Light in the Barren Lands: Travail of The Dark Mage Book One

by Pratt, Brian S.

  “I know,” James said, agreeing with his friend.

  “Come, Jira,” Jiron said as he made for the door.

  The boy’s father jumped to his feet and moved to block his departure. “Just where do you think you’re going?” Imposing his body before the door, he stood toe to toe with Jiron.

  “Move aside,” said Jiron with stern determination. Despite the lack of a common language, his meaning was clear.

  “I ain’t budging until the cops get here,” the father retorted. “Your daughter has to pay for what she has done.”

  James could see Jiron barely held himself back from taking out the father. “You better move,” James urged the man. “Unfortunately, we have pressing business elsewhere and cannot stay.”

  Jiron stood slightly larger than the other man and James had to admire the grit it took for the boy’s father to stand his ground. With violence in the air, Jiron set his daughter down and had her stand behind him.

  “I ain’t moving,” the father said.

  “If you don’t move, it’s likely that your wife will lose a husband as well as a son this day,” warned James. He knew Jiron. And with blood having already been shed, he would not hold back, not with the welfare of his daughter in question.

  The cook moved to stand with the father.

  That was all it took for Jiron to make up his mind. In a flash, one hand shot out and connected with the father’s throat. A split second later, the other hand pulped the cook’s nose. Taking hold of both men simultaneously by their shirts, he threw them to the side. The cook’s hip struck the sink and spun him around while the father sailed past and hit the paper towel dispenser with a bang, leaving a good sized dent in the metal. Both men slid to the floor and didn’t move.

  While the wife screamed and the daughter cradled her brother’s lifeless body, Jiron picked up his daughter and hurried through the doorway.

  “Let’s get our things and get out of here,” said James.

  Out in the dining area they found the waitress on the phone. One look at them emerging from the hallway was all it took for her to drop the receiver and flee into the kitchen.

  “How long do you think we have?” asked Jiron.

  “Couple minutes at most I’d wager,” replied James.

  Hurrying to their table, Jiron grabbed his duffle with his free hand while James slipped his backpack over his shoulders. Just before he left, he saw the check for their meal sitting upon the table. He hesitated a moment before slipping a ten spot beside it and racing for the door.

  Out in the parking lot, the world seemed normal, as if what had transpired within the restroom had never happened. But such tranquility would not last for long. James knew that the police were already on their way.

  Just then, a small green Geo driven by a young woman pulled off the highway and very conveniently pulled into the spot directly before them. As it came to stop, James stepped forward and opened the passenger door.

  “Get out!” the panicked woman shouted. When Jiron opened the back door and helped Jira inside, she started unbuckling her seatbelt and threw open her door to flee.

  James grabbed her blouse and pulled her back inside. “Shut the door and be quiet and you won’t get hurt,” he said. The glint of metal when Jiron pulled one of his knives from out of the duffle stilled her protestations.

  “What do you want?” she asked in terror.

  “First of all, shut your door and get us out of here,” he said. Looking in through the restaurant’s window, it didn’t look as if anyone had followed them out. Most likely they opted to keep their distance until the police arrived.

  Paralyzed by fear, she didn’t at first move to comply until Jiron moved the knife closer toward her.

  Motioning for Jiron to back the knife away, James shouted to the girl, “Now!”

  His command broke the spell fear had over her. Slamming her door closed she restarted the engine. Without even putting her seatbelt back on, she put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space.

  “Wh…which way?” she asked as the car neared the highway.

  “East, and make it quick,” James directed.

  She paused only a moment to look for traffic. Seeing it was clear, she gunned the motor and the Geo sped out onto the highway.

  “Keep it at the speed limit,” James advised her. “We don’t want to attract attention.”

  She nodded, keeping her attention focused firmly on the road ahead.

  The woman was young, perhaps early twenties with long brown hair flowing just past her shoulders and a fair complexion. Her jeans and blue blouse looked good on her, accenting her figure to good advantage.

  “We don’t plan on hurting you in any way,” James said, trying to reassure her. He didn’t like the fact they had been forced to commandeer her car, but they had little choice at the time. Scanning back down the road toward the motel, he could see the motel sign beginning to fade in the distance. So far, there was no sign of pursuit. But how long would that last?

  “How far do you plan to go?” she asked.

  “Just keep driving until I say otherwise,” he replied. Glancing to the back seat, he gazed at Jira where she sat staring out the window, then to Jiron who still had his knife in hand.

  “How is she?”

  “Jira is fine.” Placing his arm around her shoulders, he added, “Just shook up. That boy was the first she had ever fought where it was more than play.” Then to his daughter he said, “You did well.”

  “Thank you, father,” she replied. “I don’t feel so good.”

  Jiron nodded. “That will pass,” he assured her. “I don’t know of anyone who wasn’t rattled after their first battle.”

  Turning from the window, she gazed to her father and asked, “Battle?”

  “Yes, battle. Anytime you fight for your life, or for those you love, it is battle.”

  “And I won.”

  Her father nodded.

