Diamond Bonds (20 page)

Jaras slams his sword into Fire’s dagger.  “What’s wrong with your arm there, Fire?  Did you trip into a tree or something?”

The comment strikes a nerve with Fire.  “Your arm doesn’t look any better,” she banters.

“And that’s the last time you’ll lay your blade on me!” he shouts as he swings all the harder, forcing her to use both hands.  Fire does her best to hide her pain as she deflects each of the hunter’s strikes.

Holding the water barrage on Era, Shem starts to feel a rumble at his feet.  He thinks nothing of it at first, but as it grows in size he stops the water and leaps away from his location just in time to avoid a small sink hole opening at his feet.

As Shem stumbles back, Era seizes the opportunity and dashes around his earth shield.  Having no other choice, the hunter plants his hilt in his open palm and again unleashes a violent gust of wind to blast his opponent away.  Though at first relieved by his own reaction time, Shem soon realizes he blew his victim right next to Jem, and Era’s skill allows him to snap the roots with just a touch.

Era helps his partner up, and Jem brushes herself off and mutters a quick thanks as they turn to face Shem together.

The hunter is unable to believe he had accidentally blown Era in that direction.  “Did he… Did he plan that?” he mumbles to himself.  He dashes to Di and plants himself in front of his captive, intent on preventing Era from freeing her.  He passes his hand over his hilt and flings a massive fireball at Era and Jem, forcing them to split up.  The blast hits the ground, again scorching the earth and starting small fires.

Era dashes around to Shem’s right side while Jem darts to the left, but the hunter simply blasts each in turn with a powerful gale to keep them at a distance.  As they try to regroup, he sends a flamethrower to keep them separated.

“It’s his sword!” Di shrieks as the winds die down.  Shem kicks her hard in the back, knocking the wind out of her.

“His sword?” Jem mutters as she deciphers the secret behind his attacks.  The only way he could command multiple elements is if his hilt is made from runes, and it would also explain why he’s showing no signs of fatigue from abusing the powers so much.  Looking at Era, it’s clear he hasn’t realized it yet, because he’s still watching Di in hopes she can explain further.

“Era!” Jem screams as she holds up a closed fist.  Catching his attention, she gives him three quick signs, and he nods in affirmation of the order.  He positions himself opposite Jem as they run circles around their enemy, intent on creating a two-pronged assault on the hunter.

Shem unleashes a wave of fire at Era, forcing him to abandon his trajectory and veer to the side.  Knowing Jem is approaching from the opposite direction, he spins and takes aim, but he finds she’s matched Era’s trajectory as they continue to circle.  Before long, the two coordinate another pincer attack, and Shem again takes aim at Era first, this time blasting him with wind.  Era dives forward, clinging to small handles he shapes from the earth below.  Despite the concentrated assault, Era maintains his hold.

Shem growls in frustration as he’s forced to relent his attack to meet Jem, who’s now closing quickly.  She takes a swipe at him with her shortened blade, and he deflects it but trips backward over Di.  Jem shows little regard for the girl as she leaps off her back and dives onto the downed hunter, her dagger aimed for his hilt.  Upon contact, the rune unleashes a jet of water, the force of which sends the blade careening from Shem’s grasp.  He kicks Jem away and scrambles after his weapon.

Era wastes no time in moving over to Di and rescuing her from the roots.  She brushes herself off and screams at Jem, “Thanks for using me as a
stepstool!
”

Jem shrugs.  “You’re free, aren’t you?  Good job, Era.”  The two bump fists.

Shem recovers his weapon.  Before he can do anything, Jaras screams, “Shem, what are you
doing
over there?”

Shem shouts back, “Strong words from someone who hasn’t finished his own target!”

“Back to my plan,” Jaras calls out.  “Forget the targets!”

Fire growls as she swings at Jaras.  “I’ll cut you
both
down.”

Jaras deflects her overly-aggressive blow and plants his palms on the ground, hoping to snag her ankles.  Aware of his tactics, Fire leaps forward and tackles the hunter, but she’s instantly blown off him by an air blast from Shem.  She scrambles to her feet, cursing herself for failing to finish Jaras off.

