Mal chuckled. “Yeah, Mrs. Chimer hasn’t been the same since her jumper boots powered down half way through the jump.”
“Jumper boots?” Xoey asked
Mal grew wide-eyed. “Oh yeah, I forgot you weren’t from around here. You’ll see.”
They hunched down and ran along the red sand. Mal explained that it used to be white, but the cherry waves dyed the beach.
“How did the water turn red?” she inquired.
Mal gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Beats me. Some say the residents of Yorego sacrifice a Grun every new moon…others say it’s due to the sediment changing.” She was inclined to believe the latter. Nadine explained a Grun was a brown striped mammal that was used as a primary source of meat and leather. It ran on its hind legs and used its stubby arms to climb—thanks to the help of its claws. The Grun could blend in with tree bark and its antlers resembled tree branches.
Decyl’s ears perked up and forward, and he motioned for them to stop. Mal turned down the lantern’s glow. “Why do we have to be traveling in the dark?” he whispered in frustration.
“Run!” the gnome exclaimed.
Xoey ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The boots were a little loose around her ankles which caused her to stumble a few times. Decyl galloped past her on all fours. The soft glow of his weapons allowed her to keep pace behind him. She turned back to see Mal and Nadine on her heels, and behind them were two men clad in black from head to toe. They were the infamous Shinobi. How could she not have put two and two together? The Shinobi were hunters bred for one thing and one thing alone—to protect or destroy what the hierarchy declared to be fortunate or a traitor. At this moment, she wasn’t sure what they classified her as. They were adept at tumbling, sword mastery, and illusions—making them a bit out of her skill range.
Seconds passed, she stumbled and in the midst of the roll, she could see the Shinobi’s weapons flicker with red and something familiar in them caused her to stop. There was a harsh tug on her arm, followed by shouting. It could have been Nadine, Mal, or both. Flames shot out of their guns. Xoey covered her face. “No!” Three shots fired in return. Xoey peeked through her fingers. Nadine and Mal were screaming at her, trying to get a full look at her form to ensure she wasn’t wounded.
Xoey was focused more on the three fire entities hovering behind them. They must have shot out of the guns and stopped when she commanded. Their heads resembled a single flame with ember eyes that warped and flickered. They were a combination of two arms, two legs, and a long torso.
“She’s in shock,” Nadine announced.
Xoey brushed their wandering hands away from her body. “I’m fine. The fire stopped.” She gestured to the flames.
Nadine and Mal exchanged wary glances. “What fire? They shot bullets.”
Xoey stood beside the beings. She gave a wide gesture around them. “And this is?”
Mal gave a quizzical look. “Um…air?”
Xoey looked down to see the men mortally wounded. She turned back to see Decyl popping up from the brush, holding all of his weapons in three paws. Apparently, he could use his feet to shoot. He holstered the guns with a grin that was a little too happy to have pulled several triggers. Over his beady eyes was a pair of goggles. “You can see them without these?” He motioned an ear to the spectacles.
Mal shook his head. “I feel like I’m missing the punch line.” Decyl moved in beside Xoey. He handed over his goggles to Mal in the process. Mal put them on and gasped. “Oh cool! They have legs and arms…and faces!”
Nadine pulled the goggles off of her brother’s face and took a turn. “How is this possible?” she asked as she pulled them off, and on again.
“These are the fire Djinn, elemental spirits that dwell in No Man’s Land,” Decyl answered in a low tone. “We acquired the means to find them through the use of these goggles, but I’ve never met one who could see them—more importantly, talk to them—without the help of our technology.”
Xoey reached out toward them, but thought better of it. “Why were you in the Shinobi’s weapons?” She shook the gun out of the dead Shinobi’s hand to take a closer look. Confused by all the buttons, she handed it back to Decyl. Mal and Nadine crowded around it.
The Djinn narrowed their eyes, responding with a crackled voice. “Placed there.”
Nadine looked over at Decyl. “Do you have anything that allows us to hear them?”
