Diamond Bonds (39 page)

Di snaps her hand away from Fire, glaring at the mercenary with no small amount of hatred as she’s reminded of her betrayal.  She looks back at Jem and Era, tears streaming down her face.  “I can’t go with you.  Now you understand why.”

Fire realizes for the first time that Di is dressed the part of a soldier.  “Wait, just what’s going on here?”

“I have to do whatever he says!  And I…”  Sniffling, she orders Fire, “Just get them out of here!  Don’t stop, because I’m sure I’ll be coming for you right away.  You can’t let him get Era, too!”

Jem wants desperately to say something, but no words come.  She hurries her wounded partner past the girl, and as they move, Era meets Di’s eyes.  With just a look, the two exchange an entire conversation: Di’s regret, Era’s pain, and their mutual confusion.  Di shifts her eyes to his wound, and then to the floor.

“Di,” Era groans.  “I’m going to… come back… for you…”  Di is stunned by his words, and she takes one last look at him as Jem hurries him further up the stairs.  Fire is unable to grasp the situation, but with Era and Jem willing to leave her behind, she also abandons the girl.

Di listens to their echoing footsteps, tears dripping from her cheeks to the stone floor below. Soon after the footsteps disappear, Graff barges into the stairwell.  Still furiously rubbing his eyes, he shouts, “What are you doing, Diamond!? 
Go bring him back!
”

Her hands glow, and she wipes her tears.  “Yes sir!” she shouts, her sorrow replaced by a new eagerness to retrieve Era as she bounds up the stairs.

*              *              *

The three race for the tailoring office, stepping over several bodies on the way.  Jem realizes Fire had quite a time getting down to the basement, and she questions why there were so many soldiers on this floor now.  It doesn’t seem characteristic of Fire that they would hear her break in.

Fire leaps onto the table and hoists herself with ease to the rooftop above.  She lies on the roof and reaches down with both hands.  “This is going to hurt, so be a man about it!”

Era forces himself to bear the pain as he steps onto the table and stretches his arm up.  Fire grips his hand while Jem lifts him from below.  He grits his teeth as they haul him up, but he manages to keep most of his screams from escaping his lips.  Safely on the roof, he rolls to the side as Fire again lowers her arms for Jem, yanking her up.

“The pressure packs are over there!” Jem calls out as she starts to make a run for them.

“Whoa, whoa! 
That
was your plan?” Fire calls out.  She smugly points behind her and says, “I like mine better.”

Jem peers into the darkness, spotting the sky boat parked at the building’s far edge.  Her mouth drops as she realizes just how Fire got inside, not to mention why she had attracted so many soldiers when she did it.

“Hurry!” Fire calls as they dash to their means of escape.

“E-ERA!?” Pearl screams out as she starts to dismount her craft.

“Shut up and start your boat!” Fire bellows.  Pearl scrambles to do so as Fire flips open the latch and helps Era climb in.

As she starts to close the door, Jem reaches a hand out.  “Wait, aren’t you coming?”

“No way am I getting in that thing again!  I’m riding up top,” Fire shouts over the noise of the runes, slamming the door and latching it from the outside.  She scales the footholds and grabs onto Pearl’s harness.  “Go!  Go!”

“I’m going!” Pearl shouts back as she starts the liftoff.  The boat ascends, and Fire watches the hatch in the roof.  Sure enough, Di leaps skillfully to the rooftop, and she races after them without hesitation.  The girl gets within jumping distance mere moments too late to reach the craft.  They take to the dark sky, leaving Di and the barracks behind.

Graff catches up to her as she stands there, watching them escape.  “They got away!?” he barks, panting from exertion.

“No,” the weapon mutters.  She casually kicks off her boots and places her bare feet on the cold roof.  “I’ll retrieve him.”  Without further explanation, she races along the rooftop and leaps off the edge, making Graff’s heart skip a beat as he expects her to fall.  However, she runs straight past the roof’s edge, ascending as she moves, shaping the air beneath her feet.  Graff has no choice but to stand and watch as both sky boat and weapon disappear into the cloudy night.

