by Tiger Hebert
Vacinne’s eyes shot up to Sutara who had already climbed out of the tower window and teetered on a narrow lip of decorative molding that wrapped around the structure. She was scooting her way across the ledge, toward the nearest rooftop.
“Renlar, quick before she gets away,” shouted Vacinne while pointing to Sutara.
Renlar shouted, “Sutara, end this madness!”
“Not on my life,” snapped the woman as she leapt from the ledge to the nearest rooftop.
Her foot slipped as she landed on the slopped roof. Sutara began to slide from the rooftop. Renlar and Vacinne raced around the fire and toward her location. Sutara clutched desperately for anything she could grab a hold of. Frantic fingers found the edge of the roof-line. Sutara stopped her slide, and within seconds was able to pull herself up onto the roof. A maniacal laugh escaped Sutara’s pouty lips, and then she was off and running.
Renlar and Vacinne gave chase from the street while Sutara sped across the rooftops above.
“You don’t have to do this!” pleaded Renlar.
Sutara answered with a carelessly thrown ball of flame.
Whoosh!
Renlar and Vacinne raced onward as the errant spell sailed harmlessly overhead. The fireball slammed into a nearby brick wall. Ash and soot marred its landing spot. Somewhere up above Sutara cursed amidst a chorus of hearty laughter. Then she changed direction on them, running over-top of a narrow stone archway that crossed over them. Sutara was now sprinting east.
“Hell’s own,” cursed Vacinne, as she fought to change direction.
Renlar said nothing as he followed her lead. Vacinne darted down the eastward cross street that mirrored Sutara’s flight. Renlar was on her heels. Sutara was quick, but Vacinne was gaining ground on her, and fast.
Renlar’s voice whispered in Vacinne’s mind, I’ve got you. Go!
Hearing anyone’s voice in her head, other than her own, wasn’t normal. She wanted to look back to confirm she wasn’t going mad. Then his voice answered her.
Vacinne, trust me. Go!
Vacinne sprinted forward with all her might. A strong tailwind pressed at her back. Vacinne ran faster than she’d ever run before. She was closing the distance to her target. Sutara was less than thirty feet away.
“Just a little closer,” said Vacinne as she gave it everything she had.
Her tailwind grew stronger, propelling her forward even farther. The gap was still closing. Sutara looked back in disbelief. The angry woman cursed Vacinne in some other language.
“Almost,” said Vacinne as her legs pounded the street.
The distance was only about twenty feet when Vacinne called upon her powers again. She prepared herself and blinked forward. Vacinne’s mirage waited in the street below as she materialized right where she wanted, ready to apprehend Sutara. Sutara was gone, leaving behind only a chorus of mocking laughter.
“You stupid heifer,” mocked Sutara who now raced along the street below.
Vacinne cursed as she was left grasping naught but air. She turned and raced along the rooftops after her quarry. In the street below Sutara had quite a lead on Renlar with at least thirty feet between them. His fingers flitted while he ran, then a gust of wind roared through the street toward Sutara. She clearly anticipated his move, as she deftly cut left down a different street.
Vacinne above and Renlar below made their way to the street where she turned.
Whoosh!
A fireball greeted them as they turned down the broad street. Renlar jumped sideways, narrowly dodging the gout of flame. The orb of fire shot past him and slammed into the wooden shop that Vacinne ran atop. Innocent bystanders screamed and scattered as the place caught fire. Vacinne leapt from the building’s roof just in time. The entire storefront went up in flames, the old wood no match for Sutara’s magic. Renlar used his power to slow Vacinne’s fall. She landed with more grace than should have been possible. Vacinne drew in ragged breaths, but still she charged forward. Renlar nodded as she approached, and he turned and ran with her.
Renlar cursed. The vorthor demon was long gone and Sutara was nearly a block ahead of them at this point. The street she’d chosen was a busy one as well. Small children played in the streets, chickens scratched at the cobbles, and merchants pushed carts full of goods out ahead of the day’s crowds, and Sutara wouldn’t care about any of them.