The wood elementalist springs up and barks, “Are you happy, Fire?  The targets are long gone now, so none of us will-”

“Jaras!” Shem yells, motioning toward Jem, Era, and Di as they approach.  Though Di stays behind her guardians, the three are moving toward them aggressively.

Jaras stares at them in bewilderment.  “What are you three…?  Wait, you’re all working
together?
”

“Of course not!” Fire insists before any of them can answer, giving Era a look that sends a chill down his spine.

Reminded of her ploy, Era points at Fire and exclaims, “N-No, we’re going to kill all of you right here and now!”

The bluff falls flat, and Shem raises his voice in accusation.  “His expression gives everything away!  What are you
doing
, Fire?  Why are you working with the targets!?”

“I’m
not
working with them!” Fire continues to insist, but it is evident her ruse is no longer working.  Shem and Jaras turn to each other and, mutually, turn tail and run away.

“Come back!” Fire screams as she gives chase, knowing she needs to catch up to the two before they report her.  They dart into the woods, leaving Jem, Era, and Di behind.

The scene quiet once more, Di rubs her tender ribs and groans, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

Era frowns as he watches after Fire.  “Is she going to be okay on her own?”

Jem shrugs.  “Far as I’m concerned, now’s our chance to lose
all
of them.  Let’s go.”

The three turn and run in the direction they had been heading, leaving the assassin to her personal chase.

Chapter 12

“Can’t… go on…” Di huffs and puffs as she’s pulled along by Era.  Sweat drips from her brow as she does her best to make her legs move, but she ultimately collapses from exertion.

Era look to his partner.  “Do you think this is far enough?”

Jem slows down, out of breath herself.  “It’s hard to say for sure.  The woods feel like they’re crawling with bad guys.”

It doesn’t take long for a rustling of leaves to indicate they have company.  Di instinctively creates an air shield while Era and Jem bring their weapons to the ready until Fire reveals herself to the team.  The schoolgirl breathes a sigh of relief as she releases her shield.

“YOU MORONS!” Fire screams, prompting Di to momentarily reactivate her barrier.  “IDIOTS!  NITWITS!”

Era looks to Jem.  “I’m confused.  Didn’t we win that fight?”

“We might as well have lost!” Fire yells, her face crimson.  “Those two got away, and now they’re going to report our alliance!”

“They got away?  From you?” Jem asks smugly.

“They had
horses
,” she retorts.

“Why didn’t you take them out with your poison darts?” Era argues.

“I don’t
have
any darts, because some
moron
stripped me of all my gear!”

“I returned your dagger!  Why not chuck that?”

“Chuck a
dagger?
  Do you know how weapons work!?”

“
CHILDREN!
” Jem shouts.  “We have bigger issues, so let’s focus.”

“Says
you
, Ice Queen!” Fire shouts, now turning to Jem.  “Those creeps are going to report me.  I’ll have a bounty on my head, and now… now I’ll be…”

“…in the same situation as us?” Jem nonchalantly asks.  “Why would we care?  Especially after you let
three
people get through to us.  So much for your worthless scouting.”

“I let Jaras and Shem through because I knew we’d- Wait,
three
people?”

“Yeah!” Era jumps in.  “That guy who walked up to us before the hunters.”

“His name was Ares,” Di needlessly adds.

“Wait, when was this?” Fire asks in disbelief.

“
Just
before the other two hit,” Era answers.  “It was just after he left that we got blasted by that guy with the elemental sword.”

Fire is aggravated by the suggestion.  “
No one
could have snuck past me.  Didn’t happen.”

“Oh, but it did!” Era snidely insists.  “He said some strange things to Di, but he left without a fight once Jem and I showed up.”

“Hold on,” Fire says, “you’re mad at me for letting this guy through, and you two weren’t even
with
Di when it happened?”

“S-So?” Era argues.  “Your scouting was supposed to prevent this sort of thing from happening!”

“Isn’t that what I said earlier?” Jem grumbles.  “Look, a lot just happened.  We have a plan, so let’s just stick to-”

“No,” Fire says, lowering her voice, “the plan just changed.  If they report this to the military, a large force will descend on this area by the end of the day.”

“My guess is they’ll come after us again,” Era suggests.  “That’s what I’d do.  Six million is too much of a temptation.”

