We Re Going to Have to Hire a Guide, Kriss Was Saying to Amar

Chapter 15

The city of Tel’mar was a small city just on the outskirts of Dragon Canyon. About two days ride from the Fairy Woods, the scenery had taken a drastic change. From beautiful green hills and lush forests, it had turned into harsh blazing sun, rocks, and dust. The city itself was made up of buildings of clay and rock, and flattop roofs. Merchants sold their wears in the streets in the open-air market, most on carpets, while others had full stalls with canopies set up to help patrons escape from the sun. The streets were full and bustling with people, almost to the point of suffocation.

The atmosphere made Maxine feel absolutely alive. It was so reminiscent of the harsh environment of the Isana Desert that it made her feel like she was back home. She found herself ogling the dark robes that the girls donned, wishing that she could replace her own traveling robe with one.

“We’re going to have to hire a guide,” Kriss was saying to Amar.

“You were so against it before back in Two Rivers. What’s changed?”

“You’ve clearly never been here before. The canyon isn’t just some ditch. It’s filled with caves and cliffs, and plenty of dead ends. There is little water down there. Simply casting a water spell is going to be highly energy depleting – we can’t create water from nothing.”

Amar looked over his shoulder at her. She shook her head. “Don’t look at me. Creation is Aurora’s territory and just like with Remus, it’s forbidden for everyone and me included. I can’t create something out of nothing. If this place is anything like Isana, they have Phorcys Priestesses that pray over water basins to keep them flowing.”

Amar looked back over at Kriss. “So, who do you suggest?”

“We should hit up the taverns. Miners from the canyon frequent them and they act as guides for extra money.”

“Miners?” Maxine asked, squeezing through the crowds hovering around a small basin that had a small water fountain flowing into it. She watched the familiar scene with some nostalgia as children filled up water buckets and went racing off home with them.

“The canyon is rich in ores that have certain magical properties. The Isanese, for instance, do a lot of trade up this way. They go ga-ga over the stuff here.”

Amar grunted as he glared at a group of darker-skinned men that had tattoos on their foreheads. “I hate Isanese. Nothing but deceitful demon-using druids.”

“Hey!” she shouted over her shoulder. “Watch it – I’m Isanese.”

“Yeah, don’t get me started on the irony of that little fact.”

“I thought warlocks liked druids. Druids frequently employ them.”

“They employ us because our magic doesn’t interfere with their demons. My family is strong supporters of them, but I’m afraid that I don’t share their views. Demons belong back in Tartarus. I’ve never met a druid that I liked.”

Kriss lead them forward, forcibly squeezing himself between people, even casting a few wind spells to force a way through, causing a few shouts of dismay. Finally they managed to slip into side street that was far less crowded. “Come on,” he said with a wave of his hand. “The tavern I went to before is just down this way.”

Amar frowned, looking around, his gaze finally stopping on her. There was something in his eyes as he stared at her that she didn’t quite understand. “Kriss, what sort of tavern?” he asked.

“One that the miners frequent a lot. It’s busy and a bit rowdy, but it’s probably our best chance to find someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Amar continued to analyze her with that same dubious look. She was growing more confused and uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t like this plan.” He stopped and then shouted towards Kriss who was pulling away from them now, a few feet ahead. “Kriss, wait –“ He cut himself short, his eyes roving to something just behind her. Before she had a chance to look behind her he reached out and grabbed her arm and then shoved her forward, falling into a fast walk. He leaned into her and hissed into her ear. “Walk – and don’t stop. Keep your eyes forward.” He released her and pulled his pole around off of his back. There was something in his voice that made her the hairs on her neck stand up. “Damn sprite,” he growled. “The both of you have a problem of thinking things through. Kriss!” he shouted the sprite’s name to catch his attention. “Slow down a bit, moron.”

Kriss spun around a smile on his face. For just a moment she saw the smile falter, and his two antennae lowered, but then the smile returned and he rushed back up to them shouting. “Geez, the two of you are so slow.” When he reached them he turned back around and lowered his voice. “You see them?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Amar said. “Glad you had the sense not to make a show of it.”

“Not the first time I’ve had some thugs trying to pick on me.”

Goosebumps popped up on her arms and she fought the urge to look back. “You think people would really want to attack three teenagers in broad daylight?”