I’ve gotta stop her before she kills anyone else, he thought.
His legs burned as he ran. He was incredibly fit, but he wasn’t as young as he once was. Ten years ago, he could have done this without breaking a sweat. But with labored breaths, he pressed onward. Then he saw his opportunity. Up ahead there was a large stone archway with large wooden doors. The doors never closed and at this point were merely decorative, but they worked once. Renlar lifted his hands into the air as he ran, and strange words fell from his lips.
The cast iron rings upon the doors jerked outward as they were pulled by the unseen force. Renlar drew upon his will, and yanked. The rugged wooden doors creaked and groaned before they slammed shut with near splintering force. Rods made of drenamine alloy slid into place locking the massive doors from the other side. Sutara was hemmed in.
The wild young girl roared in defiance. She cast a hellacious barrage of fire upon the massive doors. Children screamed as they fled. Merchants scrambled, abandoning their carts to the flames as they sought cover, but the old oak doors just stood there in the flames. Sutara cursed again.
Renlar and Vacinne sped toward her. The door would not defy Sutara long, but they closed on her quickly. Sutara looked to her left, then to her right. She darted into the shop to her right. She shoved an old man out of the way before disappearing inside the building. Renlar and Vacinne gave chase.
Inside the building, produce and people were scattered about. The wreckage left in Sutara’s wake evident. The shopkeeper pointed to the stairs and shouted. Renlar and Vacinne panted as they ran, taking the steps two and three at a time. They reached the rooftop only to be met with a fireball. Renlar blasted wind ahead of them, diverting the fireball ever so slightly. He was consuming a lot of energy, so he had to be cautious. The deflected fireball slammed into the neighboring building. Soon, it too, was going to go up in flames.
“Damn it! If we don’t stop her... she’ll burn the entire town to the ground,” panted Renlar.
“What... do you... propose,” managed Vacinne.
“Split up... force her... under... ground,” he rasped.
“Underground?”
As he fought to catch his breath, Renlar answered in her mind.
The sewers. She hates them, but old habits die hard. Make her feel trapped, and her instincts will drive her underground. These sewers don’t go anywhere though. So, once she’s there, we’ll have her trapped.
Vacinne gasped, “Let’s just finish this before we run ourselves to death.”
No more words, silent or spoken, were shared. As the smoke rose from the city, they both raced across the rooftops in their pursuit of Sutara. Her fickle flame did not discriminate wood from flesh, or friend from foe. The town of Trader’s Haven burned, and Renlar feared Sutara was just getting warmed up.
His heart pounded, his lungs ached, and his legs burned, but Renlar pushed himself onward. He called upon his power again. With a tailwind at his back and a headwind in her face, they could make up the gap. He willed it so. The wind pressed hard at their backs, once more propelling the duo forward over the uneven rooftops. He could see they were once more gaining on her.
We are close to the city square. That is where the largest sewer grates are. If we can corral her there, we have a chance, he said in her mind.
Vacinne merely nodded.
Sutara made her way toward the town square. She moved with unnatural speed and agility—more than Renlar had ever remembered.
What dark pact have you made, he wondered.
Despite everything, headwind and all, she moved effortlessly over the roofs that made up the western rim of
the town square.
“Sutara, don’t make me do this,” he cried out almost as a futile prayer.
Renlar’s time was running out. He had to make a move. His hands flew into rapid gestures and his lips moved with fervor. The power released from his spell tugged on him hard, as it continued to drain him.
A storm came from the north. Out of thin air, the tempest roared into Trader’s Haven with reckless fury. The sky suddenly grew dark as raging winds beset the village. This was no natural storm. The dark clouds and storm winds surged until there was a roaring tornado. The massive pillar of twisting winds that stretched from the ground to far up into the sky swept toward them. Buildings wavered and broke under the tempest’s fury. Windows shattered, shutters ripped free, and walls began to break. Debris filled the air over the northern side of the city, and it raced toward them. Citizens cried out in terror as it descended upon them.
