Fire's Song

by J E Mueller

  Pushing myself upright I felt a small twinge of pain and dizziness. As I made my way out of the tent I saw Clover, Mara, and Lee around the remains of a campfire. There were chatting with one another fairly quietly but stopped as soon as they saw me approach.

  “You’re finally awake!” Mara cheered.

  “How long was I out?” I asked, surprised by her enthusiasm.

  “Two days.” Lee held up the matching number of fingers for emphasis. “You exhausted your magic again.”

  “What’s been going on?” I asked, sitting down with the group. I was still dizzy.

  Clover nodded towards the two remaining tents. “We had our victory and had to defend the camp here the next morning while you and Zarek were down. It wasn’t much of a fight since Lee knew where they were coming from.”

  Lee shrugged it off. “I do what I can.”

  “Where is everyone else?” I really wanted to know what had happened to my brother.

  “Zarek was taken to Kinsfield once he was conscious. Jameson, Kilee and Kaden are with him. Jason and Conner are checking snares right now,” Mara replied. “Lee tried to convince us to leave with them, but a smaller party can travel faster than a large one and we didn’t want anyone sneaking up on you guys.”

  “They’re a very stubborn bunch.” Lee sighed. “Zarek didn’t even ask them. They split the teams based on who were the fastest riders without complaint.”

  “Zarek’s all about playing up your strengths and working on your next strengths. He doesn’t call them weaknesses, just something that needs more time and honing,” Mara explained proudly. “We rarely debate who is the best. If there’s a question about it, we test it.”

  Clover laughed. “When Zarek took over they thought it was going to be terrible. All the changes he wanted… Some thought he’d be as bad as Ramulus. Instead he’s the opposite. No bloodlust, no land gain, just reasonable goals and well worked out plans.”

  “Not only that,” Jason added, coming into sight with Kaden. “But he actually promotes people based on skill and competence. No bribes. In fact, the last one trying to bribe him had thirty lashes and a week in the cells. Zarek warned everyone that would be the case and for those who tried bribery, and he kept his word.”

  “A few hated it, but the overall response from the people was favorable,” Kaden said, throwing a game bag down. “That’s why we actually have such a diverse army. Zarek opened it to everyone. His only rule for admission is that you must submit background history to him. It must include if you have magic ability, but the information is not released. It’s up to you what you want to tell everyone; he just wants to properly assess everyone and have no secrets through the ranks.”

  Jason sat down beside me. “Actually, he said you were his inspiration. He tells every round of new recruits the same story. How growing up his family had toxic secrets. We all knew the stories of the mad king, but hearing of the secretive mother surprised us. None of us knew about how your youngest brother died or why the young princess's death was left without details. He filled us in, saying that the only way to succeed as a team was the same way to win as a family. Know each other, and don’t keep secrets.”

  “Glad I turned out to be a positive inspiration.” I smiled. It felt odd having so many know our history, but it had seemed to play out well.

  “It’ll be interesting to see what he changes about the family torn away bit,” Mara mused. “No one thought you’d be back. Lucky for us you’re here.”

  “It’s actually really nice to hear that I’ve been good luck for a change. Usually it’s just screams and death.” I laughed weakly. It was a terrible joke.

  “By the way, that was pretty badass.” Conner cheered, ignoring my lame attempt at a joke. “You took down at least twenty on your own. And that flame shield? Fantastic.”

  “Wait, my shield was visible?” I said with surprise.

  “Like I said.” Lee nodded at me. “You exhausted your magic. Not only did you get a shield up with magical energy, but you also managed to bring your fire out onto it. You’ll need to practice that once we figure out our next move.”

  “Oh, we did sort of drop all our plans didn’t we?” I recalled.

  “We will gladly escort you whichever direction you want to go,” Clover said. “But you won’t get out of being escorted.”

  “What do you think?” I asked Lee. Being escorted sounded weird, but with all the recent activity I wouldn’t argue against receiving help.

