“Jiron!” hollers Aleya. They pause for a moment, but the only sound they hear is that of heat breaking through the glass. Turning to Miko she asks, “Can you tell if they are alive?”
Shaking his head, he replies, “No, I’m sorry. However, I may be able to tell where they are.” Taking out the Star, he concentrates on the whereabouts of James, Jiron and Brother Willim.
The others wait there for a moment before a light flares from the Star and points a little to the left of the direction they were originally traveling. “I believe they lie in that direction,” he says.
“Thank you,” she says and he nods in reply.
As they continue to progress toward the location of their comrades, their feet grow hotter by the minute. “Make for the areas where the heat broke the glass,” suggests Shorty. When the others look questioningly at him, he explains. “If the heat has had a chance to escape, it may also have had a chance to cool.”
“Good thinking,” Stig says. He taps Aleya on the shoulder and says, “Let me lead here.”
About ready to argue the point, she finally relents and nods her head.
Moving past her, Stig studies the area before them and plans a route that will take advantage of the sections of broken glass. Deciding on his route, he begins to move. A thought comes to him about the broken areas of glass. It could be that those areas are actually hotter than the rest and that’s why the glass broke over them. If so, they aren’t going to have any better time of it.
“Looks like that guy Zyrn and his buddies have figured out that the glass could be valuable,” Shorty says from the rear. Glancing back, the others see Zyrn and two others holding a large piece of glass up while the rest inspect it.
“They should give James a percentage,” states Scar.
“That’s right,” agrees Potbelly. “If it weren’t for him, this glass wouldn’t even be here!”
“Not to mention they would still have a deadly problem on their hands,” offers Stig. As he reaches the first of the shattered areas where the heat escaped, he steps carefully. Finding it not any hotter than the areas of glass that have remained intact, he continues on.
At one point Scar leans on Potbelly as he inspects the bottom of his boot. Sections of the sole have melted away, though not so far as to expose the foot within. “If this keeps up,” he says quietly to Potbelly, “we’ll be walking barefoot.”
“Let’s hope they aren’t too much further then,” replies Potbelly.
With a knowing nod, Scar resumes to follow behind Aleya.
Crack! Pop!
Two feet away from Shorty, heat blasts its way through the glass. The steam that ensued from the new opening shoots upward until the pressure has been released. “I don’t think this was such a good idea,” he says loud enough to be heard by all.
No one replies as they continue on. A solid hour has elapsed already since they entered the glass covered area and the eruptions from escaping heat have all but subsided. Occasionally one can still be heard, but they are now few and far between.
At the head of the party, Stig comes to a stop. Shielding his eyes to see through the glare of the sun being reflected off the glass, he stares far ahead of them. “I think I see them,” he says pointing almost directly ahead of them.
Aleya comes to stand beside him and scans the area he indicates. Like a bubble, a shiny dome rises out of the glass. “Think they’re still inside?” she asks.
From beside her, Miko says, “They have to be.”
“Then why don’t they come out?” Stig asks.
“They may think the grayness is still active and it would be dangerous,” supposes Scar.
Nodding, Stig says, “That would make sense.”
Now with them in sight, Stig moves at a quicker pace until a section of glass slips along the ground under his foot, causing him to stumble. If it weren’t for the quick reflexes of Aleya grabbing his arm and steadying him, he would have fallen. With the ground covered in broken glass from his passing, a fall could likely have been disastrous.
“Thanks,” he says to her after regaining his balance.
“Be more careful next time,” she says.
Once again stepping carefully, he leads the way toward the dome.
Once the fires had subsided, it was much easier for Brother Willim’s magic to effectively protect all three of them from the heat. Still horribly hot within the barrier, at least they are no longer at risk of burning.
He moves over to where James is lying unconscious and turns him over onto his stomach. When he sees the extent of the burns he says to Jiron, “Help me get his shirt off. I need to take care of this.” Moving to help Brother Willim, Jiron soon has the shirt off.
Jiron holds James steady as Brother Willim removes a jar from within his robe. “This will ease the pain should he awaken,” he tells him. Dipping two fingers into the jar, he removes a large glob of salve and begins rubbing it over the burns.
“Miko is going to need to take a look at this,” Jiron states as he watches Brother William apply the ointment.
“Yes,” he agrees. “With the Star he can do a much better job of it.”
“Do you think it’s safe?” Jiron asks. “I mean, do you think he killed the grayness?”
“Possibly,” he replies. “I can no longer feel what he called the pulses of electricity which were evident earlier.”
Once Brother Willim finishes with James’ back, he begins on the other parts of his skin that had been in contact with the bottom of the barrier. Back of his arms, legs and even his head all bear burns. The hair where he was burned at the back of his head is all but gone, a small red bald spot is visible where the hair once had been.
When the slave within the jar runs out, Brother Willim replaces it back in the pocket within his robe. He and Jiron put James’ shirt back on him before they lay him down. Brother Willim then settles next to James and says, “He’s sleeping.”
Jiron gets up and inspects the barrier. “His barrier is down,” Brother Willim tells him. “It went down shortly after he lapsed into unconsciousness.”
