Dead Spark

by Al K. Line

  *

  "That was, without doubt, the worst thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. And I've eaten a lot of weird stuff." Dancer placed his cutlery down on his plate neatly—his empty plate—and sat back with a frown of accusation.

  "So why did you eat it?" I asked, even though my plate was clear, too.

  "I was hungry," he said, matter-of-fact.

  "Fair enough."

  "Guys, can we stop talking about the crap bloody dinner and talk about what's important?" said Mithnite, sounding more mature than I'd ever heard him.

  "Sorry, you're right. Damn, I don't know what to say. Look, this sucks, and I know you're all worried. It's why we didn't tell you, um, and we didn't have a phone. And we were being chased."

  "Excuses," said Persimmon.

  "Hey, this is your fault," I said, getting angry for no reason.

  "I was worried," she said, and that meant a lot.

  "I know. I'm sorry. Persimmon, thanks for looking out for us, and you guys helped a lot back there. But you all need to go home. We have to deal with this alone. Just us guys."

  "So I can come?" asked Mithnite, clearly not wanting to leave.

  "No, dude. I meant Dancer and me. You all need to leave."

  "No." Kate pushed her plate of untouched food away and dared me to defy her.

  "Kate, I—"

  "Just don't even go there, Faz. I said no."

  "If I may?" said Dancer, nervously putting a hand through his hair.

  "Be my guest," said Kate, looking like she'd burst into tears again.

  "This person who I think can help, she's, er, someone I've been in touch with for a few years. I can't tell you anything much about her, only that she came out of the blue and it was a real surprise. She's powerful, knows about things none of us do, and, well—"

  "Just get on with it," snapped Kate. "Sorry, sorry, this is too much to take in. How can you both stand it?"

  "Because we have no choice, love," I said, but wondering the same thing. It felt ridiculous to be sitting there huddled around a dirty Formica table somewhere on the outskirts of Birmingham when we should have been on the move, never stopping until we got wherever we were going.

  "Okay, look. I told Spark this and now I'll tell you all. I can't talk about this woman. If I do, she'll know, and she's a little, shall we say, protective of her privacy. She gets jumpy, will be impossible to find if she thinks someone is looking for her. That's how she lives, how she always has, apparently, and I'm not about to risk it."

  "But she can cure you guys?" asked Persimmon.

  "Yes, she can. Or, at least I think she can. I've met her once and there's an agreement between us that I wouldn't talk of her to anyone until she decided the time was right. I don't even know if she'll agree to see us. But if she does, you have to know it won't be an easy meeting. There are things I can't tell you and I'm sorry, but there we are."

  "Damn, Dancer, you're being way too mysterious about this woman. Why did she come to you?"

  "I can't say. She was looking for something but when she came she decided it wasn't the right time and she left. But she can help, I'm sure. That's all you need to know. She's our last, our only, chance, and I don't want to blow this."

  "So let's go," said Kate.

  "Yeah, we need to sort you out before it gets worse. You have seen yourselves, right?" said Mithnite dragging Kate's plate over and tucking in. He was a growing lad and seemingly devoid of taste buds. Dancer and I had eaten because we were so starved from this infection, and even then we struggled. Mithnite seemed to actually enjoy the overpriced food.

  "We have, more's the pity," I said, staring in wonder as he downed the lumpy, cold mashed potato with relish and bit off half a sausage I was sure contained less meat than was legal.

  "So, let's do this thing."

  "Dancer?" I asked.

  "Fine, you can all come. But Spark and I go in alone. You wait well away and you do not, under any circumstances, come try to find us once we leave you for the final part of this journey. If you agree to that, and this is an order coming from your Head, then you can tag along until then. This is serious. We may not even make it to the end, and if we turn before we do then you have to do what's necessary. Am I making myself clear here?" Dancer made eye contact with everyone in turn, showing a side of him we don't often see. He was in charge. To be respected. To be obeyed.

  There were murmurs of agreement and I knew it broke Kate's heart to think that this could be the end of our life together.

  "Kate, you have to say you will. I refuse to be kept going if this thing wins. You have to say you'll end it if it comes to that."

