The First Spark Read online

  Erin exhaled in relief. She had avenged this stain on her honor.

  ✽✽✽

  The Gryg camp was in chaos. The wagon still smoldered near the line of tents, thick smoke hugging the ground. The red and white streamers were slowly fading from the sky, with flickering bits drifting in the afternoon breeze. Nomads, slaves, and servants were running in terror, some trying to protect themselves from the rain of sparks with arms flung high.

  “Dragons! Dragons in the sky!” they screamed in their guttural tongue.

  Thanks, oh Wizard, Erin thought. The nomad guards were running from the dragon, ducking under wagons and behind tents. People continued to scream and run, this way and that, throughout the campground. Maybe all is not lost. She had a few moments before the nomad sentries regained their wits.

  Erin sheathed her sword and concealed it in the folds of her tunic. She took a deep breath, and then ran around the corner of the tent, arms above her head, screaming like the others, but heading straight for the treasure tent. No guard. Good. The tent flap was sealed but Erin slashed a hole in the canvas with her sword. Several trunks were in the tent; after a moment she recognized her brother’s trunk. She grabbed it and pulled open the hidden compartment on the bottom. The nomad thieves had not discovered the secret resting place, and the two ancient rings were still there, nestled among some other family jewelry. Erin grabbed the rings leaving the other things; those could be replaced, but the rings were priceless. She closed the secret compartment and started to leave. Then, on impulse, she stopped and opened a second chest. It was full of coins. She grabbed a handful, scooping them into a nearby cloth bag. The Wizard may be great at magic, but he seems to have little practical sense. Someone would have to take care of them.

  She ducked and stepped through the hole she had cut in the tent. The people in the camp were still running and screaming in terror of the dragons in the sky. She ran through the crowd towards the edge of the camp and disappeared in the swirling smoke. After a couple of minutes, she heard a low voice. She looked around and then saw Alec waiting for her.

  “Good job,” he said. “Did you get what you needed?” He handed her the pants and moccasins she had been wearing.

  “Yes, I found my rings!”

  “I saw that you were in trouble, so I decided to try something new. I made what we call ‘fireworks’ where I live!” Alec spoke rapidly, enthusiastically, while she pulled on the nomad pants. “I’ve never done that before! Did you see them? To do that I needed an equivalent number of neutrons and protons in the receiving and giving material,” he continued. “Since air is less dense than the fireworks, it took a lot of air. That made a micro-burst that had enough friction to charge the air! It worked!” He chuckled. “Did you see the lightning? That was a surprise! Nice, but unanticipated!”

  Erin looked at him and shifted her weight to her other foot as she put on the second moccasin. He stopped talking and looked at her.

  “Shouldn’t we be moving out of here?” she said.

  Alec gave her a hard look. She doesn’t understand anything I just said, he thought to himself. Just like my undergrad students. Tuned me out after the first sentence.

  “Yes,” he said and turned back toward the ridge.

  “Thank you,” she said meekly. “Thank you for sending the fire-dragon works. You did save me.”

  ✽✽✽

  They carefully worked their way back to their starting point. With the confusion in the camp, no guards were in sight. They reached the top of the ridge in good time, then cautiously made their way down the draw toward their campsite from last night. As they neared the place where they had hobbled their trogus, Erin stopped, put her hand on his arm, and her finger to her lips. Alec stopped next to her and cocked his head.

  It’s too quiet, he thought.

  “Our animals are not here,” Erin whispered. She felt for the hilt of her sword.

  “Look,” he whispered and pointed to the bush where they had left their supplies. The bundles they had stashed under the brush had been torn apart and the contents, meager as they were, strewn around the ground. They looked like someone had picked through them.

  “They have found us,” Erin said solemnly.

  Alec looked at the mess with dawning comprehension.

  “They took our mounts, and their saddles and tack. And our drung. They probably went to get reinforcements and will come back with their dogs to track us.”

  With the mention of dogs, Alec’s first thoughts of defense went out the window. He might be able to make themselves difficult to see with his dark energy lens, but he had no idea how to mask their smell.