*              *              *

Fire grabs a lengthy harness strap and ties it around her waist.  She leans close to Pearl and yells, “Take us as far as you can go!  All the way to your operation if you can!”

“That’s a sixteen hour flight!” Pearl shouts back.  “Are you sure you want to ride up here the whole way?”

Though apprehensive, Fire has no desire to ride in the compact space below, nor does she care to have a conversation with Era at the moment.  She affirms to herself that this is the better alternative.

However, as she glances behind her, she spots a light dot chasing after them.  She strains her eyes, and she’s shocked to find Di running to catch up to them.  She leans back to Pearl and shouts, “We have incoming!  Can you go any faster?”

“Incoming!?” Pearl screams back.  “What’s coming at us?”

“Just answer the question!”

“This is as fast as I can go!”

Fire grimaces as she turns back to Di, wondering what the military did to her.  Grateful to be restocked on weapons, she draws her dagger from her waist, realizing she’s in for a fight.

Di catches up as the sky boat reaches the city limits.  Her two blades shimmer in the moonlight that manages to escape the cloud cover, giving Fire a warning of what’s to come.  She covers her blade in a thick layer of ice, and she maintains her hold on it as she prepares to receive Di’s attack.

However, their pursuer merely runs alongside the sky boat, apparently more interested in getting inside than fighting with the combatant on top.  As she takes a swipe at the door latch, Fire reaches down and intercepts the strike with her enhanced weapon.  Di’s blade deflects off it, and she loses some momentum, falling back before accelerating once more.  Fire finds the single strike nearly penetrated the layer of ice on her blade despite her attempt to maintain its form.  Thankful she’d taken the precaution, she repairs the protective shielding and turns her attention back to her opponent.

Now with a new target, Di makes a dash for the rooftop, her sights locked onto Fire.  The markswoman flings darts at the girl as she races to catch up, but Di molds a blade into shield and deflects each one without losing any speed.  She gets close enough to swing at Fire, who guards the strike and tries to kick Di back, but the girl dodges.  The runic gets a foot on the roof and swings her other blade around, which Fire again defends.  However, this time the force is enough to send her staggering backward, and Pearl watches in horror as Fire tumbles over the edge of the craft.

“NO!” she shrieks as she gives a nervous glance back to Di.  The girl looks at Pearl with cold eyes, holding her blades at her side.  Pearl knows she has no way to defend herself, and her heart races.

However, Di ignores the pilot, instead jabbing one of her blades into the roof and carving a large circle.  She kicks it in and peers inside, finding Jem again standing in the way of Era.  Di smirks, not at all worried about anything the Allerian can do.

Her eye catches motion, and she narrowly intercepts an ice-enhanced blade, though the blow knocks her off-balance and a follow-up kick sends her flying off the side of the sky boat.  Fire watches as the girl tumbles and falls far behind the craft.  To her dismay, Di eventually catches her footing and starts making her way back.

“Thank goodness!” Pearl exclaims, relieved to see Fire back on the roof.  “How did you get back!?”

The veteran fighter gives a grateful tug on her harness.  However, as she watches Di coming after them again, she knows her luck is going to run out eventually.  The only way to stop this girl is to kill her.  She runs several scenarios through her mind, but none end in her favor.  Reluctantly, she unties her harness and leans close to Pearl.  “Change of plans!  Di knows your camp’s location, so she can lead the military straight there!  Take Era to Duroshe!”  After pausing, Fire adds, “Do NOT turn this craft around, or I will
kill
you.  You got that!?”  Pearl fervently nods, wondering why Fire thinks she would consider such a thing.

Jem’s head appears through the hole in the roof.  “How did Di get on the craft?”  Fire nods toward the girl running through the sky, and Jem can hardly believe her eyes.  “How can she do that!?”

“That’s what I want to know!”  She crouches next to Jem and says, “Get Era to a doctor!  Pearl is taking you to Duroshe!”

“What!?” Jem shouts, confused.  “What do you mean?”