  "I won't let either of you be a zombie. Haha, that sounds so stupid," she said, words coming out imbued with infinite sadness, tinged with lost dreams of a happy future that could go on indefinitely.

  "So, let's go," said Dancer. He stood and Mithnite stuffed the last sausage into his mouth while we all stared at him.

  "What? I was hungry."

  The word brains crowded my mind and I almost said it out loud. A strange feeling overtook me and I lost all emotion. For a brief moment all I saw were sparks of energy in three heads. More than anything, I wanted to smash them open and scoop out what was hidden inside.

  I turned to Dancer and a look passed between us that told us both we'd experienced something similar.

  "Definitely time to go. And let's be quick," I said.

  Dancer nodded.

  We were close to running out of time now.

  "Brains," I whispered, and slammed my hand over my mouth. Nobody noticed apart from Dancer.

  He had an unnerving glint in his eye.

  Heading North

  I missed Cardiff. I missed the manageable scale of the city with its easy driving and laid-back attitude. I missed my home, Grandma—hell, she'd freak if she knew about this—Madge's more than ever after the gross meal I'd just eaten, and the sense of familiarity above all else.

  Coasting along motorways, heading north to an unknown destination, everything was in free fall. Landmarks were if not alien then unfamiliar. Sure, I'd traveled extensively, but the majority of my time was spent at the heart of all things magical, and that meant Cardiff. With its signs in both Welsh and English, its mix of people and cultures, the bay, the shopping district that was so small compared to other cities it hardly even qualified, but it was where I lived. Home.

  All these roads, the never-ending concrete and bridges, everyone in a hurry, roadworks and endless traffic jams and coned lanes that went on for miles where nobody seemed to be doing any work to warrant the interruption, it was all maddening. Frightening, too, in a way.

  Where was everyone going? What was the rush? Why was everything in a constant state of disrepair. I felt insular, like I'd ignored the wider world, had blinkers on. Maybe I had, but it was from choice. I don't like travel, dislike interruptions to my focus or my work.

  And I abhor being a passenger when Kate drives.

  Mithnite was in the back, a stream of consciousness spewing from his mouth like he was trying to empty out all the words he knew and wasn't overly concerned about the order. I understood. It had been a helluva day. Damn, earlier we'd dropped into the dragon's lair and now here we were, the same day, so much having changed it made your head spin.

  Kate was driving like a maniac as she tried to keep up with Dancer and Persimmon. Cars flashed by as we sped through the dark evening, feeling like we were on another planet when sections of road were devoid of streetlights as part of the government's cut down on the exorbitant cost of lighting the country. It was a good idea, but it was eerie when the road was empty of other cars and we were hemmed in by high banks.

  We were the last people on earth. Hurtling toward oblivion mere feet from death if a simple miscalculation sent the car out of control.

  I repeatedly pushed my foot on an imaginary brake, nerves already shot without this additional stress.

  "Guys, I need to say something."

  "Don't, Fa
z. Just don't, okay?" Kate glanced at me, knowing I was about to get maudlin.

  "I'm sorry, but I need to. Mithnite?"

  "Yeah?" He leaned forward between the front seats with a sympathetic look I hated as I knew it meant I wasn't being seen as me, but as a victim.

  I refused to be a victim, and was why I didn't want to tell them. I'd seen it enough over the years, had done it myself, and it brought back bad memories of the worst kind. When people know you have an illness that's what they see. Not the real you, the person you are, but something else. A victim. Their vision clouded with sympathy and thoughts of your end, rather than the person you are beneath the illness that becomes all-consuming not only to you but to everyone around you.

  "Spark, you okay?"

  "Oh, sorry, dude, just thinking. Okay, now look. I'm sorry that we've welcomed you into our little family and this has happened. I thought we'd have a long future together. That I'd be there for you and maybe help you get where you want to be in life, and for that I apologize."

  "You don't have to apologize, Spark. This isn't your fault. You were saving everyone, and that's a seriously cool thing to do."