The gnome shook his head. “I was lucky to acquire those,” he said, indicating the goggles.
Mal furrowed his brow. “You mean you didn’t make them?”
“Do they look like a weapon to you?”
Mal sighed. “I should have known better.”
Xoey tapped her nose in contemplation. “Who placed you there?”
“One like that.” They pointed to Mal. The Djinn stretched to where they touched the ground. “It stopped here.”
Xoey looked up, and presumed by the height, that it was an adult, and a male. She nodded.
A shot fired from the group’s testing grounds. She looked back to see Decyl flopping on the ground. It looked as though he had been electrocuted. Mal pulled his finger away from the second button. “Oops.” He grinned sheepishly.
“Dark orbs and a mechanical limb,” the Djinn chimed.
Xoey thanked them. “Will you be okay to get home, or should we help you?” They blinked down at her. “It will find us again.” Xoey started to ask what they meant, but they floated away.
Decyl had stopped flopping about, at least. Unfortunately, they had to help him up as he was nothing but a wiggling, drooling mass. His long tongue spilled out to the side of his mouth. “Angonnagepaebaeck ‘n ya…”
Nadine placed the gun in Decyl’s bag with an exasperated sigh. “How are we going to find the tunnel?”
Decyl tilted his head to motion a slight shift to the left. “Ova …ova …” Xoey picked up the lantern.
They walked along the dark coast. Nadine coaxed Decyl, and every so often turned his head so he could see. Mal stifled his chuckles upon seeing the gnome’s back paw claws scraping tracks into the sand. “Caen’t make it without rest.” Xoey was grateful as they set up camp.
It was early morning, and the thick clouds clumped overhead, allowing the sun to peek out once in a while. Xoey sat up from the clustered group. Mal’s feet were stretched across her legs. Nadine used Decyl’s back as a pillow, and Decyl was likely smothering Mal’s face. She carefully slipped away from the group, needing a moment to herself. Xoey slipped out of the boots, rolled up her pants, and waded into the red sea. She found herself missing the ship.
“Xoey?” She turned back to see Nadine wading over to her. “You alright?” she asked in a concerned tone. It seemed wrong for her to share her grief, when they had lost their parents, too. She’d never had the time for friends, especially those around her age. Most wouldn’t dare for their child to live the life of the sea without living a few normal years on land first.
Xoey ran her sleeve across her eyes. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell him how I felt. I guess we always thought there was time for that.” She looked out toward the horizon. Far off in the distance were the radiant skyscrapers reaching up for the sky. The sun’s rays hit the buildings just right, and they all glowed.
Nadine wrapped an arm around her. “Your father? What happened?” she asked.
Xoey explained how the fear spread across the ship as the first wave of attacks landed. There hadn’t been time to prepare, let alone scour for a target. The tables had turned; they had been notorious for stealth and trickery, only to have the same unleashed upon them. Xoey had remained on deck beside her father, and as the bodies began to fall, he’d picked her up kicking and screaming, and thrown her as far as he could away from the ship and into the sea.
Xoey fell silent. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. It hurt her heart and wen
t against what she was taught. Even in the darkest night, we had to be stronger than everything that sought to keep out the light. But as Nadine brought her in closer, Xoey just cried. They both shed tears for what was lost and what might never be found again.
Chapter Three
The Under City
Decyl swung open the manhole that had been covered by grass probably to blend in with the surrounding environment. Mal went down first, followed by Nadine and Xoey, while Decyl took up the rear to close the hatch. If it hadn’t been for the lantern in Xoey’s hands, the descent would have been tricky.
One by one, they climbed down the iron ladder and made their way through a damp narrow corridor. They came to a rusty steel door which they opened and then entered. Each of them blinked at the bright light hitting them. Decyl yawned, but the others stared in a transfixed state. Before them was an elongated cylindrical tunnel of plastic, which Xoey hoped was thick enough to withstand any creature hitting it.
