Trail of Flames

by Marlow York

  “Are you worried for them?” I led the way back through the forest.

  “I don’t ever want to stoop to the City’s level where people are just expendable things. I don’t want killing to become who I am.” He stared at the rabbits and I wondered how long it had taken for him to accept killing small animals.

  “I don’t think it will,” I said confidently.

  “No?” he asked.

  “Killing changes you, but so does life.” I remembered the battle in the Grakkir village, how awful it had felt to drive my axe through a soldier’s face. “That doesn’t mean you have to become someone else. You’re the type of person who makes jokes with trees and knows how to make a friend out of almost anyone. Your life will change, but I think you’ll be you at the core.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he said quietly.

  Saven lifted his head when we came into view and watched us cross the clearing. I sensed protectiveness from him, but not because of Cypress, which was a relief. It was in his nature to worry about me, even more so when I was away from him. Once he saw I was safe, he was more concerned with the rabbits in Cypress’s hand than the fact that we had been alone together.

  “For you,” Cypress said, lifting the rabbits.

  “Toss them,” I said.

  The rabbits were in the air for barely a second when Saven leapt forward and snatched them in his massive mouth. He swallowed them and nodded gratefully to Cypress.

  Anza stood near the corral, stroking Violet’s head while Roger worked in the garden. Mjoll watched Anza and flicked her tail, perhaps satisfied her difficult companion showed such kindness towards the small cat. The scene looked natural but felt so strange.

  “I’m sorry to hold us up,” Saven said.

  I waved my hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break.” I hardly hid the feeling of urgency telling me we were wasting time. I focused instead on taking a sharpening stone from my bag and sitting down to work on my axe blade.

  Cypress approached me. “It’s time for me to learn to fight.”

  “What?” I asked, taken aback. With so many other things on my mind, I had already forgotten about teaching him.

  “I want to learn to fight like you and Anza,” he said in a hushed tone, as though embarrassed she would overhear him. “She was right. When this war comes, I’ll be useless to help if I don’t know anything about combat.”

  I focused on my axe, sliding the stone slowly along the edge. “We might not have enough time to train you properly. It took us months to get as good as we are now, and we still have a lot to learn. If the Grakkir village hadn’t been destroyed, we would still be training every day.”

  “It doesn’t matter how much time we have. I need to learn everything you can teach me as quickly as possible. I don’t want to be completely useless. I’ll be a burden if I can’t fight.”

  His determination didn’t surprise me, but I was hesitant to say yes. I knew a lot about fighting and survival, but that didn’t mean I was qualified to teach someone else.

  “Anza might be better equipped to help you,” I said. “But she won’t be an easy instructor, I can promise you that.”

  “Promise you what?” Anza strode towards us and stood over me, watching intently as I worked. She was probably judging my technique, but before she had a chance to criticize, I answered her.

  “Cypress wants to learn how to fight, so he can help us in the battle.”

  For a moment, no one said anything. Anza stared at Cypress, who stared right back, waiting for her inevitable retort.

  “Okay. I will train you,” Anza finally said. She drew her sword and took a fighting stance, waiting for Cypress to react.

  Cypress glared at her. “I’m serious about this. I need to be prepared.”

  “I’m serious about this too.” Anza wasn’t smiling.

  Cypress looked at me and I shrugged. I passed my axe to him. “Here. Don’t get killed.”

  Cypress tentatively took the axe, his arm dipping with the weight. “Alright,” he said uncertainly. “I’ve never held a war axe before. How do I use it?”

  “You are going to learn today, Secara,” Anza taunted, spitting his clan name like it was poison on her tongue.

  Cypress lifted the axe in front of him. His stance was weak, and his fingers closed around the handle awkwardly. I’m sure that’s what I’d looked like my first time. It was clear he had a lot to learn, but I kept my mouth shut and observed.

  Anza lunged at Cypress, heaving her sword over her head, and as he dodged, the blade barely missed his arm. I’m sure Anza missed him intentionally; even while sparring with other Warrior trainees she had been a brutal and ruthless opponent. However, as far as Cypress could tell, she attacked with the intention of killing him.

  She lunged again, her sword swiping the air in front of Cypress’s face. He cried out and lifted my axe, and when Anza’s weapon connected, his arms and legs buckled with the force of the blow. As much as I disliked Anza at times, I had great respect for her fighting skills.

  “Attack me, you coward!” she growled, her voice echoing off the trees.

  Cypress narrowly dodged another attack. He stumbled and almost fell.

  I shook my head with disappointment. He let fear cloud his judgment. Even the most inexperienced fighter could potentially win against a much stronger opponent if he took the time to think about the skills he already had.

  Anza’s sword came down hard and grazed Cypress’s left shoulder. He yelped in pain and surprise, but sidestepped and raised the axe, blocking the next blow. Anza struck from the other direction, cutting his right arm this time. Cypress shouted again. As he tripped and fell to the ground, I considered breaking up the fight.

  Anza loomed over him and lifted her sword above her head. I knew she wouldn’t actually kill him, but any other onlooker would be worried. Cypress’s instincts finally kicked in. He lifted his arm, and roots shot out of the ground behind Anza, wrapping themselves around the blade. She was stuck, yanking on the sword poised above her head.