  "Maybe, or maybe it was stupid. Anyway," I held up a hand so he wouldn't speak, "it is what it is. Promise me you'll look after Kate. That you'll be there when she needs you."

  "Faz, I can look after myself, and you aren't going anywhere," said Kate.

  "I'm just being sensible. Promise me, Mithnite."

  "I promise."

  All sound was sucked out the car for a moment, the pressure changed, making my ears pop, and then I felt the warm glow of anticipation. Time for some luscious lobes.

  "Oi, you can't go driving this fast, it's dangerous," said the faery as she scowled at first Kate, then me, then Mithnite. "What's that?" she asked, pointing a perfect finger at my young apprentice.

  "I'm, Mith... Mithnite. Ugh, I don't feel too well." Mithnite, wide-eyed and looking green, cramped up as the faery circled his head, looking bored.

  "Bloody hell, this is all I need. What are you doing here?"

  "Your Mithnite here made a promise, so I've come to get his signature." With that, a tiny piece of parchment appeared in her gorgeous hand and faery dust sprinkled down onto the dash as she landed in front of me and scowled. "Ooh, you look nasty. You should get some medicine for that."

  "Have you got any?" I asked, my heart leaping for a moment, thinking the faery could save me.

  "Nah, we don't do that sort of thing. Can't interfere, you know that. Not with stuff like this."

  "Yeah, just when it suits you," I muttered.

  "I heard that! Don't you get smart with me, Faz Pound. I know all about you. Everyone heard what happened with Florenta and Fabianne."

  "And? They nearly got me killed," I protested, but she wasn't listening.

  "Can this wait?" asked Kate. "I'm driving here."

  "You don't set the rules," said the faery, indignant. She spun in a circle, her sparkling, azure dress hugging her body so tight it may as well have been sprayed on. She gave me a sly look then slowly pushed her hair behind an ear and I swear she angled her head a little to better catch the light from the glowing dashboard.

  I swallowed and tried to think unsexy thoughts, but damn she had some seriously awesome lobes. So perfect. So tiny and yummy and utterly desirable.

  Lickable.

  "Wow, your ears are awesome," said Mithnite as he craned forward, the sickness at encountering a faery, probably for the first time, having passed a lot faster than I'd expected.

  "What, these plain old things?" she said, exposing the other one and turning side to side.

  "Oh, yeah. Can I touch them?" asked Mithnite, reaching forward before I could stop him.

  "No you may not!" The faery flew close to Mithnite, her deadly, razor sharp wings mere millimeters from his nose. Mithnite hardly reacted at all, just kept staring.

  She turned to me and flew back in front. "Is he simple? Why isn't he scared?"

  "I don't think he knows about the wings," I said wishing she'd just go away.

  "Well he should. Now, I'm busy, sign here." She thrust the contract out to Mithnite and a tiny quill appeared in her other hand.

  "What's that?" asked Mithnite, squinting as he peered at the miniature print.

  "Damn, sorry, dude. Um, you made a promise, so you..." Something wasn't right. "Hey, hang on. You only have to sign to say you'll stick to your promise if it's made to true Hidden or true Hidden make it. We are neither of those things."

  "What's wrong with you people? Ugh, humans. You're both true Hidden, or are now, anyway. You, Faz Pound, are Hidden, because of the incident with Reade Littlejohn. Which us fae will never forget, I might add."

  "None of that was my fault," I said, but she didn't care. "You said we're both Hidden, true Hidden? He's a wizard, not a true magical creature."

  "I haven't got time for this. I'm not your bloody magic guide. Just sign it, Mithnite Soos, so I can go do something productive like wash my hair." The faery thrust out her parchment again and Mithnite looked to me.

  "Better sign it, dude. But be warned, you made a promise and now you're making it official. You have to look out for Kate like you promised, or there will be consequences."

  "I said I would, didn't I?" moaned Mithnite, totally out of his depth.

  "Yes, you did. But just so you know."

  "Jeez, hurry up, hurry up. Look, young 'un, if you go back on your word then I'll personally wipe you from the face of this ugly earth and nobody will ever even remember you existed. Kapeesh?"

  "Um, s'pose."