The great waters below stretched out for miles all around them. Xoey could see red fish bigger than her body. Five-fingered starfish and sunstars that held many more arms made their home along the plastic exterior. Giant floating stingrays seemed to wave hello as they passed by, and mermen with locks of gold, bare chests, and thick blue fins pointed at Xoey and seemed to stare. She gave a shy smile in return, and moved on with the rest of the group.
Decyl stepped in beside Xoey and motioned to the mermen. “They are the protectors of the water Djinn. Do you see a floating opaque beast?” She paused once more to take in the scenery. Several feet below the circling protectors was a creature with tentacles and a milky crown of small antennae. Its entire form shimmered in the light rays of the sun. The arms and skirt of flowing appendages danced to the serenity of the ocean. Xoey pressed her face against the curled passage.
Behind her she could hear Nadine and Mal fighting for the goggles. Nadine stepped beside Xoey and exclaimed, “His eyes are like jewels…oh Mal, you have to see this.”
Mal hopped beside his sister. “Hurry it up then!” His raised voice seemed to alarm the Djinn, and it began to float out of the light. Nadine handed over the goggles so that her brother could see it before it disappeared. He watched as the mermen split in two to surround the creature as they swam away.
Xoey looked over at Decyl. “If they guard the water Djinn, who guards the fire?”
“The red trolls—small creatures with bodies that blend in with the molten lava,” Decyl replied. “Their heads resemble flames with marquise-shaped eyes of ash. Feisty little buggers. Ferr, whom you’ll meet, lost patches of fur dealing with them.”
Mal handed back the goggles. “Why do they need to be guarded, if no one can see them?” Mal then glanced over at Xoey. “Well…almost no one.”
“Let’s go find Ferr. He’ll know,” Decyl said as he led the group with his black tipped tail swinging behind him.
Xoey marveled at the rather large doors. They were covered in springs, gears, and a few chiming clocks that clucked in unison. Decyl turned a cranking mechanism to the left of the door, and after several turns, they could see the wonderment that was the Under City.
It was pure madness. Soft lights gave an eerie glow throughout out the long and wide cavern. Numerous people bustled through the marketplace, scouring for the weapon of their choice. Gnomes with goatees and mustaches bartered with the humans for the best deal. Their coal eyes glinted at the shininess of metal.
“Wind tunnels, get your wind tunnels…”
“Boomerang dynamite. Guaranteed to explode, and come back in one piece…”
“Rickety sticks…”
Mal and Nadine put their hands in their pockets to guard their coin. Xoey glanced over with a confused expression. Mal leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Decyl may be the exception, but gnomes are little kleptos …they’ll steal anything that has a gleam to it.” He gestured to their left. “For that.”
He had pointed to a steel locomotive that was massive in girth and height. The front sloped down to a sharp point that would slice anything that ended up on the tracks. Large smokestacks gave the monstrosity a soul, and trinkets of all kinds hung from the sides, particularly watches and lockets. The rose-tinted glass windows settled into the stainless panels to allow passengers to have cheery outlook throughout their travels.
“Where does it go?” she asked.
“It heads from the port up to here, to Desert Town and back,” Nadine answered.
Mal rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Miss Know-it-all.
Nadine gave her brother a smile. “You’re welcome, Slowpoke.”
Decyl stamped his paws. “The bell is about to ring, which means this place is about to get crowded.”
“The half-price bell. It happens once a week. Dad always loved this part,” Mal added. Then he frowned.
They moved through the crowd as Xoey walked behind them in an overwhelmed state, wide-eyed at the intensity of the place. The noise of the train announcing to passengers its imminent departure sounded like upbeat piano music played through tiny phonograph speakers which radiated in perfect unison. Gnomes bustled through the traffic carrying crates marked “Explosive” and “Partly Explosive.” Female gnomes were grouped together examining the loot they’d acquired throughout the day. Decyl explained that they had a better eye for value.