Fire places her hand to her chin.  “I don’t know. Jaras is a vengeful, spiteful rat who would love to see me wanted by the military.”

“But how does that change the plan?” Jem asks.  “We’re three days away from Kemplen.  Changing course would add at least a day to the journey, and there’s no guarantee we won’t still encounter the military.”

Pausing in thought, Fire reveals uncertainty for the first time since charting their course, and she kicks the ground in frustration.  “You’re right, we march for Kemplen, but we make
good
time,” she says, looking directly at Di.  “But in case I’m wrong about Shem and Jaras, I’ll continue scouting.  You three stay on course.”

“Yes, and this time don’t leave me behind!” Di cries.

“Then try keeping up for once!” Jem counters.

“Just carry the brat,” Fire huffs as she disappears into the brush.

Era laments the group’s dysfunction.  ‘
It’s going to take a miracle to make it to Canterin alive.
’

*              *              *

Jem leads the way as the three continue to hike along their planned route.  Di follows behind Jem a short distance, and Era follows the schoolgirl at the same length.  The threat of being captured feels more real to Di, and that alone is enough motivation to keep her legs moving.  For those times when she starts to lag, Era scoops her up and carries her briefly.  Di no longer complains about the aid, and Era doesn’t make fun.  The three move with a much more established sense of urgency.

A bird’s cry echoes from ahead, a signal from their scout to meet up.  Moments later, Fire appears from the brush.  Wiping her brow, she meets the trio with a spring in her step.

“What’d you find?” Jem asks, noticing the enthusiasm.

“Something interesting,” she teases with a grin.  “I was scanning the horizon when I saw a sky boat descending just a few miles away.  That could solve our dilemma.”

She frowns.  “A sky boat?  Those things are dangerous, aren’t they?”

“What, are you afraid?” Fire asks with annoyance.

Di nods her head emphatically.  “Yes!  Those boats are just patched together with air pressure runes.  They crash all the time!”

Jem speaks up in agreement.  “It’s true.  I’ve even heard the military abandoned plans to use them.”

Fire looks at Era.  “Got anything to add, or are we done whining?”

Era shrugs.  “I didn’t know any of that.  What’s so dangerous about them?”

“They fall out of the sky without warning,” Di explains, her arms crossed.

“Oh, so they crash all the time?”

“She
literally
just said that,” Fire says, rubbing her temples.  “So, to be clear, you each have two million venni bounties.  You’ve been dealing with me, bounty hunters, water monsters, and the military is likely descending on you as we speak.  And you’re afraid to go for a little ride?”  All three nod an emphatic ‘yes’, and Fire slaps her forehead in disgust.  “Look, a sky boat is exactly what we need.  We’re backed into a corner with no way out, and taking to the sky would not only get us out of a rough spot, but it could also get us to Canterin in a day.  So we’re investigating this.”

Jem and Di both start to object, but Era cuts them off with a wave of his hand.  “Fire might be right about this.  We should at least check it out.”

Di isn’t convinced.  “Era, no offense, but you know
nothing
about those things!  We studied these in school as a case study for how
not
to use runes.  A standard sky boat requires no less than twenty runes to keep afloat, and someone needs to manage
all
of them at once!  If they were safe, there would be hundreds of them in the sky!”

“But if they were completely unsafe, you’d never see any,” Era counters.

“S-Sure, but-”

Jem places her hand on Di’s shoulder.  “I hate to admit it, but they’re probably right.  Even if the chance of surviving a sky boat trip are fifty percent, it might be better odds than making it to Kemplen alive by foot.”

Era adds, “If Fire is right and those hunters are reporting our location, we don’t have long until we have to start dodging troop deployments.”

Di puffs her cheeks but relents, accustomed to not getting her way with this group.

“Follow me,” Fire says as she takes off ahead of the others.

The three resume marching, though Di’s anxiety causes her to slow, which results in more time spent in Era’s arms.  She decides that isn’t such a bad thing.

After an extended hike, Fire once again reveals herself to the group.  Her expression is unusually excited as she points a thumb behind herself.  “There’s definitely a sky boat operation in the clearing ahead.  I’m not sure yet whether it’s on the up and up, so we’ll need to be cautious in our approach.”