Moving his finger toward the dome that surrounds them he hesitates an inch away from touching it. “Then what is this?” he asks.
“I’m not sure,” Brother Willim replies. “This might sound funny but I think it’s glass.”
“Glass?” asks Jiron incredulously. Placing his finger upon it, he rubs its surface. “It does feel like glass.”
“Not sure if it is though,” Brother Willim tells him. When he sees Jiron remove his knife to poke at it, he says, “I wouldn’t do that.”
Turning back toward Brother Willim, Jiron asks, “Why?”
“We still don’t know if it’s safe outside of here,” he replies. “Though I can’t sense it, I think it would be wise to wait until he wakes up.”
Taking a breath, Jiron says, “The air is getting pretty stale in here.”
“I know,” replies Brother Willim. “But we should wait.”
Trusting to the brother’s judgment, he returns his knife to its scabbard and comes to sit next to him. He then takes out his water bottle and upends it for a long drink while he waits for James to awaken, which from past experiences could be some time.
Crack! Pop!
From outside the dome the sound of heat escaping by breaking through the glass covering the ground comes to them. Not knowing what it is they can only sit and wonder.
Over time the sound of the heat escaping gradually becomes less frequent. Then another sound comes to them, this one sounds like someone walking through eggshells. “Jiron!” Aleya’s voice comes to him from outside the barrier. Then, movement can be seen through the opaque glass that is the dome.
“James!” Miko’s voice hollers as one of the shadows presses its face against the side.
“We’re here!” shouts Jiron.
“He’s alive!” exclaims Aleya in glee.
“Are all three of you alright?” Miko asks.
“Brother Willim and I are,” r
eplies Jiron. “James got burned pretty badly.”
From the other side of the dome, Stig says, “We’ll have you out in a second.” Then a shadow raises its arm, the unmistakable outline of a mace clutched in its hand.
“Stop!” cries Brother Willim and the mace stops before smashing into the dome. “If you smash it, it’s going to shatter and cut us.”
The mace is lowered as Stig’s voice asks, “Then what should we do?”
Everyone is silent for a moment then Shorty says, “We can chip around the base and lift if off of them.”
“Good idea,” agrees Jiron. Taking out one of his knives, he moves to the edge as the shadows on the other side do the same. As they chip carefully at the bottom edge of the dome, holes begin to form on all sides. As they work to elongate the holes and separate the dome from the rest of the glass, fresh air makes its way within. Jiron takes a deep breath and feels much better.
When they have chipped all the way around the bottom, those on the outside space themselves evenly around its outer perimeter. Then Stig says, “On three. We lift it off them and carry it my way.” Once the others have indicated they understand, he says. “Alright, one…two…three.” Then they begin to lift and the dome comes away from the ground.
They raise it until the bottom of the dome is above the heads of those who are within it, then very carefully begin carrying it sideways. Step by step they scoot along the glass covered ground until Jiron and the others are no longer under it. Then they set it down carefully back on the ground.
Aleya rushes forward and takes Jiron in her arms. “I thought I had lost you,” she says as she buries her head in the side of his neck.
Patting her on the back he says, “It’ll take more than this to keep me from you.” Lifting her face up to his, he gives her a kiss.
Brother Willim remains by James. As Miko comes toward him he says, “He’s okay. Just sleeping.”
Miko stops less than a foot away and stares at the burns covering James’ body. Reaching into his pouch, he removes the Star. The glow immediately surrounds him as he kneels next to his friend, then moves to envelope James.
As the others look on, the burns on James’ back gradually heal. The dead skin flakes off and new pink skin takes its place. The patch on the back of his head heals as well, though hair does not regrow right away.
When the glow disappears, James opens his eyes and rolls onto his side. Looking up, he sees everyone staring at him. “What?” he asks.
Miko gives him a smile and says, “Nothing.” Putting the Star away, he helps James to his feet and lends him a shoulder for support. A bit unsteady, he looks around at the landscape. “Wow,” he says.
“You can say that again,” Scar says.
Smash!
Everyone turns at the sound just in time to see the dome smashed into a million pieces by Stig’s mace. He glances toward them with a grin. “I just had to,” he says as the glass shards hit the ground with a tinkle.
“Maybe we should think about getting out of here,” James suggests.
“Yes,” agrees Brother Willim. “That would be a good idea.”
Leaning upon Miko’s shoulder, James nods to the others to lead the way out, though their path through the glass is easily identified by the two foot wide swath of broken glass they made on their way in.
Chapter Eleven
Once back where they left Reilin with the horses, they find Zyrn and the others already in deep discussion about what to do with the glass. In a world like this, it could turn out to be worth quite a bit.
Reilin waves at them from the edge of the glass field as they come into view. He has the horses staked out twenty yards further away where they are merrily grazing on what little there is.
Zyrn and Reilin greet them as they near the edge of the glass. “Thank you,” Zyrn says with great enthusiasm.
James gives him a nod but doesn’t reply, the trek through the glass has left him quite weakened and tired.
“Is he alright?” asks Reilin.
