Flamethroat (5 page)

‘
But … why?
’
asked Jack, narrowing his eyes.

‘
When you see them, you can ask them for me.
‘
Official business for
T
he Realm of Mages
’
they kept telling us.
’
He gave a derisive snort.
‘
Pile of dung if you ask me. Every person in this village was forced to give their Power level and family history to the City officials.
’

‘
Forced?
’
Jack repeated.

‘
Under threat of imprisonment
’
the barman grunted.

‘
It sounds like they
’
re documenting Mage families
’
said Jack.

‘
Documenting,
’
the barman repeated with raised eyebrows.
‘
The Realm of Mages is forming a
register
.
’

Jack and I shared a nervous glance.

‘
Thank you for letting me use your restroom,
’
I said quickly to fill the awkward silence.

The barman nodded and Jack led me to the door with his hand on the small of my back. Once we were out in the open again, he let out a long whistle.

‘
What
’
s wrong?
’
I asked, looking up at him.

‘
Weird, isn
’
t it?
’
said Jack as we made our way through the long grass.

‘
It is.
’
I agreed.
‘
Do you remember what the notice said? The notice pinned to my family
’
s mailbox?
’
I asked.

‘
Something about punishing all Mages who harbour illegal Humans?
’
said Jack.

‘
Yes and it was signed by the
‘
Human Registration Office
’
remember?
’
I told him.

Jack looked at me with raised eyebrows,
‘
You think they
’
re scouring villages for Humans?
’

I shrugged.
‘
I bet they
’
re fishing out Humans who have been living as Mages … like my sister.
’

‘
Do you think there would be many though?
’
Jack asked as we entered the trees once more.
‘
I
’
d never heard of a Human being born to Mage parents before I met you.
’

I raised my eyes to the canopy of leaves above.
‘
I
’
m not sure.
’

Jack remained silent until we met up with Hawthorne once more. He was immensely dirty and seemed to have rolled around in a muddy puddle while we were gone.

~

Jack and I walked for another hour before hunger got the better of us and we found a large tree to sit under and eat. Our lunch was quite pitiful. I picked at my food grumpily while Jack eyed the rest of the food in the bag.

‘
I reckon we could have a bit more, you know-
’
he began.

‘
Don
’
t even think about it.
’

‘
But we still have some money left-
’

‘
We can
’
t afford to buy more food,
’
I sighed.
‘
We don
’
t know how long we will need to stay in the City until we find my family.
’

Jack frowned, but he knew I was right.

Once we were fed and watered, we packed up our supplies and continued on foot.

~

‘
How far is the nearest town?
’
I asked after another hour of walking. My legs felt like lead and I was quite out of breath. Jack consulted the map but seemed reluctant to let me see it too.

‘
Uh,
’
he stalled.

‘
Well?
’
I persisted.

‘
We may have to sleep rough tonight,
’
he said finally.
‘
The next town is fifteen miles away.
’

That would take over five hours of walking and I was already struggling. I sighed.

Our
bickering
continued for another hour, until I became too tired to walk any further.

Jack helped me climb up on Hawthorne
’
s back and he scrambled up after me. Hawthorne let out a low groan of disapproval.

‘
Sorry,
’
Jack muttered, patting Hawthorne
’
s side.
‘
It won
’
t be long.
’

Hidden by darkness, we took flight into the cool night air. Hawthorne did not seem too thrilled to be carrying Jack
–
for he was
made
only to carry my weight.

I didn
’
t need to tell Hawthorne which way to go
–
he knew where I wanted to be and he headed off in the right direction.

We flew for no longer than an hour before Hawthorne was flying so low over the trees that it was obvious we were going to land. I knew he must be tired after such a long day.

‘
Brace yourself,
’
I warned Jack, who held my waist tightly. The landing was surprisingly, quite gentle. Hawthorne hit the ground with a soft thump and trotted a few meters more before he came to a stop. Jack hopped off immediately. The removal of Jack
’
s weight seemed to lift Hawthorne
’
s spirits immensely. Of course, Jack and Hawthorne got along very well, but Hawthorne did not like carrying anyone apart from
me
. Jack knew this and did not wish to be a nuisance.

