Hellfire

The sounds of battle faded behind me until I was left alone in silent grey corridors. The wind and sky were calling me and I was anxious to finally leave this place.

I was starting to get tired from my flight through long endless halls. We weren’t exactly fed the best or most nutritional fare except the very basics. Bread, water, half-cooked oats and the occasional fresh fruit. When I returned to the surface world, the first thing I was going to search for was a comfort house for a feast.

I felt a presence now beginning to be familiar. His blue aura was a splash of color in the dim halls and I slid to a stop before backpedaling to where he stood, radiating agitation in front of the labs.

“Why are you still here? We need to leave now!” I said, grabbing hold of his arm. My crimson aura clashed with his azure, a bright contrast of glowing colors in my eyes.

We sped along, leaving the labs behind. We were only one corner away from the elevator lifts when I heard the familiar boot steps on the hard floor. I came to an abrupt stop, but not before a black spinning gas projectile sailed through the air, ricocheting off the walls.

“As if you could keep me here!” I yelled at them, defiance boiling into something more.

I shoved the shadow back down the hall as gas and smoke exploded from the black device, instantly surrounding me in a thick cloud of confusion. I knew this device and the toxins it held, toxins that entered me as I coughed and breathed in its fumes. They were still hiding behind their science and biochemicals (a funny word I’d overheard more than once as I lay strapped to the testing table) to try and regain control.

Control. As if they had a right.

Even as the gasses battled inside me, mixing with the injection fluids in my bloodstream, I summoned my chaos, my fire. Most likely, they would be able to succeed in bringing me down, if only from the overload of poisons being pumped into my system. But without the restraining runes, they could not control my fire, could not blind me with commands I couldn’t refuse.

I was on my knees, fighting the toxins, but I was free.

Retribution sparked the flame I felt spiraling from inside me, growing hotter, brighter. It burned straight through the smoke they tried to blind me with, ignited the chemicals they tried to control me with. There were fireworks in my eyes as the world exploded in hues of color I had not seen in ages; my Sight had been lifted, if only momentarily, and I could see the world in its natural state. The grey walls were the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.

The only smoke left in the hall was the thin wisp that escaped my lips as I exhaled deeply, reigning in the fire. It was banked for now, sated. I reached for the wall as I climbed to my feet and to my surprise it was sizzling hot. I let my gaze wander down the hall from the direction the gas had been thrown and saw the long scorch marks scarring the painted floor.

Strange.

Then I remembered that there had been a shadow with me and I quickly searched him out. He stood at the end of the hall where we’d come from and I motioned him to follow me to the lifts.

As we waited for the metal cages to lower, I caught sight of strange patches of charred black material surrounded by black ash. I toed the little piles and they floated delicately into the air. I touched one and it crumbled, leaving soot on my finger.

Fire did this and I am fire.

The headache returned, pain echoing like a gong behind my eyelids. There was a connection between the soot and fire and the pain in my head but the control was obscuring my thoughts.

The man who glowed blue was watching me and I made a note to ask him later about the scorch marks and soot on the floor. The lift rattled down to a halt and we stepped aboard. The controls were simple: three small buttons, one above the other in a single column. There were no other labels but I automatically pressed the topmost button as if I’d done this before and up we went.

Things were a bit confusing to me but I couldn’t organize my muddled thoughts in a coherent sequence, so I simply left them be.

The elevator shuddered to a brief stop and the thin barred gates separated to reveal the mid-level of the complex. The guards and men in odd white suits that were scattered about the open room stopped to stare at us, incredulous. I heard breaking glass as one dropped a vial he’d been holding.

The shadow quickly stabbed the top button again and the gears began to whir. One guard recovered before everyone else and fumbled at his utility belt, tossing a black explosive into the elevator. The lift was rising steadily and with only a few feet of open space between the elevator floor and the ceiling of the room, I kicked the grenade right back at them. Within a few inches of space left, the grenade detonated, an explosion of light, rattling the lift. I laughed, free and wild, as I imagined the flurry of papers and smoke and dust.

This is a departure they’ll never forget.

♠♠♠♠

I was vexed.

I wanted to see the sunlight through the leaves, wanted to experience the colors of feathers as birds took flight. I remembered the brief reprieve from my Sight back in the complex and I wished I knew how to make the effect permanent. The forest was a haven I had not been in for many years and all I could see were the brilliant auras surrounding every tree, every living thing. It was enough to make me sick with headache.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked the shadow.