“Tell Era I’m sorry, both for earlier… and for now.”  With that, she steps over the confused Jem and stands at the edge, clutching her dagger and encasing it in ice once more.

Di comes full-on, clearly aiming for a quick kill.  She strikes at her opponent twice, but Fire skillfully deflects each attack and dives into the small girl, taking both of them off the roof.  Jem watches them plummet, this time with no harness attached.  “FIRE!” she shrieks.  She scrambles to the edge of the sky boat, watching helplessly as the two plunge into the darkness.

“Pearl, bring us back around!  Fire took Di off the edge!” Jem screams.

Pearl’s eyes widen, now understanding Fire’s orders. “She said not to!  And besides, what can we do?”

Jem chokes back tears and slams the roof, staring after the last place she had seen the two before they were swallowed by the night.  Reluctantly, she returns to Era, leaving Pearl to guide them to their destination.

Chapter 23

The embattled fighters tussle as they plummet, each struggling to gain the upper-hand.  Fire grips Di tightly, holding her arms down as she tries desperately to take the runic all the way down.  The winds whip the two in all directions as they spiral towards the earth below.

Unable to break free from Fire, Di kicks furiously to get air-shaped holds beneath her feet.  She bounces off solidified platforms, slowing their descent significantly by the time they reach the treetops.  They crash through the branches and slam into the ground below.

Fire gasps desperately for air while Di grips her side and slowly gets to her feet, panting heavily.  Her ponytail is undone, and her long hair hangs loosely.  She glances to the sky and listens for the sky boat, but she hears nothing, which means her mission is over.  Still, she forms a blade and extends it at Fire, stopping just short of her forehead, her gaze filled with ire.  “Not so tough now, are you?”  The injured Fire meets her glare with silence, and Di continues, “You sold us out… You sold
me
out!  And now I’m-”  She cuts herself off as tears drip off her cheeks.  “Now I’m
this
.”

She dispels her blade and wipes her eyes.  “And yet, if you hadn’t sold me out, Era would have been captured or killed.  So… thank you, Fire.”

Fire stares at Di in awe.  “What
are
you?”

“What am I?”  She runs her hand through her hair as the answer echoes in her mind, and Fire is startled as the air shaper reforms one of her blades.  Without hesitation, Di pulls her long hair tight and slices cleanly through her thick locks.  The golden strands float to the ground, each one shimmering in the faint moonlight, and Fire watches with disbelief as they turn to wisps of air and disappear into the atmosphere.

Her hair now at shoulder length, Di faces Fire in resignation.  “I’m a weapon.  A rune, and I’ve been programmed to obey whatever General Graff says.  If Era is really the same as me, you can’t let him get caught or they’ll do the same thing to him!”  Feeling her short hair with one hand, she says, “Don’t let him come after me again.  Protect Era from them… and from me.”

Bewildered, Fire watches as Di escapes into the woods.  She lies back against the cold, dark ground, in far too much pain to be able to process anything Di just said.  All she knows is how fortunate she is to have survived that fall, even as darkness overcomes her.  ‘
Just a quick rest,
’ she tells herself as her consciousness slips away.

*              *              *

Graff paces the entry hall in the barracks, tapping his foot and watching the clock as he waits impatiently for his weapon to return.

Galen hurries into the chamber and approaches his superior.  “General Graff, I-”

“Where the
devil
have you been, Commander?” Graff barks.

“Sir, I-”

“Save it!” he snaps.  “Diamond’s traveling companions broke into the barracks before escaping again.  Of all things, the boy turned out to be another runic!”

Galen’s brow furrows.  “That kid?”

“That accursed Ares also made an appearance, though it appears he slipped out amidst the chaos.”  Confidently, he says, “They may have escaped, but Diamond is retrieving them as we-”  He cuts himself off as Di marches into the hall, her expression cold and unyielding, and a scowl forms when he sees she is alone.

The short-haired soldier marches to the general.  “I failed,” she reports with a smug salute.

Graff backhands her, though she maintains her footing.  “You
failed?
  You are the military’s greatest weapon!  You do not
fail
.”