We went on a search to find a suitable place to set up camp, we finally settled on a small, grassy clearing. The canopy of leaves overhead would provide some small protection if it rained. Hawthorne frolicked around the clearing, snapping at bugs and
butterflies
as they whizzed around his head. Jack rummaged around in his rucksack while I watched the stars overhead. When I finally sat down, my legs felt as though they were made of rubber. I stretched them out and tried to touch my toes unsuccessfully; it hurt far too much. Jack chuckled as he watched me and I scowled at him.

‘
How are you going to cope with this kind of treatment for a week?
’
he said as he piled some dry wood together in the middle of the clearing.

Persistence
, I thought to myself. The desire to find my family burned strongly in my heart, but I didn
’
t tell Jack that. I did not want him to know how badly I was hurting inside
.
I didn
’
t want to cause him concern. What if they were hurt? What if Helena was shackled and whipped?
No
. I forced the thoughts from my mind and plastered a smile to my face as I answered Jack.

‘
I was expecting you to carry me,
’
I said with raised eyebrows.

Jack laughed.
‘
Wouldn
’
t I look quite the hero?
’

I snorted.
‘
The only reason you would carry me, would be to stop the incessant whining.
’

‘
You
are
quite tiresome,
’
Jack agreed.

I picked up a pebble from the ground beside me and threw it at Jack. He dodged it easily and gave me a smile.

‘
Now, are you going to light this fire or not?
’
he said, pointing to the pile of wood he had stacked.
‘
Or shall we freeze?
’

‘
I am quite comfortable, thank you,
’
I folded my arms stubbornly.

‘
Of course you are.
’
Jack rolled his eyes,
‘
Perhaps I should use
you
as my fire tonight since you are warm enough.
’

As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt awkward. Jack seemed to realise it too, for he changed tact immediately.
With a bright
pink
face
, I approached the pile of wood and set it alight. The fire burned as though it had been there for hours. While I did this, Jack set up the rest of the camp and prepared two soft places for us to sleep.

We cooked and ate in silence. Hawthorne eyed our pheasant with beady eyes, foaming at the mouth. I pitied him and shared some of the tender meat with him, which he devoured quickly. Jack did not seem too pleased about this, he saw it as food being wasted, but he did not voice his objections.

By the time our food had been eaten, the sky was
dark
and tiny pinpricks
of light shone from above
. I lay back and stared at the stars for a long time, while Jack amused himself by running his hands over the fire, allowing his skin to blister before it healed a second later.

‘
Doesn
’
t that hurt?
’
I asked after a few minutes.

‘
A little
’
he shrugged, prodding the wood with the end of a long stick.
‘
What does it feel like when you touch fire?
’

I considered this for a moment. No one had ever asked me this question before.

‘
I suppose it feels … silky. Like air.
’
I pursed my lips.
‘
Actually … I don
’
t know what it feels like.
’

Jack continued to prod the fire in silence.

‘
What does it feel like when you heal?
’
I asked.

Jack dropped the stick and stared into the flames.
‘
It
’
s warm,
’
he said.
‘
Of course, first I feel the pain from the injury, but when I start to heal it goes away and I can feel warmth spreading from that spot. It is very calming. It
’
s a little bit like touching your skin.
’

‘
My skin?
’

‘
Since you are so warm,
’
Jack explained.
‘
Your skin runs at a much higher temperature than mine. It
’
s the same kind of warmth I get when I heal.
’

‘
Oh.
’
A strange thought entered my mind; was Jack burning his hands to simulate the feeling of warmth when he held my hand? I pushed the thought aside and tried to hide the redness in my cheeks.

‘
I
’
m exhausted,
’
said Jack, finally breaking the silence.
‘
I think we should turn in.
’

I nodded and called Hawthorne to my side, where he snuggled beside me. I rested my head on his large form and was comforted by his
sheer vastness
. On the other side of the fire, Jack prepared for sleep. I had gallantly refused the blanket we had brought with us and allowed Jack to use it. After all, I did not require it. Having a blanket was more of a comfort, than a way to keep warm.

‘
Goodnight,
’
he said as he lay close to the fire.

‘
Night,
’
I replied, running my fingers across Hawthorne
’
s back, the feel of his soft fur
beneath my fingers
soothed me.

Jack began snoring only half an hour after we had said goodnight. I lay awake for hours, my brain ticking over furiously as I tried to ignore the thoughts that entered my mind, thoughts of my sister.