He started, as if he had not expected to hear my voice. He looked at me quizzically and continued walking, unresponsive. I sensed a lack of understanding and tried another language.

“What is your name?”

The only indication he heard me was a nervous sideways glance.

I tried the universal language I’d used at the compound.

“Of what origin are you?”

He shook his head, obviously still not understanding. I exhaled sharply in a huff, further frustrated by the communication gap.

“Well, whoever you are, I need to stop for a moment,” I said, switching back to my regular dialect. I leaned my back against a tree, feeling the rough and pitted bark that contradicted the smooth vibrant image that I saw. I still wore the simple regulation clothing from the complex: a white band across my chest with matching material wrapped around my upper legs and hips—no place for me to hide anything. The shadow wore a similar garment around his waist as well. We would need new clothes soon.

I felt a creeping through my mind and I tried to block the familiar invasion. My head felt heavy and light at the same time and there was a ringing in my ears. My skin tightened, nerves electrified. Breath came fast and my heart felt as if a giant hand were squeezing it.

They were trying to summon me.

“Stop it,” I hissed, balling my hands into fists. My left leg jerked in the memory of past times when I’d been summoned. It’s like being forced into a cage, unable to fight back, except the cage was your mind and the enemy was your body, which moved regardless of your wishes. I refused to go back to that after freedom was in the palm of my hand.

“Shadow,” I said, lurching to my feet. It felt as if the ground were moving beneath me, a stormy sea. “We need to leave.”

When I grabbed his arm, a vision flashed before my eyes.

Panic panic panic fighting yelling oh jesus they’ve escaped the woods control where is the control where are they?

I could still feel the crackle of brittle twigs beneath my bare feet but the vision projected in my eyes was back at the compound, inside a guard’s head. I was somehow borrowing the shadow’s power.

“Squad 6 and 11, recapture of the subjects is crucial. Spread out through the forest and apprehend them.”

I jerked away from him and our eyes met. He’d seen and heard what was going on back at the compound as well.

We ran.

I wasn’t familiar with this forest. Everything blurred as we raced by and I had no idea where we were or even how far we’d managed to get from the complex. We were running blind.

The shadow suddenly stopped and veered behind a nearby tree. I sensed it too: a spread out line of auras advancing quickly behind us.

“Why are you stopping?” I tugged at him, the instinct to escape prickling my skin. I was loathe to abandon him but if came down to him or me, I would not hesitate to leave him behind.

He motioned up to the tree branches high above our heads and leaped up, balancing carefully on the thin limbs. I caught on quickly and, focusing a concentrated amount of energy in my body, I released it the moment I jumped, soon joining him with him on a branch on one side of the tree and me mirroring him on the opposite branch.

Pinpointing the advancing guards, I motioned for him to spread farther out, moving slowly towards the end of the branch. It bowed slightly but held. We waited, crouched low.

A guard moved into my vision and I kept my eyes on him, waiting for a striking position. I waited until he was slightly ahead, back facing me. I stepped of the branch in a whisper of loose leaves and descended silently upon the unsuspecting man. If there was one thing I liked about humans, it was how easy a target they were, unable to sense a presence nearby.

I landed slightly ahead of him and to his left, hooking my elbow around his neck. Locking my fist under his jaw, I twisted sharply. His neck snapped like a twig and he dropped to the ground. I rolled as I landed completely on the ground to absorb the shock of the fall.

When I recovered, I looked to my left and saw another guard, the one the shadow was supposed to take care of, standing just a few yards away. I automatically shifted into a defensive stance but he stepped away, hands open at his side.

As I watched, a blue-grey mist seperated from him and he dropped bonelessly to the ground. The mist disappeared and I circled the tree, searching for it. I found the shadow leaning against the tree, panting, apparently drained by the effort to possess the guard. Either he was still a novice or still under the influence of whatever they'd done to him.

"Are you alright?" I asked, even though he couldn't understand me. He wiped an arm across his forehead and stood.

Satisfied, I turned, intent on rifling through the guard's possessions to find something useful. Something hit my right shoulder hard enough to knock me back into the tree and I spun to face my new attackers. A short, cylindrical dart was embedded in my skin and I immediately knocked it away. The wound tore and bled slightly but it was far from serious.

Even though I'd removed it quickly, the contents of the dart took effect almost immediately. Bright prisms of light shattered my vision and I was instantly blinded. Moments later, viselike, gloved hands clamped around both my arms, holding me back roughly against the tree. I managed to crack my eyes open just enough to make out the blurry black figure in front of me.