  James could see that Jira was getting over her distress at having killed the boy. It was to her credit that his death upset her. To her father he said, “They’re going to be after us shortly.”

  “What do you propose we do?”

  “Continue until we find a place to turn off,” he explained. “It’s possible those at the restaurant didn’t see us leave.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Jiron warned.

  “I’m not.” A glance through the rear window still showed the road devoid of police. Directly behind them, a quarter mile back, was a fifth-wheel being pulled by a large truck. It was moving at less than the speed limit so their little Geo was gradually pulling away.

  Returning his attention to the driver he asked, “What’s your name?”

  “Destiny,” she replied.

  James had to grin at that as it could very well have been destiny that put her at the motel at just the time they needed her. “You can call me James.”

  “James?” she asked.

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “I don’t have much money but you can have it all and the car if you just don’t hurt me,” she pleaded.

  “Relax,” he replied. “No one’s going to hurt you as long as you do what we ask and don’t cause any problems. We are only interested in a ride, nothing more, okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  James knew she didn’t believe them. And frankly, if their places were reversed, he wouldn’t either.

  A mile went by in silence, then a second, when from up ahead, flashing lights appeared shortly followed by two cop cars screaming past on their way to the motel. “Won’t be long now,” James told his friend in the back seat.

  Now scanning the road ahead in more earnest, James sought an alternate mode of transportation. He dared not risk continuing much farther in this Geo, for had those in the restaurant seen their manner of departure, it was a very real possibility that those cop cars that recently shot past would be on their way back shortly after arriving at the motel.

  He
contemplated cutting through the orchard of almond trees to their right when from up ahead on their side of the road appeared two vehicles. As they drew closer, it was clear one vehicle was hooked in tow to the other. And not only that, the vehicle in tow was sitting upon one of those flatbed haulers people used when they don’t want to rack up the miles on the vehicle being towed. Covered in a tarpaulin to keep the road dust off, it might prove to be just what they needed.

  The lead vehicle had blown the front left tire and two men were placing the jack in position. Being in close proximity to the almond orchard, coupled with the fact the light was waning as night approached, made this a golden opportunity. Just before the Geo drove past, he caught sight of a bumper sticker on the lead truck. He didn’t catch every word, but he did make out Bakersfield, CA.

  Turning back to Jiron, he said, “I’ve got a plan.”

  “You do?” he asked.

  James nodded. As soon as the two men changing the tire had all but disappeared in the distance, he had Destiny pull the car over to the side. Then grabbing her purse from where it rested upon the emergency brake situated between their seats, he opened it and removed her wallet.

  “Take it,” she said. Turning the car off, she began handing him the keys.

  “I don’t want the car,” he told her. Then motioning for her to return the key to the ignition, he said, “Keep it running.”

  The first thing he saw when he opened the wallet was a picture of a girl, she looked to be a preteen. “Is this your daughter?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Cute girl.” A quick search of the wallet’s content revealed a number of credit cards, old receipts, forty five dollars, and her driver’s license. After removing the cash and her driver’s license, he replaced the wallet back into her purse.

  “Now here’s what we’re going to do,” he stated.

  Eyes now grown fearful at the many terrible, horrifying possibilities of which that statement could mean, she could never have possibly imagined him to say, “We’re letting you go.” Staring at him with total shock, she dared not speak for fear of him changing his mind.

  “I truly don’t want to hurt you,” he assured her. “However, we can’t very well have you notifying the cops about where you dropped us off. At least not right away.” He held up her license. “We know where you live. If I hear of you informing the cops, or telling anyone else about what transpired here, we’ll find you.” He let the unspoken threat hang in the air for a moment. “Give us two days, after that I don’t care who you tell or what you tell them. Okay?”

  She nodded her head.

  To Jiron he said, “Ask me a question.”

  “What?” his friend asked.

  “Ask me a question,” he repeated.

  “What kind of question do you want me to ask?”

  “Perfect,” smiled James. “Reno.”

  “Reno? What’s a Reno?” Jiron was confused.

  “Reno,” he said, making sure to pronounce the word very clearly, “is a city in my world. Now, let’s get out.”

  As Jiron and Jira got out, he returned his expression to Destiny. “Now remember,” he said, then held up two fingers, “two days.”

  She nodded silently in disbelief, hardly daring to believe this ordeal may be over so easily. Her heart began to race when the two in her back seat were out, with the door closed behind them. Then, while the man who called himself James did likewise, she held her breath. As soon as he was standing on the side of the road and had closed the car door, she floored it.

  “Why did we let her go?” Jiron asked, watching her peel away back onto the highway. “She’s going to tell your cops where she dropped us off.”

  Holding the woman’s license, James glanced at it and recalled the picture of the girl from the wallet. “I don’t think so.” With guilt and remorse for what he had put that girl through, and for what she will continue going through with the knowledge hanging over her that he knows where she lives, James left the road behind and entered the almond orchard.

  “And what’s the deal with Reno?” Jiron asked.