  He thought for a moment. “We’re half a day's ride from Faraden. I’d love to stop there and then head towards Kinsfield and your brother. That way we can get my mother back to town safely. I don’t want her traveling through all this madness on her own.”

  “Agreed.” I nodded. Zarek would be fine in the village without me, and it was only another half day.

  “If we break camp now we can make it before nightfall,” Clover said glancing at the sky. “If we leave at first light we shouldn’t have trouble making it to Kinsfield by evening.”

  “Fair plan. Are you well enough to travel?” Jason asked me.

  “I just have a headache. That won’t be a problem at all.” I hoped I was right.

  Quickly and quietly camp was broken down and we were off.

  Just as Clover predicted, we reached Faraden by nightfall. Celia was thrilled to see us alive and well, and quickly set about making a stew with the game that the guards had hunted earlier. Thanks to her visions she was ready for us, or this large of a surprise may have upset her.

  Lee apologized to his mother and explained everything in as great of detail as he could. While Juni was upset he had gone off to a battle he was not prepared for, she was proud he had done the right thing.

  “I do beg your pardon,” Celia said to everyone. “But we do not have enough beds for everyone.”

  Jason shook off her concern. “First off, fantastic stew.” He finished another bite before continuing. “If you don’t mind us taking up your living room floor, we’ll be more than fine. A night away from the wind and bugs is all we could ask for.”

  “Of course!” Celia agreed instantly. “It’s the least we can do for our kingdom's forces.”

  The living room was snug and cozy. It was fun hanging around with everyone for the night, but as the time for everyone to sleep approached I felt a sense of unease.

  “Take the sofa,” Mara told me. It sounded like a command.

  “It wouldn’t be fair with how hard everyone’s been working if I took it,” I replied. There was no arguing that truth. I had already been out for two days.

  Kaden shook his head. “Take it. We all know you’ve got your concerns with your magic, and rightfully so. You are learning. We don’t want you in a position you aren’t ready for. It wouldn’t be fair to you. While you’re not enlisted in the Castle’s Core, you’re still considered one of us for as long as you’re helping us.”

  “And we always do what’s best for the team,” Mara finished.

  Smiling, I took the sofa. “Thank you.” It warmed my heart a bit that they considered me part of the team. It also amused me greatly.

  First light came before I was ready. I got up with a yawn and wiped the sand from my eyes. The troops were used to being awake at this hour and were getting ready to leave. We had a quick breakfast and were soon heading out the door. Celia held me back a moment.

  “Leia will be so proud to hear about the progress you’ve made, and I’m just as proud.” Celia smiled warmly.

  I gave her a big hug, which took her by surprise. “We’ll visit again. Thank you for everything.”

  “Be off, silly.” She shooed me with her hand holding back a tear. “Your journey has more paths to take. I know you’ll do fine.”

  With Juni now added to our party, we set off once more. Lee checked for any traps but Juni assured us we would arrive home safely.

  And so we did.

  The journey was quick and uneventful. We only stopped twice to rest the horses and have a quick lu
nch. Arriving in Kinsfield was a reunion for us all. The troops got to see their comrades again, and this was Lee’s and Juni’s home. For me it just felt right. It was odd feeling like I was actually where I was supposed to be. Whether or not I truly belonged here was yet to be seen, but I was optimistic.

  Zarek had turned city hall into a temporary barracks while they were there. While I was uncertain as to when this had happened – likely after the guard arrived to help defend the town – it was nice seeing they were taken care of. Zarek had already written a proposal to provide funding for them and other magic based towns to have a guard's station built so they could station troops here in case there were more problems.

  By the time I entered with our small hodgepodge group, minus Juni, Zarek was giving a quick speech before the guards changed shifts.

  Surprise and joy filled his face when he saw us.

  “And there’s the rest of our victorious team!” Zarek cheered. “Any words of wisdom before this lot goes out on watch?”