Di indignantly rubs her cheek and says, “Fire defeated me in combat.”

“No,” the general scowls, “you are not defeated until you are
dead
.  Assuming a rune can even die.”

“You ordered me to retrieve him, but I could not.  Once that order was nullified,
your
command to remain in the barracks brought me back.”

Graff’s nostrils flare.  “Then you will start obeying me even without a command, Diamond.”

“My name is
Di
,” she defiantly growls. “I may be a rune, but I will never…
never
obey you unless you force me.  There’s nothing you can do about that.”

“Nothing I can do?”  He extends his open palm, revealing his emblem of power over her.  “Go into the city and slaughter five civilians in their sleep.  We’ll blame the Allerians, so be sure to carve each one up mercilessly.”

Di panics when she hears the command, and Galen jumps as well.  However, both realize that, despite Graff’s words, the seal doesn’t light, nor does Di make any movements toward the door.

“Do you think I wouldn’t do that?” he bellows.  “Do you think I can’t force you to commit atrocities that will be forever burned into that tiny brain of yours?  You
will
obey me or I will
break
you, Diamond.”

Her breath trembles with anger, yet she says nothing.  She knows what he says is true.

The general notices her hair but chooses not to acknowledge it.  “You’ll make it up to me, Diamond.  You will find the other weapons as we receive information on them.  And you
will
retrieve your friend for me eventually.”

She nods her understanding, not out of forced obedience, but because she knows he’s right.  No matter where Era runs, Graff and his military will follow. And she’ll be leading the charge.

“Turn in for the night.  Tomorrow you’ll begin hunting the new weapon.”  With that, he briskly retreats.

Di gives one last glance to Galen, who averts his eyes from her penetrating glare.  She then turns and marches toward her private quarters.

*              *              *

The sky boat shakes violently as it lands in the tiny clearing.  Pearl disengages the runes and rips off her harness.  Pulling her goggles up, she jumps over the edge and swings the door open, then helps Jem ease Era from the craft.

Though still gripping his shoulder, the bleeding has stopped, and he’s in far less pain.  He says nothing as his friends help him to a tree and then collapse next to him, succumbing to their mutual exhaustion.

“They’re both dead, aren’t they?” Era asks, breaking the silence.

Jem swallows hard.  She wants to say something to the contrary, to encourage her friend to maintain his hope, but her mind is blank.

“I killed them,” Era realizes aloud.  “I killed them, and I almost killed you two as well.”  He squeezes his eyes shut and says, “I’m so, so sorry.”

Jem places her hand on his knee.  “Era, something big is going on here.  There’s no way we could have predicted any of that would happen!  That Di would…”  She cuts herself off, glancing at Era’s left shoulder.

Pearl can’t fight back her curiosity.  “What happened in there, anyway?”

Era looks to the sky, watching as the clouds give way to the stars.  “Di… wasn’t Di, anymore.  They did something to make her into a soldier, and it seems she couldn’t disobey that guy’s commands.”  Pausing, he adds, “Who was he, anyway?”

“That Ares guy called him the general.  If that’s true, he’s the leader of the entire military,” Jem realizes.  Looking back at Pearl, she says, “He made Di fight Era, and she… she did this to him.”

Pearl scoots next to Era and studies his covered wound.  “Di did this!?”

“It’s more than that.”  He holds his muddy hand up for Pearl to see.  “This used to be my blood.”

“I-Is that some kind of joke?” she asks, glancing to Jem, whose expression tells her otherwise.

“Blood aside, my arm turned to mud as well,” Era says.  “The general called us runes.”

“Runes?” she repeats.  “What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea!” Era shouts in frustration.  He wants to discredit the suggestion, yet there’s simply no alternative explanation.

Wanting to change the subject, Jem asks Pearl, “How did you and Fire meet up?”

Pearl grows visibly agitated at the mention of it. “She was so mean!  The moment I returned to that clearing, she jumped me and forced me at knifepoint to go back and land on the barracks. 
Land
on it!  Soldiers started pouring onto the rooftop thanks to the noise, just like I said they would.”  With a frown, she admits, “But she took them all out.  She’s scary good.”