  “Why didn’t they use dogs close to the camp? They could have tracked us there.”

  “Too many people there for them to be useful,” she said. “Too many smells.”

  “How long ago do you think they were here?”

  “Some time ago. They will probably be back with help soon unless your fire-dragon distracted them.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said. They quickly collected their supplies and started out. Soon, he could hear a distant howling sound, brought by the wind.

  “Dogs,” Erin said. “They will pick up our scent when they get near.”

  The two of them continued up the draw. The howling sound changed to baying and became nearer.

  “This isn’t going to work. They will find us before we go another mile,” Alec muttered. I need to think. “We can’t outrun them – we have to out-think them.” They picked up their pace.

  “I’m going to try something,” Alec said after a few moments. “Move over there.” He pointed to a nearby boulder. Erin obligingly climbed on top of the big rock. Focus. Dark energy swirled around as if he was in the center of an active dark energy generator. Peppers and paprika. An odor started to materialize. Jalapeños. The area around him filled with the smell. Erin wrinkled her nose. Maybe that will screw up the dogs’ sense of smell.

  “Let’s go he said,” taking her hand. “Jump as far as you can. Break our scent trail.” They leaped off the rock and then took off at a fast pace. Within a short time, Alec heard the baying change back to howling punctuated by whining barks.

  “I think you did something to the dogs,” Erin said, with a slight smile.

  A little more confident, they proceeded on. It was now late afternoon.

  “Man am I hungry,” Alec said. His stomach was growling.

  “So am I, oh Great Wizard, but we dare not stop now for food.”

  After another half-hour or so Erin gestured to Alec; they walked up a slight rise, concealed by brush, and looked back. A party of trogus-riders was only a few hundred yards behind them, slowly following a solitary figure on foot.

  “They are tracking us,” Erin said. “You leave a wide enough swath that I could follow you on a trogus at full gallop. But these nomads are not as good as me. They must be on foot to track us, but they will still catch us before nightfall. What should we do?”

  “They will catch us anyway,” Alec said thoughtfully, “so let’s find a place to engage them where we have an advantage – or at least not a disadvantage.”

  Erin nodded in agreement.

  They found a raised area rimmed by a rock ledge and a small open space. The tracker’s trogus would not be able to scramble onto the ledge, but the nomads could easily hop onto it. At least they wouldn’t be attacked and eaten by the trogus, but they would have to confront the nomads on foot.

  Alec was too nervous to sit. Another opportunity to be dead. Erin seemed much calmer on the surface, but he could sense the turmoil underneath. He knew she dreaded being captured again more than she feared dying.

  They heard the dogs and thrashing of the animals slightly before they saw them. Several trogus appeared below the rock shelf. Alec didn’t have time to count but figured there were probably a dozen nomads. The leader looked up and saw them, then motioned his group to stop. He dismounted and walked up to the rock ledge.

  “Look what we have
found,” he exclaimed loudly. “An escaped prize and her lover!” He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a slave neckpiece. “We found this where our skinny slave cast it into the grass. We will have to reattach this to our possession and this time teach it properly!” He grinned, baring a mouthful of yellow teeth.

  She’s a person, not a ‘possession’! Alec thought.

  The Gryg turned and looked at Alec. “You are tall and strong and might be of value.” He looked up at Alec’s face, and allowed his gaze to travel slowly to Alec’s feet as if he were sizing up a prize specimen of livestock. “Ha! I will make you an offer. Return our possession quietly, and we will discuss not killing you this night.” Erin looked at Alec with horror.

  “No,” Alec said. “You let me keep her as mine, and then we can talk.”

  The leader laughed. “You think you have any position to negotiate?” He motioned towards his men. “We know she is a dangerous and skilled fighter, but you don’t look very dangerous! Your hands are too soft to be those of a fighter! I will take you myself and let the others take her.”

  Alec noticed that five of the others had dismounted and were leering at Erin. The nomad leader drew his sword and took a step towards Alec. Time to do something.