  “If they charge you, don’t bother with hostages.” Jason yawned. “They’re nuts, and if they’d take our leader hostage once, they’ll do it again. Better their lives than our families’ lives.”

  “Well said. This is beyond a minor dispute, and they are heavily focused on this area. A storm is starting to brew. Let’s crush it before it can land here.”

  “Hoorah!” They called as they went out.

  “There’s my new favorite sister!” Zarek said, giving me a hug.

  “I wouldn’t tell Sandra that.” I laughed, returning the hug.

  “I heard the whole story. It’s fantastic that your gifts are coming so far!” Zarek beamed with pride. “I’d love to hear your version.”

  “My version has less details. I had my eyes closed.” I shook my head, still laughing. “I didn’t even know I had summoned visible fire.”

  “Amazing. I’d love it if once you get the hang of this if you could help any of the magically inclined troops. Those that are ready to be open about it, anyway.” Zarek shrugged. “No use pushing it. When they’re ready to use it they will.”

  “We’ll see when it gets to that point,” I half agreed, ready to change the subject. “How are you feeling? What happened to you?”

  “They regularly knocked me out,” Zarek replied, his tone becoming more serious, “They often tried asking if I’d denounce my family for the greater good and aid in their overthrow of the demon spawn, but you can imagine how that conversation went.” He rolled his eyes. “All I heard were whispers of how this was useless and how they didn’t know why Mandrick wanted me.”

  “Is it a name you know?” I asked curiously.

  “No,” he admitted, glancing back at the papers spread out on his desk. “But it’s not the first time this name has surfaced, so we’re betting he’s this cult's leader. He also may be going by a false name in order to travel more publicly.”

  “What are your thoughts?” I asked.

  “We bait a trap and end this once and for all,” he said, firmly looking everyone in the eye.

  “How do you plan on doing that?” I was hesitant to ask, wondering what he could already be planning. Everyone was gathered close, no one hiding that they were listening intently to every word.

  “It’s the quickest and easiest plan that has every possibility of going awry, but if we succeed we’ll be done with this mess.” Zarek explained, grinning ear to ear.

  “I’m starting to think that bad plans may be a family trait,” I said having a feeling where this was going.

  “Good! Had a feeling you’d be on board.” Zarek laughed.

  “Let me guess, you want to be bait.” I sighed, shaking my head. Didn’t we just save him?

  “Of course. They need to bring me to their leader for whatever reason.” Zarek nodded, confirming the start of his mad plan.

  “What if that’s changed since the last battle?” I pointed out the most obvious flaw in his logic. I hoped he had considered the obvious options ahead of time.

  “Then we keep our psychics up to date on our plans.” He pointed at Lee. “He should be able to see the most likely of futures before we enact this plan correct?”

  Lee responded, “Correct. But I don’t like this plan.” At least he was on my side with this.

  Zarek waved him off. “It’ll be worse telling Jameson about this so get your grief out now.” Zarek looked at the rest of the group standing around us. “I’ll be asking big favors of our magic community to aid with this, and of course,” he said, turning to me, “Your talent will be needed.”

  “Mine?” I asked with wide eyes, “How can I help?” I didn’t know how to feel about that. While of course I wanted to help him in whatever way I could, I didn’t see how I could be of assistance. All my progress felt more luck based than actual talent. I felt like at any moment the wrong combination of luck would strike and I would kill all those around me.

  “Well they can’t touch you, so thats a good start, and you’ve got this shield thing going on that can flare out at those close to it, so that’s even better. If we can get it so you can protect people without the extra elemental aid, then we can actually use you as a brute force way into or out of wherever this lands us,” Zarek explained.

  “I wouldn’t want to risk using my novice abilities when lives are at stake.” I shook my head. “Jameson had a weird dream that inspired the way to protect you. We’ve no way to know if that will work again.”

  “But it’s possible,” Zarek replied calmly. “It’s the next logical advancement of your gift in my opinion. Lee, you're from this magic town and have seen many gifts. Do you think that’s the next most reasonable advancement of my sister’s power?”