“Seems sketchy, considering it’s buried in the woods,” Era suggests.

Jem shrugs her shoulders.  “Not necessarily.  Sky boat operations are banned by most towns, aren’t they?  It wouldn’t surprise me if they set up between villages like this.”

“Either way, we approach cautiously,” Fire again warns.  “I’ll stay back with the brat, and you two-”

“Whoa, whoa,” Jem contests.  “You are
not
staying back with Di.”

Fire smirks at the expected response.  “Finally making a smart decision, Allerian?  Fine, me and the idiot will go in and ask around.  There are seven workers milling about, and four of them have weapons strapped to their sides.  So if there’s a fight for any reason then we’ll need both of you for backup.  Understood?”

“Got it,” Jem affirms.

Di groans before nodding her understanding as well.  “I hate fighting.”

“Okay, let’s move,” Era says, and Fire follows after him.

Di looks to her remaining guardian as the two leave.  “Jem, I don’t want to go in a sky boat!”  Her stomach growls, and she rubs it pitifully.  “Also, I’m really hungry.”

Annoyed, Jem pulls rations out of her bag for the girl.  Di pouts at the sight of the bread before she reluctantly takes it, and Jem silently wonders if she’d rather hang out with the assassin.

Era and Fire approach the edge of the clearing.  After a quick peek through the trees, Era boldly steps out into the open, trying to look innocent.  Fire follows, glancing around and keeping an eye out for any signs of hostility from the workers.  She knows how risky it is to expose themselves to anyone at all, but the situation requires desperation.  This is exactly what they need to escape the region, and she knows it.

A burly worker drops a crate, spotting the two approaching strangers as he wipes his brow in the high heat of the sun.  He calls out a warning to his associates as he meets Era. “What business have you here?”

“We’re looking for transport,” Era explains.  “We saw a sky boat descend here.  Can we hire your services?”

The outspoken worker mutters, “You’ll have to take that up with the manager.  I’ll send him out.”  With that, he retreats back toward one of the many tents scattered about, but the others keep their eyes locked on the two visitors.

Era waits in uncomfortable silence, and his eyes fall on the sky boat at the center of the clearing.  The main body of the craft resembles the carriage they’d ridden in with Andrea, though the wheels had been replaced with landing struts.  The operator’s seat is mounted on top in front of a command console, which houses dozens of runes of various shapes and sizes. A mess of tubes spill out from under the console and run along the sides of the craft, providing the pilot different options for control.

As he glances over to one tent, he sees someone pop her head out from under the flap.  Though young, her hair can only be described as silver, and she watches them with intense curiosity.  Era doesn’t have time to give her much thought as the manager exits his tent and makes his way over.

Short, trim, and well-dressed, the middle-aged man walks with a cane and a limp.  He has a moustache and goatee, and a small hat sits on his head.  Contrary to the mood of the workers, he jovially steps up to Era and shakes his hand.  “Welcome, welcome!  What brings the two of you to my humble operation?”

“We want a ride,” Fire explains as she steps in front of Era.  “What would be the charge for a ride to Canterin?”

The manager smiles and shakes Fire’s hand, much to her disgust.  “Sorry there, young lady.  I didn’t realize you were the one in charge!”  Short enough to meet her at eye-level, he removes his hat and introduces himself.  “The name is Poulton, and I manage this sky boat operation.  We don’t typically transport people, but we’re certainly flexible, if you know what I mean.”

Fire crosses her arms, knowing exactly what he means.  “How much?”

“Five thousand per head.”

“Five thousand each!?”

“That’s right.  Ten thousand for you two, plus another five thousand for the young lass behind you who keeps peeking her head out.”

Annoyed, Fire offers, “We’ll give you two thousand total for the transport.”

“I won’t go a venni lower than four thousand a head,” the manager insists.  “I’ll have you know my daughter is the sky boat operator.  I need to make it worth my while to risk her safety.”

Era glances over to the girl staring at them from her tent.  ‘
I guess that explains her.
’

“Sleazy old man, selling out his daughter like that,” Fire mutters to Era as she beckons for the others to join them.  Surprised by the request, Jem and Di make their way into the clearing.