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The two of us were weaving our way to the back of the garden when I realized something. Aside from a name, and the heading of east, we had no idea where we were going. Actually, we knew very little in terms of geography – not much more than where our home lay in correlation to the Water and Fire Tribes and the route in between. Not the best for an epic quest to save the world.
I stopped on the path. “Fera, hold up.”
She stopped and looked at me. “What? We’ve got to beat them to it and keep all the lead we can.”
“We need a map.”
“Why do we – oh. Wait. Right.” She quickly changed direction. “Let’s go find one.”
We decided to take the passages back. Our parents thought us hysterical, and any servants would report to them; better we just vanish and explain after we had proof. I led the way through the multi-level maze. The route took several minutes – it was no simple task to get from the gardens to the library, taking only twisting paths through the walls.
Gripping the handles, Fera and I pushed with all our might, and the heavy grandfather clock creaked as we slid it out of position.
Fera ran over to the shelves with atlases. I didn’t want to ruin a book, and I vaguely remembered a recently commissioned map. I hurried over to the cabinets where more expensive items were kept, and quickly picked the lock.
Inside, was, as I remembered, various large sheets of paper. It was mostly old blueprints or out-of-date contracts, things that didn’t have much use any more but we couldn’t just throw out. I shuffled through them hurriedly and let out a cry of relief as I found the map.
The sheet wasn’t too massive, making it easy to roll up and carry, and was in good condition so it wouldn’t fall apart. It was a fairly detailed map of Freckania, showing some major roads, the larger cities, the tribal capitals, and our home. I put it in my pack and within moments my sister and I were in the passage, heaving the grandfather clock back with a low boom.
We raced back through the passages and out the hidden door to the grounds. We avoided the front drive and cut across the grounds to the woods, to lessen the chance of prying eyes.
Fera led the way through the trees until we hit the main road. We turned right and followed it down until the crossroads and then, careful not to alert the Wind Tribe encampment, took the route that led east.
About halfway to sunset, with my stomach growling, I realized another obvious thing that made me feel stupid. “Fera, we have to go back.”
She froze and looked at me. “Why? Do you see –?”
“No, we’re just completely unprepared,” I told her. “I mean, we packed for travelling to the Tribes with an escort, not this.” I frowned into middle distance, thinking. “We’re gonna starve, first of all. We only brought a little bit of cash, not nearly enough to live off of, and our spare clothes won’t be much use half the time. We have to head back and get supplies, because without food –”
“What do you want?” She was rummaging through her satchel. “I got some of those nice goat cheeses and breads, ooh, and a big block of chocolate – gonna save that for later. Also have some apples and a ton of carrots, plus some . . .” she trailed off, mumbling over various foods.
I stared at her, shaking my head slowly. “Why do you have all that?”
She glanced up and shrugged. “It was for the Tribe. I didn’t know if they’d have anything I like, or how long it might take me to adjust. I got like a week’s worth of stuff.” I couldn’t help it; I started laughing. She stared at me. “What?”
“Fera, I think your stomach just saved the world!”
She grinned through a mouthful of food. “Really? Cool!”
I giggled even harder.
***
IN A WAY, FERA AND I were doing exactly what we’d always dreamed. We’d grown up reading books full of adventure and exploring dusty, forgotten tunnels, so we’d always imagined saving the world and were used to things being a little . . . rough. What all those books don’t tell you is the real nitty gritty details of it all.
Like, how you have to sleep on the hard, cold ground, so you wake up stiff and damp. Or how easily you get hungry and thirsty, and it’s next to impossible to use the bathroom. And putting on fresh clothes? Forget about it – there’s no guarantee of privacy and the air always feels frigid in the morning.
The first few days passed with the two of us on edge, expecting at any moment to be found by our parents or Wind Tribe members, and our very tiny meals weren’t helping the mood. Nor was the stiff clothing that was beginning to smell.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Me and Fera had dressed for practicality and comfort; her in her standard black tank top and narrow black trousers, coupled with her favourite fuzzy orange sweater, cinched at the waist with the same leather belt that she’d once used to tie Ben’s ankles together while he was sleeping as a prank. I kept to a simple white shirt and grey trousers, topped with my trusty sleeveless blue overdress with handy slits on each side of the skirt in true Freckanian fashion. And hanging from a thin belt of braided gold criss-crossed over my midsection was my Relic. That was the most important thing.