Close-range and blinded, I had to resort to a lowly but effective maneuver. I brought my knee up hard between his legs, leaning in for a bit of extra force. The breath whooshed out of him in a pained exhalation. Loosened, I was able to bring my arm back and slanted down. Then, I drove the heel of my palm straight up under his chin. His skull flew back with an audible snap and he fell away.

I took a moment to catch my breath, shaking my head against the blinding concoction they'd shot me with. Already, I could feel a tingling behind my eyes signaling that my vision would return soon.

The sounds of a nearby scuffle caught my attention. I shuffled through the layers of deadfall and leaves that covered the ground at my feet until I finally managed to find a decent sized rock. I started towards where the shadow and second guard lay locked in battle. I risked cracking my eyes open again and managed to make out a slightly-less-blurry image of the guard atop of the shadow, struggling to plunge a needle into his neck. I came up behind him and gripped his shoulder with one hand while bringing down the rock with the other. It cracked against his skull and he slumped down over.

We both quickly covered our noticeable clothing with those of the guards, including their boots and utility belts of weapons. I used the entire supply of energy rations from the belt I'd taken and the shadow did the same. It gave me a small boost and should last us until we could reach someplace safe. He tapped a finger against the guard's temple and pointed to his own before pointing again towards the horizon, slightly to the left of the course we were taking. He'd found information on the location of the nearest town from the guard's mind.

We set off at a fast pace.

♠♠♠♠

Hours later, past sundown, we finally saw the faint flickers of light from a town nearby. The ration was wearing off and my feet felt like bricks had been tied to them. But I was a Soldier and I kept going. I could see the shadow being dragged under by fatigue. I nudged him forward and we finally made it to the outer gate of the town.

There were white pennants with a black symbol scrawled on them, which meant the town was protected by a Watch. All travelers would be questioned before being admitted. Hell's fire, I was going to have to create an illusion to cover our suspicious attire.

I motioned for the shadow to stop a moment. I scraped the last of my magick from my mind and, concentrating fiercely, managed to weave a weak image of an older couple, both with dark hair and unmemorable, travel-worn clothes. In the shadows of the oncoming night, it was decent enough. Unless they had a mage in their Watch; I didn't even want to think of what would happen were that the case.

I motioned for him to keep a hold on my arm; I didn't think I had enough power to keep the illusion without contact. We approached the huge gate, fashioned from thick tree trunks from the surrounding forest, and banged on the little metal window. One of the Watchmen slid it open and looked out at us.

"Business?" he barked in a rough dialect that I wasn't quite familiar with. To my surprise, and relief, the shadow knew the language and answered for us.

"We've been traveling and wish to take up at an inn for the night, sir."

The Watchman, thankfully not a mage, looked us up and down before calling out an order. The gate creaked open and we passed through.

The town was rustic compared to other, more advanced cities, but it had clean cobblestone for streets, as well as oil-fueled lamps running the lengths of it's streets. Lanterns were being lit in windows for night-based businesses while others were being locked up for the day.

I spotted a nearby tavern with rooms for rent upstairs. We peeked inside, keeping to the shadows. At just past sundown, the long wooden bar that ran the length of the room was filling up fast. Boisterous laughter escaped the thin glass panes and filled the night air. Even with the majority of its occupants intoxicated, there was no way my illusion would hold up in the brightly lit room. We needed clothes, and fast.

I let go of the illusion and it slipped away like wisps of cobwebs. I pulled the shadow further back into the alley and motioned to our poorly outfitted bodies. He cocked his head to the side for a moment before gesturing for me to stay. He slipped off into the night and all I had to do was wait.

The brick wall was still warm from the Day Star and I leaned back against it, fighting the wave of exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm me. I was so close to relative safety, to rest and healing. I couldn't give in now. I refused.

We would be safe here for a few days, enough to give us time to replenish ourselves. The Black Sun was coming; in two days, total darkness would take the land for the length of one day. It happened every month and it was a day no man dared step foot outside, for it was the time when monstrous beasts walked freely. The men from the compound wouldn't risk being caught in a Black Sun, even for us.