“On an empty street like this? Who’s gonna stop them? Relax. Look – I want you to stay out of the way. Let me and Kriss handle the fighting.”

“Huh? But I can –“

“Stand back and throw spells if you see we need it,” he interrupted her. “You have no experience with that damn sword and I don’t want you to taking chances. Now, do what I say.”

Stay out of a fight? The message was so opposite to her nature that her brain could barely process it. But then she shook her head and thought it through. She had only ever been in schoolyard brawls – fists and magic. This was going to be something entirely different. She drew in a deep breath and agreed. “Alright.”

They had barely gotten another dozen feet when the footsteps behind them suddenly increased into that of running steps. Amar shoved her to the side before she had a chance to react. She stumbled and slammed into a wall before she got her feet back under and she turned around. Amar and Kriss had both already unleashed a couple of spells between them and were now fighting them one on one, Kriss with a short blade in his hands that he must have pulled out from his sleeves, and Amar with his gold pole, using it with expert care as if it were a spear. Whatever spells they had cast did not seem to have had an effect.

“Maxine!” Kriss shouted. “They have wards. Can you do something about them?”

She blinked and her third eye opened. The world of Threads came to life around her as she stepped onto the magic plane. There were about four men that they were fighting, and each one of them had something around their necks hidden in their shirts that were made up of a netting of purple and green Threads. Child’s play she thought. What she had once done with her fingers to both the statue in the Academy and then the entrance to the cave outside of Ailis City, she could now do with a simple command, ordering the Threads to unravel. “Done!” she shouted.

“Good,” Amar said, pushing the man away with a flick of his pole and jumping back, an evil smile on his face. “Let’s try this again.” He drew a quick symbol in the dirt and said a single word. She felt the Threads in the air come to life, reds and golds weaving themselves together. Waves of some sort of dark energy slammed into the man and he gasped in pain. He fell to his knees clutching at his heart and then his eyes rolled back into his head.

The man behind him that had been rushing forward stopped and gaped at the body of his now-dead friend. He stared up at Amar, an expression of fear on his face. “I wouldn’t rely on that ward if I were you,” Amar taunted. “Back off!”

Beside him Kriss was having similar luck with his own opponents. Feeling good and like she had contributed she shouted out to him, cheering him on. A sound to her right caught her attention and she looked over. A pile of boxes had toppled, a big-barrel chested man with a sword in his hand snarling at them in frustration. He looked up and their eyes met for a moment. He raised his weapon and then charged, releasing a battle cry as he raced towards her that sounded like something half man and half beast.

Her mind blanked and she froze. The sight of afive foot blade coming towards her terrifying her.

“Maxine!” Amar screamed somewhere.

The scream woke her up but she couldn’t remember anything about weaving a spell. The colors? What colors to use?! And what spell should she cast? She made a last ditch attempt, fumbling for the sword at her belt but it was too late. The man reached her and brought the sword down on her. The butt end of the hilt cracked into her skull and she fell to the ground blacking out for just a moment and coming to just in time to feel the man heft her up and over his shoulder and then run into an alleyway.

She had the feeling that she lost consciousness again several times while the man ran off with her. How much time she lost she wasn’t sure. She didn’t think much time because he was still in the alleyways, but it must have been enough to reassure him that he had lost everyone. He hefted her off of his shoulder and dropped her to the ground. She tried to force herself to focus, to lift her head even, but each attempt failed. She heard the soft hiss of a knife leaving its sheath and seconds later it came into view. The man grabbed her shirt just at her left shoulder and pushed the knife to it. She panicked for a moment, bracing herself to be cut, but all that she heard was the rending of fabric without a feel of any pain. She looked over to find that he had cut a small slit in her clothes that he had not stuck his fingers through, pulling the halves apart, widening the tear, revealing the skin of her shoulder.

What was he doing?

He looked at her shoulder and a small smile spread across his lips. “So you are Isanese,” he said. “Not a druid, but your family should still be willing to pay good money to have you back.”

She blinked and looked at her shoulder. Her white tattoo was clearly visible in the tear. She gaped up at him and almost wanted to shake her head. Oh dear elements, this guy had no idea what a poor choice that he had made for a ransom victim.

She shouted in pain her head swimming as he once again picked her up and heft her over his shoulder. Damn, if she could just pull her thoughts together she knew she could just defeat this guy with a single spell.