Relics were ancient artifacts that no one remembered how to make, and there weren’t that many in circulation, making them costly items. But they were essential in allowing an elementalist to use their power in any location; in my case, allowing me a source of water even in a desert. My Relic was an old family heirloom that I hung from my belt. A swirling blue-green disk set on a backing of engraved gold.
So, yeah, very important.
The two of us, tired, stiff, and out of sorts, made our way into a small trading town. It was the first one we’d dare to enter and had lots of market stalls selling just about everything one could imagine.
Fera let out a bit of an excited squeal and almost ran off on me. I had to remind her a few times that we weren’t there to shop and were on a budget. I was also reminding myself, because there were some pretty nice things I was tempted to stop and get.
I marched her past the stalls selling crystal charms to the section dedicated to selling food. I picked out the supplies – because Fera seemed to be leaning towards the less practical options – and left the haggling to my sister, who was scarily good at it.
I was waiting as Fera bartered when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle, like I was being watched. I turned around and looked, but I couldn’t see anyone obvious. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling and I could’ve sworn I saw someone turn away just as I looked back.
I shook my head to clear it. Fera was almost done, and had gotten everything down to almost half of the original price. I made some room in my pack, taking out all the paper minus the scroll. No way would I risk that getting stolen.
I opened the map for what had to be the billionth time. Where was Sardis located? I’d never heard of it. Fera had finished her bargaining, and as she started to pack up I stepped over to the vendor.
“Sorry to bother you a bit more,” I said, “but could you by any chance tell me the location of a village called Sardis? I know it’s to the east of here.” I offered him the map to point to, but he just shook his head.
“I know the name of every town on the Forest Road from to Aguat to Vepo,” he told me. “And I ain’t never heard of a place called that. Sorry miss.”
I swallowed. “Are you sure?” I asked sweetly.
He frowned. “I’m sure. Now move along miss, you’re holding up my business.” Another customer rudely shoved me to the side and I barely snatched the map back in time. I wasn’t sure if I should be intimidated or angry.
Luckily, I was distracted by Fera thrusting my pack at me. “So. You find out where the heck this place is?”
I shook my head and put the map away. “He’d never heard of it.”
She made an exasperated sound. “How far away is this place?”
“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be across the world – there’s no logic in that. I thought a town like this would know, but – well, I suppose it could be on the borders of Freckania.” I sighed. “I guess we just keep heading east until we get a more definite location.”
Fera scowled, but she didn’t complain. The feeling that I was being watched returned. I hurried Fera out of there as subtly as I could, not wanting to stay any longer.
***
MORNINGS WERE BY FAR the most interesting parts of our days, as Fera was an early riser compared to me, and she liked to come up with chaotic ways to pass the time. One morning she’d scorched exactly half of a dead tree. Another she’d attempted to carve a hunk of wood and cut herself. And then one morning she was scampering about the underbrush when I finally rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.
“Ooh!” She gave an excited squeal and it was only due to experience I didn’t go check out what she’d found. “I’ve got to show Asher at some point!” I looked that way, now very confused.
Fera suddenly burst out from a bush a moment later, grinning and dirty. “Mira, check this out! I found a baby dragon!” She thrusts her hands forward, and sitting in them was a tiny scaled animal.
I looked at it. “That’s a lizard.”
“Pretty sure lizards don’t talk,” she countered.
“No, they – wait, are you saying it talked?”
“Well, yeah. It said hello.”
“Is it . . . still speaking?”
She looked down at the lizard for a few moments, concentrating. “Alright, maybe I need more sleep.” She pushed it at me and if I hadn’t been so quick it would’ve fallen to the ground. Fera spun about and I stared down at the lizard in my hands, then at my sister, then at the lizard again.
I hastily set it down on a rock. “Sorry.” The lizard blinked at me and then scurried off. I felt kind of bad for it, and wondered about Fera’s increased interest in dragons. Everyone knew they were extinct.