“He will be after he gets some rest,” Jiron assures him. Glancing to his friend, he grins. Ever since they told him about his bald spot, he hasn’t been able to keep himself from rubbing it. When he first touched it he promptly announced, “Guess I’ll have to wear a hat for awhile.”
Miko helps him to move several feet away from the glass where he assists him to the ground. “You rest,” he tells him. “The rest of us will get camp set up.”
“Camp?” replies James. “I don’t think so. Give me a few minutes and we’ll be on our way.”
“But you can barely stand as it is,” Miko argues.
“I know,” James says tiredly. “But after what I just did, any mage in the area will be coming to investigate. In ten minutes I want us ready to ride.”
“What about that?” asks Stig indicating the glass. He understands the value of what lies out there.
Shrugging, James gazes back at him. At Stig’s words, Zyrn’s attention becomes fully focused on him to see what his reply will be. “We have more important things to worry about than that,” he states much to the relief of Zyrn.
Stig glances at him then at the sea of glass and says, “Very well then.” Turning his attention back to James he asks, “Where are we to go from here?”
James sits there and thinks for a minute while he eats a bite of dried beef and has a drink. “We’ll skirt the edge of the glass to the east,” he finally announces. “We know there’s a main road moving north and south to the west. From the maps I went over back at Al-Ziron there doesn’t look like there is too much east of us to cause us much trouble. Just a few villages here and there.”
“We shouldn’t go too far,” joins in Miko. “You are quite tired and need to rest.”
“Let’s put distance between us and that before we stop,” he says as he gestures to the field of glass behind him. “Then we’ll rest through the night.”
“Very well,” agrees Miko. Getting up, he goes to make sure his horse and things are ready for travel.
While the others are busy with getting something to eat and seeing to their horses, Jiron comes and sits next to James.
“Don’t you want to see to your horse as well?” James asks.
Shaking his head, Jiron says, “Shorty said he’d do it for me.” Biting off a piece of dried beef, he remains silent for a second before he asks, “What do you think happened here?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” he admits. “That I played a part in it is without question.” He gazes at Jiron while he bites off and chews another piece of dried beef. “However, I do think there is more to this than just what I did at the end of the battle. A meteorite falls from the sky and happens to strike at the precise spot that would cause a rip and let in the creature? I hardly think it’s mere coincidence.”
“Then what?” Jiron asks.
“I don’t know,” he replies, “and that’s what is bothering me. Something else is going on. That discussion we had earlier where Brother Willim was saying that the gods are becoming more involved worries me.” Gesturing to the glass behind him he continues. “Something like that could hardly have just happened.”
“You think it has anything to do with Tinok?” he asks.
Shrugging, he replies, “I doubt it. Maybe if Tinok were someone like Miko who has a god interested in him, maybe.”
“So what should we do?” Aleya asks as she comes to join them.
“Listening in were you?” James asks.
Nodding, she gives him a grin. “Couldn’t help it,” she admits. “You two talk pretty loud.”
James returns her grin and says, “Continue on as we have been. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for whatever else may be developing, but we’ll keep looking for Tinok.”
Jiron sighs. “That’s good,” he says.
Finishing up with their meal, James allows Jiron and Aleya to help him to his feet and then onto his horse. From behind him he can hear where Scar is explaining to Reilin why the creature turned to
glass. “You see,” he explains, “since it wasn’t from our world, it couldn’t survive long. When James torched it with fire, it died. What you see there is simply its bones that were left behind.”
“Bones?” asks Reilin incredulously.
“Of course!” states Potbelly as he backs up his partner’s explanation. “You can’t expect something from another world to have the same kind of bones as we do.”
“I suppose not,” agrees Reilin, though he doesn’t sound entirely convinced.
James smiles to himself and doesn’t say anything.
“Is that right?” asks Miko from beside him.
“What?” asks James. “You mean what Scar said?”
Miko gives him a nod.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he says, keeping his voice low. “When the creature entered our world, it took on the characteristics of the first thing it came into contact with.”
“The sand,” interjects Miko.
“That’s right, the sand,” agrees James. “Where I come from it’s long been known that heat will turn sand into glass. In fact, lightning striking a sandy beach can leave glass behind.”
“Interesting,” comments Miko. “So Scar is wrong?”
Grinning, James nods his head. “Of course he is, but I think we should keep that to ourselves.”
Miko turns back with a grin and glances at where Reilin is hanging onto Scar’s every word. “I suppose it would spoil it.” Then he looks back to James and they both laugh.
Scar breaks off in the middle of a sentence and turns toward them. “What?” he asks.
Shaking his head, James says, “Nothing.” Then both he and Miko laugh again.
When the rest are ready and are about to head out, Zyrn comes forward. “Thank you all again,” he says with sincerity.
“You’re welcome,” replies James. “Take care.” With that he kicks his horse and soon they are galloping across the sand on their way east.
Zyrn watches them go. Elated at the demise of the deadly grayness, yet at the same time filled with sadness over what his village has done. Can he ever go back and have things return to normal? That’s the question that has weighed on his mind ever since Khalim was sacrificed.
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