I'd nearly lost the battle with fatigue when the shadow returned, cloth draped over his arm. He'd changed into a white tunic tucked into simple black trousers and sturdy boots. I took the bundle of clothing he handed me. It was a plain brown skirt with white underskirts and a matching tunic with black lacings in the front and back. He'd also brought me a pair of calfskin boots with hardened heels that were slightly too big. I tore pieces of fabric from the guard's uniform I'd stolen and stuffed it in the tips of the toes. With a dark, hooded cloak for each of us, we were set.

I stuffed the stolen boots and belts from the guards into a knapsack the shadow had thoughtfully taken as well before straightening myself. I looped my arm through his and, as the perfect picture of a traveling couple, we walked into the tavern. It was busy and we slipped in relatively unnoticed.

We walked up to the bartender and I realized in a panic that we had no coin to pay for a room. But, again, to my surprise, my companion pulled a small purse from his cloak and dropped a few coins on the table. The bartender handed him a brass key and they exchanged a few words, still unintelligible to my ears.

We were led upstairs to the rooms and even in my exhausted state, I was glad to see two beds rather than one. The shadow and the bartender exchanged a few more words before the bartender left us.

I collapsed on one of the beds, still fully clothed. My body screamed for sleep, for hours of healing, and I was happy to oblige. Just as I was about to succumb to darkness, the shadow shook me back into awareness. I snapped at him, my hair momentarily flaming into a fiery red.

He backed away, saying more of his unintelligible words. For whatever reason, he didn’t want me to sleep. By the Gods, why not?

He sat on the other bed, still eyeing me warily. Fine. I undid the laces of my stolen boots and it took longer than it should have, my fingers slow and clumsy. The shadow did the same, and he seem as tired as I did.

A few moments later, there was a light knock at the door. I immediately stood and a wave of dizziness made me sway. The shadow motioned for me to sit and opened the door to admit a serving cart of food from the kitchen. He handed the man several coins before closing the door again.

The scent of food alone revitalized me. I took the plate he offered me and devoured the beef, vegetables, and thick biscuits in less than a few minutes. I reached for more, sinking my teeth into fruit, potatoes, meat, anything I could reach. The shadow and I emptied the cart of any and all morsels of food, haphazardly stacking the plates. The utensils remained untouched.

My companion fell back against his pillows, already half-asleep. I wanted dearly to follow suit but I couldn’t fall into a deep sleep that would render me helpless for hours without protecting the room.

I took one of the knives from the cart and drew it against my left palm until blood welled up. I etched a few runes with my blood, a feat much more difficult than it sounds, especially in my exhausted condition. I had to wipe away the mangled symbols a few times and begin again.

Finally, the first sequence was finished. I touched a bloody finger to the end of it and there was a tiny spark as the runes recognized my power. I was drained of all magick but these particular runes didn’t require any. They flashed along my skin, tasted my power, and were gone. These runes were rare and difficult to use but I wasn’t an ordinary spell-caster.

“Shadow,” I said. “Come here, I need yours too.” The runes would protect all whose blood they were writ in.

He came to stand next to me and I showed him the nick in my palm, pointing to his. He allowed me to cut his palm and I repeated the same runes in his blood. The blood was nearly black against his bright blue aura and the door shone with its power. Using our blood was more powerful than I would have used under different circumstances but tonight, I had no patience to find a bit of charcoal or ink. I wanted to be as protected as possible and I was fine with being excessive.

The shadow said something and I was weary of the lack of understanding. I grabbed him by the back of his skull and brought his lips down to mine. I could feel him tense in surprise but I held him immobile, stealing his breath, his words. I scoured his mind for every nuance of his language, every word of it that he knew.

When I knew as much of it as I could, I released him. He blinked in surprise, brow furrowed in confusion. I took a deep breath, rolling my newly acquired language around in my mind.

“Hello,” I said. “I apologize for any offense but I was tired of being unable to understand a word you were saying.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “You can speak English now?”

“Yes. My name is…” I thought of the translation for a moment. “Adrian.”

“I’m Alan,” he said. “Well, I’m glad we can at least communicate now instead of gesturing about like imbeciles.”

“I agree. Now, Alan, I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to sleep. We both do. The runes I’ve drawn will protect this room while we’re asleep. We’ll decide our next course of action when we wake.”

He nodded and slumped back down on his bed. I fell into my own and my eyes immediately closed.

“And don’t try to wake me,” I added sleepily. “I’ll be in a deep, healing sleep and I don’t know when I’ll wake. But don’t shake or move me. I wouldn’t want to burn you.”

“Duly noted,” he replied and we both fell into bottomless pits of dreamless sleep.