  Lee hesitated, not looking like he wanted to get involved. After he thought about it for a few moments he reluctantly agreed. “It can go one or two ways from how I see it. It seems possible she can protect anyone of her own choosing. Everyone's magic can be used in some way to protect its user. She might even also be able to cast it on another and have them use it as a shield, but that would completely depend on the other person’s magical gifts, and I doubt many are compatible with cursed fire.”

  “And there’s no way to test it without someone potentially getting hurt or being killed.” I argued my case.

  “The rest of the plan still works,” Zarek continued, unfazed. “Your talents would just make it easier. We need to deal with this group before it spreads and others join its cause. We cannot continue to risk the lives of innocent civilians by our inaction. A plan needs to be decided upon. If not today, than tomorrow. We need to prepare.”

  “Won’t you need more troops?” I pointed out.

  “Not with the team I have in mind.” He turned his attention from me to his current group.

  “I hate to ask this, but please if you haven’t already, each of you please explain your gifts,” Zarek said softly, but with fire.

  “I’m proud to join this mission,” Jason said, fist over his heart. “I’ve elemental magic. Unpracticed as it is, I can move the earth, causing little ripples in the ground and small quakes. I can manipulate the ground that is within my sight. The further away it is the weaker my control over it gets.”

  Mara took a deep breath. “I joined this core knowing all my gifts will eventually be put to good use. I can move objects. The heavier it is the less control I have over it, and I cannot lift with magic more than I can physically carry.”

  “My gift is stealth.” Clover smiled, “I am the best with it because I can turn myself invisible.”

  Conner nodded. “I can change size. I can be small as an ant or as large as a grizzly. Strength varies as you’d expect with the size changes.”

  “And that is why I don’t need a bigger team.” Zarek smiled at me. “Add in the rest of the group from our journey here and we’re set. It’ll be up to them to explain their own talents.”

  “Did you really travel with only troops who can use magic?” Lee asked surprised, having clearly ex
pected a more varied guard.

  “We’re going into a battle against those that wish to do harm to magic users. While non-magic users may be ready to fight the good fight, magic users have lived through this too many times. It’s time they had a chance to defend themselves and put an end to this.” Zarek explained, “This is a perfect opportunity to not only solve one problem, but it also gives them a chance to openly use the gifts that many have shunned. Magic gifts should be practiced and not hidden.”

  Lee glanced around, understanding exactly what was being said. “I’m sure they agree.” The others around us nodded.

  “Is there a good place to get a drink here?” Jason asked turning to Lee. “I think we’ve earned a moment to celebrate our unity here.”

  Lee nodded. “I can recommend a place,” he agreed. “Maybe we should find Kilee and Kaden so they can join us?”

  Jason turned to Zarek. “Thoughts on where our comrades are?”

  “At the door,” Kilee responded. “Word is you guys made it back.”

  “Glad to see our escort party is now back. What’s this about drinks?” Kaden asked with a smile.

  Zarek beckoned them over and quickly caught them up on the conversation. “If you wouldn’t mind, please explain your gifts. Again, my apologies you didn’t get to do this on your own terms.”

  Kilee waved him off, not even vaguely bothered. “Along with the infrared I mentioned the other day, I have supersonic hearing. Both gifts can be switched on and off at will.”

  “Super speed.” Kaden shrugged. “My magic can seep into those attached to me. I can lend my speed to a horse or if I were to hold hands with someone they would be able to keep up with me. Direct contact is required.”

  The rest explained their abilities and when they finished Jason chimed back in. “Let’s celebrate!”

  “I’ll show you a good place, and if you don’t mind, I’ll toss in a good word about your soon to be rowdiness. It is a thing celebrated here.” Lee smiled then turned to me. “Catch up with your brother. I’ll see you back at home.”

  With that they left with festive spirits all around, despite knowing a dangerous plan was likely soon to unfold.