disrupted a long silence. “I’ve had enough of this. It’s time to make camp.” She jumped off her horse and threw her arms around herself for warmth. “Here’s fine. Neeko, help me find sticks?”
“This isn’t cold,” Eizle complained. He had on a buttoned shirt too long for him, the sleeves covering all but the tips of his fingers. I was in similar garb, except my shirt fit and the chilled air bothered me like it did Shara.
“Is that because they kept your prison cell this cold?” Shara muttered as she searched the ground, pushing bastial energy through her wand for light.
“Are you two together?” Eizle asked me, ignoring her.
“No,” I said.
I suppose he took that as permission to say whatever he wanted, for he walked over and jammed his finger in her face. “Don’t assume you know anything about me. I’m a flame looking for something to burn right now.”
I was too stunned to say anything. Shara seemed to react the same way, or maybe it was fright that froze her.
Finally, words came out my mouth. “Eizle, let’s try to get along.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Sorry, Ne
eko. Sorry, Shara. I haven’t been myself. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” I told him when Shara went back to collecting sticks. “Do you have a blanket for the night?”
“Yes.”
I tested my own blanket. I didn’t mind the musty smell so much, but I did mind the damp spots that remained from being rolled up. I didn’t feel right asking Eizle if he had an extra blanket after the convincing it took for him to come with us. I waited until Shara was some distance away from him, then whispered to her, “Do you mind if we share a blanket again? Mine is—”
“Let’s be ready to ride at sunrise,” Eizle interrupted. Wrapped in his blanket, he turned to face the other way.
Shara and I were still getting the fire together. “Listen,” she whispered, pointing to Eizle.
I heard muttering that sounded instructional, like he was telling himself to do something.
Shara had me follow her away from him. “That isn’t the first time I’ve heard him talking to himself,” she said. “I heard him practicing greetings while we were riding, like, ‘How are you doing?’ And, ‘Hello, what’s your name?’ What kind of sane person does that? And I know you heard him threaten me.” She folded her arms and lowered her voice in imitation. “I’m a flame looking for something to burn.” She grabbed my cheeks with both hands. “Please tell me you see it now?”
I’d never had my face held like that before, and it felt overly dramatic. I peeled her hands off. “He’s a little odd, but you’re also overreacting. I’m sure he’ll be back to normal tomorrow once it’s warm and he’s eaten.”
“And if he only gets stranger?”
“He’ll never be dangerous to us.”
“I think I might…if he gets worse, I might leave, Neeko. I’m sorry. I just want to warn you. I’m not trying to make you get rid of your friend. But people like him…” She put her hand on her chest as she took a deep breath. “I can feel hatred in him. I hope you won’t despise me if I go.”
I sympathized with her fear, but it was frustrating at the same time. “He’s not dangerous. He’s not going to hurt us!”
Shara shushed me, her face horrified at the thought of Eizle hearing me. “Imagine you didn’t know him before today,” Shara whispered. “Now think back to his behavior. You would never let him join us.”