At the north end of the city was a small crooked hut. It slanted one way and then the other; even the chimney was uncertain of which direction it wished to be in. Decyl knocked twice. They could hear rustling from behind the door. “Who’s there?” a gruff voice inquired, to which Decyl responded, “Decyl and the gang.” He grinned a toothy grin. Xoey could see that his teeth narrowed down into fine sharp points.
“Gimme a minute!”
Mal shrugged over at Nadine and Xoey as if to say, We’re in for it now. Xoey was beginning to give up any idea that they would meet Ferr. The bell chimed behind them. She turned to watch the crowd descend upon the kiosks. Gnomes hopped up on the tables to auction off their goodies. Sometimes they sat on the shoulder of the tallest, in case they needed a better view.
“Come in.”
Inside they found the floor slanted to the right and the walls leaned to the left. It was a bit disconcerting. Small wheels, large wheels, and even medium sized wheels on axles pulled heavy rope to make up an elaborate belt pulley system that seemed to aid Ferr in his minimal everyday tasks. There even seemed to be one that helped him close the door.
Across the room was Ferr, a graying gnome with bald patches, who sat on top of a large bird with long legs and clawed talons. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, the bird’s beak curved down to a sharp point and it even had horns on the top of its blue head. It had a long slender neck that flowed down to a short, rounded green body covered with bright orange feathers. The bird towered over the group. Ferr stroked his long disheveled beard. “What brings you here, old friend?” he inquired as he gestured for the three of them to sit. Despite giving each other enough space on the wide couch, they ended up sliding down and were a bit too close for comfort. Mal chuckled nervously as he was wedged in between the two girls.
Ferr reached out and slowly began preparing his long red wood pipe. The make of the wood was similar to the cane Isena held. He puffed on the pipe, exhaling the amber smoke. Decyl bowed slightly. “Elder Ferr, we have a seer among us.” He pointed an ear to Xoey. “She can see the Djinn.”
Ferr quirked a furry brow. “No one has heard of such a gift since long before the Great War.” He glanced at the three. “Long before you were born, humans and gnomes lived together with the ruling that one would never outweigh the other. We were able to protect the spirit world. When one falls, many others follow and thus, the humans sought to understand our relations and made a pact to protect the Djinn of the four elements. The pact was solidified for years, despite our lengthy protests. It was nothing against the humans, but they lac
ked the understanding that magic is as dangerous as it is good—and one bad seed outweighs the actions of many.”
Ferr puffed on the pipe. “Nix was greedy in his desire for power and was the cause of the war. The Djinn stripped the humans of their power and were never to be seen by them again. This created the Era of Forgetting.” Ferr guided his bird over to Xoey. “Take great care to protect yourself from those who would seek to use you for their cruel agendas.”
Xoey gulped nervously. Just the other day, she was sharing a laugh with Lucas, a heavy freckled man known for his talent to make tack into a weapon. She had watched him knock out Oliver, the cook, with one throw of a hard biscuit. She reminded him that Oliver was far from a hard target. His black eyes were always glazed over from tasting the food and grog. Now, she had a furred, well, sort of furred, gnome looming over her.
Mal pouted jealously. He was an attention hog, after all. Ferr ruffled Mal’s hair. “Need not worry, lad. You’ll save them all.” Nadine attempted to stifle a chuckle. Ferr flicked a glance in her direction. She swallowed the humor. “And you, Nadine…you will reach your full potential.”
They all looked up at him with more questions than answers. He looked back to Decyl. “It is time.” He then patted each one on their head. “The Djinn are protected by the strongest of their element for they are being picked off. Fire is guarded by the Red Trolls, little creatures with hair of flames and bodies of ash and molten lava. Air is guarded by the thick storm Cloud Beasts filled with rage and lightning. Earth is guarded by large Frost Giants, giants who will not hesitate to smash heads with boulders if threatened. You have seen what guards the Water. Seek out who is destroying the elements.” He turned the bird around. “You have one minute.” Xoey blinked, uncertain of the countdown.
Adventures of Captain Xdey Page 3