Era can’t help but be amused.  “That sounds like her, all right.  Did she… Did she say why?”  Pearl shakes her head.

Finding the group in silence once more, Pearl asks the question on everyone’s mind.  “So what now?”

“At the very least, we’ve put you through enough,” Jem says.  “You should get yourself home.”

“Hey!” Pearl protests, taking offense.  “I’m involved in this as much as any of you.  You can’t just get rid of me.”

“And what if Di survived that fall?” Jem asks.  “I-I mean, that’s great news if she did, but she’s working for the military now and knows you saved us.”

Pearl’s eyes widen in alarm.  “We’ll need to move the operation immediately!” she half-whispers.  “Ugh, Father’s going to
kill
me!”

Era returns to his depression.  “Pearl, you and Fire both gave up so much because of my foolishness.”  He buries his face in his knees, wishing he could disappear.

She smiles at him. “Era, you’re a good person.”  Her eyes tear up as she looks to his shoulder again.  “I don’t know about all that rune stuff, but I
do
know you’re special. I’d do it again for you, if you asked.”  Era looks at her in wonderment, and her silver hair reflects the moonlight as she looks back to her sky boat.  “I need to get home so I can warn my father.  So… I’m not sure when I’ll see you again, Era.”

He nods in the darkness.  “Maybe that’s for the best, Pearl.  The military will be coming for me, so it’ll be dangerous to be associated with us.”

“Era, for being so selfless, you’re just so
selfish!
” she abruptly declares.  “Do you think that Jem or I or even Fire care about that?  Quit assuming that all we want is to be
safe
.  We also want
you
to be safe, and to be our friend.”  Glancing at Jem, she asks, “Right?”

Jem is taken aback by the admonishment, but she grins in agreement.  “Sorry, Era, but I think she’s right.”

Era finds solace in their words.  “You two are weird.”  He stands and wraps his arm around the pilot.  “Thanks, Pearl.  I hope to see you again.”

“Me too, Era,” she responds, hugging him back.  When he releases her, she hugs Jem as well, much to her surprise.  “Best of luck, you two!”

“We’ll be fine,” Jem assures her, pushing the girl off.  “Now get going!”

Pearl climbs onto her sky boat, straps her goggles on, and activates the runes.  With a wave, she lifts off and ascends to the skies.  Era and Jem watch as the craft rises higher and higher before accelerating and disappearing from view.

Jem turns back to her partner.  “She’ll be okay.”

Era sits back down, returning to his prior gloom.  “She’s being brave, but her life is in danger now.  I just hope they don’t find her and, you know…”

“Hey, let’s just spend the night here,” Jem suggests.  “Fire is the one who told Pearl to take us here.  If there’s any chance she survived, she should meet us here, right?”

A small glimmer of hope finds its way into his eyes.  “Good point!”  He reclines and tries to clear his mind.  “Thanks, Jem.  You’re an amazing friend.”

“You’re worth it, Era,” she says, lying down next to him.  “So just… shut up and sleep.”

He smiles, grateful for the strength of his partner as he watches the stars crawl across the sky.

*              *              *

The bustle of the city is a stark contrast to the towns Jem has been visiting as of late.  Duroshe is smaller than Canterin, but its tall buildings create the illusion that it’s larger.  The noonday crowds pack the market, which Jem uses to blend in.  The occasional Allerian gives her a small confidence she won’t be pegged by military personnel, though the town seems to be void of soldiers.  She laments that her three days of
not
being wanted are over.  It seems she’ll forever be hunted by the military now.

Still, Jem grins in spite of her situation.  She glances to her bag, tallying up the goods she procured while ‘shopping’.  Fruit, bread, and a fresh garment for Era are all within.  ‘
Not to mention the bag, itself,
’ she smugly thinks.

Exiting the town gate, she walks off the path into the woods, humming the tune that always brings her comfort.  Her thoughts travel in endless circles during her solitary walk, and she soon finds her partner at the base of a decline, still leaning against the same tree in depression.