He took off running again but had only gotten around a corner when it felt like his body had slammed into something. He gave a grunt of pain and doubled over, a jolt traveling through his body.

“Let her go,” a voice commanded. The voice was definitely male, but it was far too deep to be Kriss’s or even Amar’s, and there was a slight intonation of a faded accent.

“I’m gonna break your neck, boy,” the man growled.

“Try it,” the voice said.

Her captor rushed forward, raising his arm, maybe to punch perhaps, but she felt something slam into the man’s chin, just a hair’s breadth away from her own body. It barely mattered now. Her consciousness had returned, sharp enough for her to act. She pushed her body up off of the man’s shoulder and crooked her elbow. Using both arms for leverage, she pulled back and brought her elbow down hard onto the man’s temple. The double whammy brought the guy to his knees, dropping her roughly to the ground. She landed hard on her rump with a shout of pain. She scrambled quickly to her feet and spun around to take off.

She stopped just in time before slamming into a boy roughly a head taller than her, but clearly her own age, if not slightly older. Her eyes met his for just a moment as they took each other in. His eyes were almond-shaped and storm-gray and he had sandy blond hair which was windswept and had a pair of goggles pushed back into the short locks.His skin was the same tanned shade of her own, marred only by red and blue tattoos along his forehead. He wore only a sleeveless leather vest that hung open revealing a chiseled chest that disappeared into simple black pants. In his calloused hands he was clutching a pickaxe.

She immediately felt a charge go through her and felt her cheeks heat up. His lips broke into a wide friendly smile. “Alright there, Bright Eyes?”

She was saved from attempting to get her tongue to work enough to answer him by the man behind her giving a shout of frustration. The boy’s eyes left her and he stepped around. “Get behind me,” he ordered.

She barely heard his words, her mind going blank now for an entirely different reason. Oh dear elements help her but he was so hot! She buried her face in her hands and chided herself. She was the Fallen One about to be purged and right now in a dangerous situation – staring at cute boys was not something that should be anywhere on her agenda!

“Get out of my way, boy!” the man shouted.

The boy hefted his pickaxe, tapping the shaft in one hand. “No. You back off or I swear I’ll bury this thing into the side of your head.”

The man glared at her rescuer, clearly sizing him up and determining his chances, but a shout in the distance seemed to make up his mind. He spun around on his heels and took off at a run, the shouts of her name getting louder, along with the sounds of pounding feet.

By the time the man had gone Amar and Kriss came rushing into the alley. Amar’s eyes lighted first on her rescuer and then on her. Then he gritted his teeth and clutched his pole tighter and launched himself forward, raising the pole up over his head. The boy had just enough time to lift up the shaft of his pickaxe and catch it. For a moment she watched in stunned astonishment as both Amar and the boy danced around, Amar raining down blow after blow, but the boy expertly defending himself.

“Amar, wait, stop!” she shouted.

But he didn’t. Instead he suddenly jumped back, choosing a different tactic. She felt the surge of power through the Threads and watched them weave and execute. Several sharp blades of wind cut through the air, attempting to slice into the boy who had helped rescue her. She watched in stunned disbelief as each and every single blade disappeared, leaving the boy absolutely unharmed. She got her next big surprise when she stared at the boy through her third eye.

He had a thick Soul Ring encircling him made up of purple and green Threads.

This boy was a Sorcerer!

Amar shouted in frustration and tried to attempt the boy again. “Hey calm down, buddy!” the boy shouted at him. “You’re fighting the wrong person. I’m the chick’s rescuer, dammit.”

She shook herself awake again, pulling herself out of the magic plane and this time she rushed forward, trying to get between Amar and her rescuer. She grabbed his arm, trying to pulling him back. “Amar, stop it. Stop! He helped me.”

Amar’s eyes were hard and cold, his mouth pulled into a sneer. “You’re too damn trusting. How the hell do you know that he’s trying to help you. All I see in front of me is a druid.”

She looked back at the boy and took in his tattoos which hadn’t registered at first. The boy also raised a hand to them in response but dropped it and shook his head. “I’m not a druid,” he said. “I’m exiled. These tattoos don’t mean a damn thing.” He pointed to the white tattoo of his family crest at his left shoulder. The skin looked seared and mangled, as if touched by fire. “See? They tried to remove my family crest.”