  She grunted and strained, but the roots were too strong. Finally, panting with frustration, she relaxed and smirked down at him. “It’s about damn time you remembered what to do. Good job.”

  Cypress climbed painfully to his feet, gasping for breath. He held the axe handle limply in his red, blistered hands while the head of my axe rested on the ground.

  Suddenly, Anza released the sword and lunged at Cypress. Her fist connected with his jaw, sending him to the ground again.

  I inhaled through clenched teeth, remembering all too well what Anza’s right hook felt like.

  “Dammit!” Cypress shouted.

  “Do I need to get the gun?” Roger said half-jokingly as he appeared at my side.

  “No, this is pretty normal for a Grakkir training session,” I replied.

  “You think the fight is over when your opponent loses their weapon?” Anza asked. “Get up.”

  Cypress stood, rage burning in his eyes. Then I saw it. Cypress indeed possessed a fighting spirit.

  “Keep your hands up.” Anza took a fighting stance.

  Cypress tried to mirror her, looking awkward but determined.

  “Did she teach you?” Roger asked.

  I felt myself bristle at his ignorance, but I calmed down quickly. “No, but we were trainees together. She grew up in the fighting culture, so she knows more than I do.”

  “And the rest of your army?”

  I paused and my stomach sank. “Hopefully they will be prepared by the time we gather them.”

  The two duked it out, Anza giving Cypress no pause just because he was inexperienced. He managed to block some of her strikes and return a few of his own, but by the end of the match he was far more bloodied and bruised than she was. Panting, they both picked up their weapons and joined us. Cypress nearly fell onto his rear beside me.

  “Is there going to be a training session in which you don’t try to kill me?” he asked sarc
astically.

  “Do not be dramatic,” Anza retorted. “I wasn’t going to kill you, only test you.”

  “She’s right,” I chimed in before Cypress could respond. “At first you were so concerned with not knowing how to fight properly that you failed to think about all the weapons in your arsenal.”

  “This axe I can barely lift?” he said.

  “No.” I took the axe from him and brushed dirt from its blade. “You. You are a weapon. You have more experience with your powers than any weapon you can wield in your bare hands. You grew up using plants for defense and hiding, but I’m sure they can be just as destructive as my power is. You handled that one soldier ruthlessly.”

  Cypress looked thoughtful. “I still need to learn how to fight like you guys can.”

  “We’ll do our best to teach you.” I glanced at Anza, who gave a nod. “In the meantime, start thinking of ways to use your powers for fighting.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “It’s time to stop hiding. This time, we get to be the powerful ones.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Over the next week or so, we took turns training Cypress while Saven slowly recovered. Anza taught him combat, but I stepped in to correct his form while they sparred. We showed him axe and knife throwing, quickly climbing trees, setting traps, tracking enemies, and all the sorts of skills we learned in training.

  Roger didn’t mind the fighting. In fact, he always stood outside to watch us, observing closely all the things he was too old to do, and joining in to learn what he could. He was pretty good at knife throwing, and his nimble hands were better at setting snares than mine. In return, he offered his medical expertise and fishing advice. In the evenings, we all ate dinner together and told stories of better times. In those brief moments, I could forget about being hunted. But I always remembered, in the back of my mind, that all of this could be ripped out from under us without a moment’s notice. Even here, miles away from the City, apprehension and fear loomed over me like a thundering storm cloud.

  When Saven was well enough to move, we wandered together in the woods near Roger’s house.

  “Just like old times,” Saven mused jokingly.

  I grinned. “And just like old times, I still feel like I need to keep an eye on the skies just in case an airship threatens us.”

  Saven hissed thoughtfully, feeling my nervousness. “This place does remind me a little of the forests around Tarek’s home. And Roger’s cabin is almost the same.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “It’s beautiful here too. Though Tarek had probably never been this far from the Grakkir village, sometimes I almost expect him to come storming out of the cabin, yelling at me to do one chore or another.”

  Though that was not a pleasant way to remember my deceased husband and friend, I smiled a little when I thought of him. Marrying me was just one of the many ways he tried to gain good favor with the Grakkir, who had shunned him years ago. Though I had never been in love with him, our mutual respect was something worth remembering.

  “I think he secretly loved you,” Saven said, reading my thoughts.

  “Don’t say things like that.” I wrinkled my nose. “Is there a word for something that’s more than respect but not quite love?”

  “Not in the snake language, if that’s what you mean,” Saven said. “But I believe in your language, the word is ‘love.’”

  I made a scoffing sound in the back of my throat. “You must not be fully recovered from your wound. You’re still delirious.”

  Saven opened his mouth and hiss-laughed, his prickly teeth exposed in a way that would seem threatening to anyone who had never seen him laugh before. “Who knew you would be so defensive about a man loving you? Besides me, of course.”

  My smile faltered. “It’s dangerous to love me, and you know that. Just look at what happened to Tarek.”

  Saven looked down at me, the two of us falling into a serious silence.