  Alec had his staff in one hand and a rock in the other. He tossed the rock into the middle of the group of trogus. They snarled and spat; one reared up on its hind legs.

  The leader briefly looked back at the sound and then turned back and strode toward Alec.

  Focus. Alec imagined a molten center in the rock he had thrown. Crack! The rock couldn’t hold the stress of the molten center. Fragments shattered and flew in all directions. The trogus were splattered with molten rock and flying shards – they bellowed and kicked, knocking their riders off and fleeing in all directions.

  The leader looked back at the commotion, then again turned back towards Alec and took a swipe with his sword. Alec raised his staff, barely in time to block the thrust. The strengthened staff transmitted the force to his shoulders, and he winced. Alec had no time to do anything but instinctively defend himself, countering the sword with his staff. He glanced over at Erin.

  Five nomads surrounded Erin. She lashed out with her sword and caught one nomad on his arm, leaving a deep gash and a splatter of blood. The others surrounded her, and any time she attempted to attack the closest man, he would back away.

  Two of the nomads brought ropes, knotted with loops. They split up and moved to different sides. One nomad tossed a loop towards her feet. It swished toward her leg, and she dodged but the second nomad looped his rope around her other leg. She tried to cut it with her sword but missed. The nomad jerked the rope hard, and Erin fell to her knees. Another pull and she was on her back. She felt the broadside of a sword hit her hand. Her fingers went numb, and she lost control of her sword. She tried to grab it with her other hand, but a foot kicked it out of her reach. Then a loop of rope caught one of her arms.

  “No,” she screamed “No! No!”

  Alec was barely staying out of reach of his assailant’s sword when he heard Erin scream. He quickly glanced in her direction and could see that the nomads would soon have Erin under control. If I don’t do something soon, she will be captured, and I will be dead. Time to try his ‘magic.’

  Focus, he thought, and dark energy flowed all around. Time slowed for him. He saw the nomad leader’s sword move towards him in slow motion. Alec lunged forward, and the nomad slowly tried to alter the sword’s trajectory towards him, but it was too late. Momentum took the blade past his shoulder. Grabbing a new hold on his staff, Alec slammed it into the man’s knee and he collapsed, seemingly in slow motion. Alec bashed him across the head, hitting him as hard as he could. If the blow weren’t fatal, he figured it would at least debilitate his assailant for a long time.

  Alec released the dark energy. He had no idea how long he could have maintained the intense focus, but he suspected it wouldn’t have been much longer. He looked towards Erin. Several nomads surrounded her, laughing and taunting as she struggled on the ground.

  Chaos no longer dominated the scene in front of Alec. Although several men had fallen from their mounts and some trogus still ran wild, by now most were under control. Of immediate concern were three nomads approaching him with drawn swords.

  Alec wasn’t sure he could beat even one more nomad, and three of them would surely overwhelm him. If they kill me, then Erin will be a slave. The thought of Erin being enslaved again angered him more than the potential for his death. Do something.

  An idea had come to him earlier that afternoon as his stomach growled in hunger and he thought of a nice steak, broiling on the hot rocks. He didn’t like the image that came to his mind, but it might be his only chance.

  “Stop!” he yelled at the three nomads advancing on him. “Submit, or I will kill you all!” he yelled with false confidence. The man in the middle of the three attackers just looked at him with amusement and motioned for his compatriots to spread out and circle Alec.

  Too bad, big guy – you are going to be my guinea-pig, Alec thought.

  Focus. Alec’s medallion vibrated with new vigor. The lead attacker's bemused look changed to one of concern, then distress; and then he made a strange gurgling sound. Suddenly both of his eyes popped out of their sockets. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose and oozed from fissures appearing first on the skin of his arms, then on his legs. Alec was almost sick when he saw the result of his work. The other two nomads saw the first man drop, saw the blood leaving his body, and stepped back.

  “Now leave! Or you are next,” Alec roared. How could I have done this to a human being?

  The two backed off. One of the men surrounding Erin looked over, saw the fallen man – now lying in a pool of his blood, his body convulsing – and nudged the others.