  Moving some distance into the trees, James didn’t reply until the road was occluded by several rows of uniformly spaced trunks. Then, as he quickened his pace and angled back in the direction of the two men working to change the tire, he said, “Remember back when we left Lythylla with Illan and his Raiders?” Jiron nodded. “Remember how we sacked that one caravan and left a guard alive to ‘overhear’ where we were going?”

  Realizing where this was going, Jiron grinned and said, “Yes I do. We got a day’s lead on them before they realized the information was wrong.”

  “Exactly,” agreed James. “The girl overheard us talking. Though she couldn’t understand what we were saying, I’m certain she did hear us say Reno. Reno is north and east of us. I plan to go south.”

  “So that’s why we let her go,” Jiron said approvingly.

  James nodded. “We couldn’t exactly take her with us, and the only other alternative was to kill her.”

  “And I’ve known you long enough to realize you could never do that.” Such caring for others on James’ part had cost them no end of trouble during their many travels. But that was one of the things he admired about his friend the most.

  “I told her to wait two days before mentioning us,” he explained, “or we’d pay her a visit.”

  “Think that will ensure her silence?”

  Shrugging, James replied, “I hope so. But if not, she’ll tell them we’re on the way to Reno.”

  By this time they had worked their way back through the grove and could see the truck with the two men changing the tire. From the looks of it, the spare was already on and lug nuts were being tightened.

  James drew closer and kept low behind the trees as he watched the second man toss the flat tire into the truck’s trunk. He pointed to the car beneath the tarpaulin on the trailer. “We need to get in there before they take off,” he whispered.

  The tarp was held tightly over the car by ropes tied securely to ringlets on the sides of the flatbed hauler. Unfortunately the tarp did not reach the bed of the hauler so any attempt by them to hide beneath it would soon be discovered. The trunk of the car on the other hand, was a more possible solution. For here the tarp did not rest very tightly against the trunk; one of the rear lines securing it had loosened.

  With nightfall not too far away, the number of cars upon the highway had dwindled. James waited until the man closed the truck’s trunk and began returning to where his partner finished tightening the lug nuts. The road was clear for the moment, the headlights of the closest car still over a mile away. Waving for Jiron and Jira to follow, he ran quickly and quietly toward the end of the flatbed hauler.

  He indicated the trunk and said, “Get it open. Break the lock if you have to.”

  Jiron nodded and hopped up onto the flatbed. He first tried to lift the trunk, but then realizing it was locked, inserted a knife into the keyhole and twisted. A barely audible crack was heard as the lock broke.

  James peered around the end of the hauler toward the two men. He heard Jiron’s breaking of the lock just as the man finished tightening the lug nuts and was tossing the lug wrench into the trunk.

  Upon the hauler, Jiron had the trunk open as far as it would go. Jira climbed up and quickly squeezed through the narrow opening. “Come on,” Jiron urged James. He too was keeping an eye on the two men who were even now shutting the trunk and making to get back into the truck.

  James left his position at the rear of the hauler and scrambled up next to the trunk. He tossed his pack in first then shimmied inside. Despite Jiron’s best effort in widening the opening, pain flared across the midsection of his back as the trunk’s locking mechanism scraped off several inches of skin. Stifling a cry of pain, he forced his way through despite the agony and moved in as close as he could to Jira and Jiron’s duffle which was already inside.

  A moment later, Jiron squeezed through with much l
ess difficulty than had James. As the truck’s engine started, he pulled the trunk closed and they were plunged into darkness.

  The interior of the trunk wasn’t necessarily roomy, but it had just enough space for them to lie without overlapping. James was trying to move a rather hard, rectangular object he thought might be an oil container out from beneath his back when they started to move.

  “Uncle James?” questioned Jira.

  Before he could answer, they came to an abrupt halt. A fraction of a second later, sirens were heard approaching fast. James listened with dread as they drew closer, and didn’t relax until they had sped past and began growing distant.

  The truck didn’t immediately pull onto the road. James had a heart stopping minute of worry and fear until he felt them pull onto the highway and begin accelerating down the road.

  “Uncle James?” Jira asked again.

  “Yes?” he replied.

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “Of course not,” he assured her. “You only did what you had to. I’m proud of you.”

  Trying to get as comfortable as possible, they rearranged the contents of the trunk. Once a semblance of comfort was achieved, Jira was quick to fall asleep. Jiron and James talked quietly for an hour or two before the rigors of the day finally began taking their toll. Jiron offered to take first watch, and while James gradually slipped away to sleep, he allowed the trunk to rise just enough so he could look through to the outside. As the world passed by, he thought of Aleya and longed to once again wrap her in his arms.

  Many miles away, an old truck cruised the streets of Haveston. From the police scanner bolted to the underside of the truck’s console came a steady stream of cross-talk from police officers and dispatchers. The driver paid little heed.

  His attention was firmly fixed on the view outside the truck, to those whom he drove past. From face to face he sought the one who could give him answers. And if the answers weren’t forthcoming, well, that’s what the fully loaded 9mm Browning laying on the seat next to him was for.

  One way or another he was going to…