We were sticking to what we thought was the east-bearing Forest Road, but by this point were in the middle of nowhere heading down what felt like a path of beaten grass. A couple times we passed signs on the road, but the paint was flaked off, leaving them illegible. My feet were aching after walking so much for so many days. I didn’t know if Fera felt the same. She showed no outward signs of discomfort, and I tried to mimic that.
When the sun started to set and Fera lit a fire in her hand to counter the increasing shadows we found a spot on the side of the road that had clearly once been a well used campsite, even if it was now overgrown. Fera said she didn’t like it, and wanted to sleep on the path. I overruled her. She didn’t seem to get that there was a chance someone would run over us.
She trooped over to the spot as I sat down. “So,” I said conversationally, “another day of nothing. At this rate the Wind Tribe will have no problem beating us with all those resources.”
“Don’t be so negative,” Fera said, searching about her pack for a snack. “We’re already ahead.”
“We think,” I argued. “It’s been quite a few days, things might have changed.” Fera sent a jet of flames in my face, and I barely managed to get a shield of water up. I took that as her signal to shut up. I settled down to wait for night to fall so I could get another stretch of fitful sleep.
I woke with a start, sweaty, to a barely risen sun and mist. I looked around and tried to get my heart to calm. There was a wild call. I jumped and accidentally hit Fera, who awoke cursing and sending a couple flames out.
When she realized it was only me she calmed down enough for us to hear a few more ringing calls. She grabbed my arm tightly. “What was that?”
I swallowed. “I think . . . it was wolves.” I didn’t have to see Fera’s face to know it was pale. She made a squeak and held onto my arm so hard it was difficult to think.
I tried to get to my feet, which was not easy with Fera hanging off my arm as flames flickered along her hair. “Do wolves even attack people?” she asked.
“Ah, um, sometimes?”
I saw a shape in the mist. I heard growling. I let out a shriek and the next thing I knew the two of us were flinging to the ground as a large grey wolf leapt at us.
Rolling onto my back, I had just a second to see a wolf pouncing on me and then it was all instinctive. I threw up my hands, and a shield of ice formed, only to be quickly shattered by the weight. Its heavy form dropped onto me, sharp claws ripping at flesh. Jaws snapped at my face, snapping a flimsy barrier of water. I tried to push it off by the throat.
A sudden flash and the wolf flew off me, its fur smouldering. Fera chucked another fireball after it. I let out a yelp and tossed ice chips at the wolf that lunged for the back of her neck.
I scrambled to my feet. My chest stung. Each breath hurt.
The first wolf charged at me, snarling. I blasted water, making it stumble. I forced ice to freeze, but the wolf shattered it in a heartbeat.
Fera was doing better, the wolf going after her cautious of her spinning flames. Everything smelt like smoke.
I whipped a thread of water, which didn’t even leave a dent in the fur and made it bark angrily. It leapt, and I thought get away and there was water and teeth and claws and feet slipping. The air was knocked out of my lungs. My ears rang. All I could see was fuzzy blackness. It hurt.
Fera screamed, and there was a blinding flush of heat. The wolf bolted, whimpering. I dimly heard the heavy thudding of paws. My head was spinning. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe.
I felt myself being rudely yanked into a sitting position. “Come on, Mira. I will set you on fire.”
I blinked hard. “Ah – ah – what –”
“They ran when I set about half the campsite on fire,” Fera said. “Are you okay?”
My vision was starting to return. I groaned and rubbed my temples. “I’ll live.” Every time I spoke, every time I moved, my chest burned. It took a lot of self control to not start crying. “Gods, Fera, we can’t even keep calm with wild animals. What on earth are we doing traveling to nowhere?”
The mist had burned off, and the ground was nothing but a mix of muddy soot. No one would be using this campsite for a long time.
Fera heavily settled herself on the ground beside me. “Fixing our mess.” she said sourly.
I tried to think of words to make it better, but I couldn’t. It was true. There wasn’t any choice or reason in our decision, just responsibility. As pitiful a choice we were to save the world, there wasn’t an alternative.
The thought made me want to cry even more.