  “Let her go,” Alec yelled at the men around Erin. By this time her feet and hands had been lashed securely, even though she continued to struggle valiantly. The men looked at him dumbly.

  Then one of them drew a knife and put it to Erin’s throat. “Cease and submit to us, or she will be dead!” he bellowed.

  “I would rather be dead than a slave! Let them kill me,” Erin shouted.

  Alec felt sick as he resolutely started what he had to do. Focus! Dark energy flowed. The man holding the knife at Erin’s throat went gray. Blood flowed from his face and oozed from his skin. He collapsed in a heap on top of Erin. The other nomads slowly backed up to the edge of the shelf, looking at the dead bodies, then at Alec, then back at the bodies.

  Alec looked at them. “Get out of here!” he yelled. None of the nomads moved.

  “Now! Or I will make you like them!” He waved his staff.

  With that one of the nomads bolted. The others slowly backed away never taking their eyes from Alec. Once off the ledge they jumped on their trogus and galloped as fast as they could down the draw and over the next ridge. Alec watched until they were out of sight.

  Alec felt sick. Killing wasn’t his thing. He had read treatises about how all technology could be used for either peace or war, but had never understood the consequences of that. Killing was terrible. And he had just killed two men. He retched, dry heaves wracking his exhausted body, and felt like he was going to faint.

  ✽✽✽

  At the edge of his consciousness, Alec heard sounds coming from across the ledge. Finally, it registered.

  “Great Wizard are you all right?” Like a mantra, it was repeated over and over.

  He glanced around and saw Erin, lying in a heap across the open space on the ledge. She had wriggled out from under her dead assailant and through his pool of blood but was still bound with the ropes that held her. Alec slowly walked over to her sword and picked it up. A few paces back to Erin, and he cut the ropes around her wrists. Then he handed her the sword and sat down on a rock on the corner of the shelf, shaking with deep sobs.

  Erin finished freeing herself and came over to him. “Are you all right?”
r />   “No,” he said, catching his breath. “I feel like I did something terrible.”

  “You saved our lives and ran the nomads off,” she said.

  “I know.”

  “How did you do that?” she asked.

  “I boiled their blood.” He swallowed hard. “They boiled from the inside out. Like meat on a fire.” He wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt. “I got the idea when we were cooking the other night. It worked, but I hate it. I hate killing people!”

  She touched his arm. “But you saved us,” she said, softly.

  “Can’t you see! I’m not like you! In my world, we don’t go running around with swords and knives killing people!” He gasped, a deep sobbing gasp of agony. “I’m not like you! I can’t just slash somebody’s throat like you can, and then spit on them and go about my business like nothing was wrong. Those were human beings! They had lives! And I killed them!” He closed his eyes and shuddered.

  Erin looked at him, then wrapped her arms around him and held him close for a long while as the afternoon sun warmed them both.

  4 – Crossing the Grasslands

  Finally, Erin spoke. “It will be night soon. We need to find a place for the night and something for you to eat. This has been a hard day, even for you, Great Wizard.” She stroked Alec’s shoulder.

  Erin took Alec’s hand and bade him follow her. Erin was adept at finding good campsites in the Grassland, and a short distance upwind she found a secluded nook in a knoll.

  “This will make a good campsite,” she said.

  Alec took it upon himself to hunt for food. He hoped that moving around and foraging would improve his mood. When he was a teen, he had hunted squirrels with his grandfather in Washington State. Surely he could do that again. Erin had pointed out several kinds of small game animals that lived in the Grasslands. Soon Alec spotted a small antelope-like creature that hopped around the tall grasses – “bounders,” Erin had called them, and with good reason. Holding his breath, he slowly approached the little fellow, his sling in hand. Focus. Dark energy flowed. One flick of his wrist and a well-aimed rock took out the bounder. It almost isn’t fair. Alec field-dressed the creature and brought it to Erin. She nodded approvingly, filleted the meat with her sword, and cooked it to perfection.