Terror gripped Vacinne. The twisting gray and black vortex spawned from nothing lie no more than a hundred yards north of them. It spun with a primal fury and illuminated as lightning arced within its angry core. It chewed through building after building, devouring them with frightening ease as it snaked its way toward them. Wood, stone, even entire buildings where thrown about wildly as the destructive force of nature obliterated everything in its path.
Vacinne watched Renlar stagger, then stumble. He lost his footing and crashed hard to the roof’s surface. His cry muffled by the roar of the tempest. She cried out for him. There was no reply. Vacinne rushed to his side. As she ran, she watched his motionless body lay face down upon the roof’s red clay tiles.
“No!” she screamed as she dropped down to her knees at his side. She pushed on him, rolling him over. His head lolled to the side with the ease of a dead body. His sweat drenched hair cast about every which way. She bent down with her ear to his mouth.
Nothing.
She moved her ear to his chest.
Nothing.
She listened again for a heartbeat.
Nothing.
“By the Li—”
Boom, boom-boom, boom.
His eyelids sprang open, revealing orbs of pure radiant white where green eyes once were. Flashes of white light arced outward from his eyes. Slowly, Renlar rose from the roof top, his entire body levitating into the air. Vacinne’s mouth dropped open. She’d never seen anything like it. Renlar’s body floated as if he were standing upright in the air a foot or two above the roof’s red tiles.
His voice boomed like thunder, “We can’t let her escape.”
Vacinne’s eyes shot back toward the north. The tempest continued its destructive approach toward them, and Sutara was scrambling to get out of its path. Vacinne watched as the fleeing woman tried to head west until destructive storm forces surged outward and cut off her path. Buildings exploded, their debris filling the city skyline. Sutara turned, and like Renlar said, bolted toward the town square. With uncanny grace, she leapt from the rooftops to the street below. Sutara landed into a forward roll before catching her balance and sprinting toward cover—the sewer.
Vacinne started toward her, but Renlar said, “No, let her go in.”
Vacinne turned toward her companion. He slowly floated toward her, his eyes still crackling with white lightning. She watched as he came to her side. Then he pointed to the scene below, where Sutara ripped the sewer cover free and tossed it aside. She wasted no time lowering herself down into the manhole. Then she was gone.
Renlar lowered himself down until his feet were on the rooftop, then he relaxed his powers. The roar of the winds died out and within seconds the storm was just gone. Debris fell from the air and the wreckage was immense, but the winds and dark clouds and lightning were gone. It simply vanished. The storm was over. Vacinne stared in awe of everything she’d just witnessed. In muted wonder, she turned to Renlar, where his eyes were green once more—and they were tired.
Exhaustion had overtaken him. Renlar’s weakened body fell forward toward the street below. Vacinne reached out and caught the bounty hunter’s cloak and somehow managed to swing him back toward her. She caught his swinging body in her arms. She braced for the impact. The weight of his body nearly knocked her from her feet, but she held strong. There on the roofs of Trader’s Haven, Renlar lay nearly lifeless in her arms.
Lay your hands upon him and say, the healing touch of the Light be upon you, instructed an inaudible voice.
Vacinne obeyed. He was already in her arms, but she made sure her hands were firmly upon him. She spoke the words given to her. “The healing touch of the Light be upon you!”
Renlar’s body heaved as he gasped for new air. His body went rigid as his strength returned. Vacinne steadied him until he could get his legs under him.
“Can you walk?” she asked.
He swayed for a moment until the dizziness faded. Then his head steadied. “I’m good. Let’s move.”
Vacinne shook her head. “Whoa there, Stormy! You just did this unbelievable demi-god weather controlling display of power, and you’re just going to say, ‘I’m good, let’s move’?”
Renlar pursed his lips. “I’m just a man with unique talents.”