  “I have noticed how Cypress looks at you,” Saven said quietly. “And the way you sometimes look at him.”

  Though there was nothing accusing in Saven’s voice, my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter. I doubt he thinks of me that way, and if he does, he’s a fool. Nothing good will come of it.” The memory of our brief kiss flashed through my mind, but I pushed it away before Saven could know.

  Though Saven had warned me not to let Cypress get too close, I could feel that he was surprised and hurt by my words. He leaned down to bump my shoulder with his nose, the same reassuring gesture he had done ever since he was small enough to curl up in the palm of my hand. “Valieri, I know when you’re lying.”

  I shrugged him off. “I’m sorry, but we both know it’s true. The City will keep chasing me until they kill me, and that puts everyone I meet in danger. I don’t want it to be that way. I’d give anything to live a normal boring life as a Harvester, with my family and the Fiero clan still alive and no Ancient Fire burdening me. The idea of love seems wonderful, but it isn’t for me. Not the way I am now. I can never have that life, and to even think about pursuing love would selfishly put another human being in danger.” I shook my head, tears brimming my eyes. “I won’t do that to anyone. If we didn’t need an army to bring the City down, I would gladly live alone in the middle of the forest like Roger, where I’d never risk anyone else’s safety ever again.”

  “And you would willingly die alone, having never loved or helped anyone?” Saven looked at me gravely. “I understand why you feel that way, but this isn’t all about you. It may have started because of you, but if you had never existed, the City would surely take over the entire world with no one strong enough to stop them. You, Valieri, are just the sort of person this world needs. Nothing would be the same without you.”

  I looked away, trying desperately to form an argument. Nothing came to mind. “How can it be?” I asked quietly. “I still can’t wrap my head around how someone like me could set all of this into motion. I can’t decide if it’s been a good thing or a bad thing. Only bad has come of this.”

  “But we can make it a good thing in the end,” Saven said. “If we are successful and can find enough people willing to fight the City with us, then I believe it will end well for all.”

  “But at what cost?” I asked. “The losses will be great, I know it. How can I expect anyone to willingly sacrifice their life for our cause?”

  “Because it isn’t just our cause. The future of this world is at stake. If people aren’t willing to stand up for the world, then nothing will change. I believe they will understand this. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who think the City needs to be destroyed.”

  “Or at least taken out of power. And then the clans will rule together?” I wondered if it were truly possible for us to do such a thing. The clans we’d already met were so adamant about solitude that it would likely be difficult to convince everyone to work together.

  “Perhaps we will all work something out when the time comes,” Saven mused. “Like it used to be. Everyone will have their say and we can share the power. No one will monopolize it the way the City has.”

  “And yet the clans still fought. We need to make sure the past doesn’t repeat itself.” I shook my head. “But what do I know about leading?”

  “I’m sure someone will know better than we do.”

  I felt Saven was growing tired, and this conversation was exhausting me as well. “Let’s go back to the cabin,” I said. “You need to rest more and regain your strength.”

  “It won’t be too much longer.” Saven slithered alongside me as we headed back the way we’d come. “I am eager to continue this journey.”

  As we neared the cabin, Anza stepped outside, munching sloppily on a hunk of cheese. Mjoll lay just outside the door, basking in the warm sunshine. She looked up as we approached.

  “And where have you two been?” Anza asked.

  “Out for a walk,” I muttered.

  She stood in front of the door and did
n’t seem to be in any hurry to vacate.

  “Move,” I said.

  Anza ignored my command and took another bite. “Roger says he can introduce us to some powerful allies. He’s even willing to take us to them.”

  I looked at her in surprise. “People like us?”

  She nodded. I couldn’t quite tell, but she seemed annoyed. “I’m not sure why he failed to give us this information weeks ago. He must be hiding something.”

  “Did you ask him why?”

  “Of course I did. And he refused to tell me.” She bit into the cheese angrily, crumbs falling from her lips. I was half inclined to smack it out of her hand, but I grew up knowing the importance of not wasting food. “He said he wanted to wait for you two to return so he could tell us all at once.”

  “Well, we’re back. Let’s go inside,” I insisted. Again, I tried to push past her, but she stood solid as a tree.

  “He’s not here. He took Cypress down to the river to show him something. Of course, I wasn’t invited.” She sighed heavily. “Why is it that only the Grakkir seem to understand women are powerful and just as important to these issues as men are?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Maybe he asked you to wait so you could tell me all of this when we got back.”

  “Cypress could have done the same thing. Instead, Roger insisted on taking him, not me.”

  No doubt Roger didn’t want to be alone with her sour attitude.

  “She has not grown out of her arrogance and jealousy, that’s for sure,” Saven muttered tiredly.

  “Do you want to stay here and rest?” I asked him aloud.

  He shook his head. “I’m fine. I want to see what it is too.”

  “Okay, let’s get going.” I headed towards the forest, leaving Anza to sputter about unfairness as she hurried after us.

  We had been down to the river a handful of times. Much like the Grakkir village, we relied on the river to wash our clothes and dishes. Roger had his own well, otherwise I’m sure we would have used it for drinking water too.