  Mithnite took the offered quill and scrawled his name as small as possible. The faery rolled up the promise.

  "Now, what's this about him being true Hidden?" I asked, but she was gone. I turned to Mithnite. He looked edgy, and not because of the faery. "Mithnite, what did she mean?"

  "No idea. Honest. That was weird. Haha." He leaned back and smiled a tight smile. "I feel a little funny."

  "Hang in there. Hopefully, this won't take much longer." I caught Kate's eye and she mouthed a silent, "What's he hiding?" I shook my head.

  He was holding out on us, that much was clear. What did the faery mean, true Hidden? He was just a lad trying to be a proper wizard, not a supernatural being.

  Right?

  A Long Night

  We drove through the night. I kept thinking back on what the faery had said, and my idiocy for getting caught again with the promise thing. But I hadn't thought of myself as true Hidden, and even now I'm sure it was debatable, even for the fae. No, this was something to do with Mithnite but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. Maybe he didn't know, maybe it was a mistake on the faery's part? It wasn't unheard of for them to break the rules or get things totally wrong. I knew that from personal experience.

  But this was merely a distraction to take my mind off the problem at hand.

  Several times I found myself almost asleep, my eyes closing no matter how much I fought it and no matter how often I stuck my head out the window. I explained to Kate that under no circumstances was she to allow me to sleep as if I did I might never wake up the same again. She was shocked, obviously concerned, and I caught her checking not only that I was still awake but still alive. It was past midnight and still we drove on.

  The infection raged. I was burning up, so terribly hot. Like my body was taking advantage of being alive while it could and devouring fuel reserves as fast as possible. Relishing the heat before the cold of death became my only companion.

  The bite mark no longer throbbed and ached, it was well beyond that now. My entire leg hurt beyond belief until I found it almost impossible to move it.

  My crotch was on fire, itching like I'd caught something nasty, and my hips screamed with an intensity that made my shoulder issues feel like nothing but a minor irritation. I could feel the spread of the virus across my flesh and how it was insinuating itself deep into the very core of my being. Taking hold, weakening my immune system, makin
g me susceptible to all manner of mild infections or germs that my body usually fought off with no problem.

  Magic kept me immensely healthy when I wasn't at death's door. Meaning, I never went to the doctors or the hospital, never got a cold or the flu, and was the epitome of health even though I ate at Madge's and even used her cutlery.

  Minute by minute, hour by terrible hour, I was becoming less of myself. Eaten from the inside out by a virus that to all intents and purposes had no cure. Was taking my health and my sanity along with it, consuming me because of a simple bite I should have avoided if I'd had any sense.

  Breathing became difficult. My ribs ached with every inhalation and exhalation, and my fingers began to tingle like I'd sat on my hands. My legs kept going dead then returning to life with the worst case of pins and needles. Every so often I'd jolt my head and get a terrible pain shooting down from the base of my skull like when you fall asleep, your head lolls forward and you wake with a start and snap it back up.

  But worst of all was that I slept, I know I did. Maybe just for a second, if that, and I'd wake instantly, freaked out. Okay, utterly terrified that I was dead and would lunge for Kate and slam her head into the steering wheel and we'd crash and I'd crawl on mangled legs to get to her and eat her while still warm.

  The journey became utterly intolerable and every time my head dipped I was certain I'd closed my eyes for longer.

  How was Dancer still riding his bike? How hadn't he fallen off.

  I was about to say something to Kate about this when I heard a cough from the rear and turned. "Dancer, how'd you get in here?" I asked, staring at him. "Man, you look awful."

  "Thanks. You too." He leaned back and sighed. Mithnite kept a close eye on him. To ensure he remained awake, I guess.

  "Don't you remember, Faz?" asked Kate, looking at me with an even more worried expression than usual.

  "Remember? Remember what?"

  "We stopped over an hour ago. Dancer couldn't ride any more so he pulled over and Persimmon is riding the bike. She's behind us, following."

  "Um, no, I don't remember." I tried to recall it but came up blank. Things were dire. If my short-term memory was going then it wouldn't be long before my whole life disappeared along with it.