“The Nine Hells you are! Carving a sculpture is talent, singing a song is a talent, hell even belching the alphabet is a talent. What you just did is something entirely different,” she exclaimed.
“I’m no demi-god, Vacinne,” said Renlar.
“You sure as Hell aren’t just a man either, Stormy,” quipped Vacinne. “Now, let’s go find this ex-girlfriend of yours and beat the living Nine out of her.”
Renlar’s eyes flashed warning. “We take her alive.”
Vacinne got right into his face and snapped, “Not at the cost of your life or mine. That I swear.”
Vacinne’s tone and expression each carried an edge that left no room for interpretation. She was every bit capable of and willing to kill Sutara if that was what was required of her. She meant it and she wanted Renlar to fully understand her stance. He met her steely gaze for several seconds before nodding.
“To the sewers,” said Vacinne as she leapt from the rooftop.
Renlar looked skyward and prayed, “Light, help Sutara.”
16
Promises
VACINNE LOWERED HERSELF down into the sewers below. The smell of refuse hit her like a hammer. Like in the brothel, she wanted to gag. She willed herself past the overwhelming assault on her senses, and focused as she scanned her surroundings. The sewers branched out in four different directions, and from what she could gather, they seemed to be to the cardinal directions. Each tunnel was roughly ten feet wide and they were lucky if it was six feet tall in the very center of the corridors. Walking paths were built on each side of the tunnels. The water from the mountain’s runoff was fed into the sewers and with it the putrid sewage flowing freely through each tunnel.
“After everything we’ve been through, to think it could actually still get worse,” remarked Vacinne with a sigh.
“You think this is bad, wait till we have to wade in the stuff.”
The thought was vulgar and obscene. Vacinne had to resist the overwhelming urge to discard her breakfast into the stream that passed her by.
Renlar said, “Sutara has gone north.”
“You’re thinking that she is making a break and trying to leave town,” surmised Vacinne.
Renlar shook his head. “No, I can feel her heat signature. It goes that way.”
His fingers pointed due north.
Vacinne crossed her arms. “How do you know she didn’t just set something on fire to throw you off her trail?”
“See, that’s what I like about you. You’re a smart girl, always questioning things,” said Renlar with a smile. “But, all Riftborn have a signature. It’s hard to explain. It’s like the way that the power inside of them affects the world around them. It leaves a trace. Even when they aren’t using their powers. This one here is Sutara’s.”
Vacinne uncrossed her arms, but she wa
s clearly confused. “Can anyone see the signatures?”
Renlar answered, “Any Riftborn can be trained to see them. It just comes easier for some than others.”
“Okay, well let’s find her,” said Vacinne.
Vacinne started forward, then she halted.
“What is it?” asked Renlar.
“I’ve got a question, and you’re not going to like it, but it’s been gnawing at me since our encounter with Draece. He said something about you getting a loved one killed.”
Renlar sighed.
“Renny, I’m not trying to make you relive old—”
“Then don’t,” he snapped.
“I just want to know you,” said Vacinne, her voice soft.
“We’ve got a job to do.”
Vacinne’s heart sank. She turned away, then pulled her sword and her shield free. She stepped over the slow-moving stream of refuse onto the walkway that would take her into the northern tunnel. Renlar called his daggers from their sheaths and he too stepped over into the northern tunnel.
Once on even footing, Vacinne allowed her power to flow into her Ashthorill runeblade. The iconic runes etched into the blade’s over-sized fuller pulsed with intense yellow light, illuminating the dark. Rats squeaked as they scurried every which direction. Vacinne shuddered as a handful of the vermin crawled up and over her boots in their attempt to flee the harassing gaze of the light.
With their pathway forward lit, Vacinne turned to Renlar. He nodded. The hunt was on.
They hurried forward along the tunnel’s narrow walkway. At a little over six feet tall, Renlar had to hunch over, but this was clearly not his first trek through deep dark places. Vacinne could feel his presence on her heels. It comforted her as much as anything could given their foul circumstance.
