Fire

The Way to Travel

I turned, making for the door, nearly battered to one side by the elite guard rushing past me. I screamed when someone grabbed my arm and propelled me forward, and Asher shouted from behind, “It’s just me! Go!”

A high shriek of pain from the center of the room made me freeze, turning to see Charlotte being dragged across the room by some invisible force. Juku’s smile was ugly. He didn’t even flinch as Charlotte crashed into the wall, striking her head. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch and lay still. “No!” Lettisha’s scream was nearly as loud, and she launched herself forward, eyes clouded with tears. She skittered across the floor for a moment, turning this way and that, caught between going to Charlotte or throwing herself at Juku.

The elite guard was moving, I could see them out of the corner of my eye, spreading around Juku in a loose circle, hemming him in on all sides. One of the guards sprang forward, charging the sorcerer with his sword raised. Juku simply flicked one hand at the man, expression disdainful, and the guard was sent sprawling backwards into his companions.

Lettisha had made up her mind, I could see her heading for Juku, expression murderous.

“No!” I tore my arm out of Asher’s grip. “Lettisha, no!”

Juku was already turning towards her, smiling, lifting one hand. Somehow I knew he was going to kill her, and the thought sent a jolt of adrenaline through my system. Surging forward I shouted at him, “Hey! Stop!”

It was me he wanted. Or, it was me Kari wanted. So this was my fight. I flung myself at him, in that second I had no idea what I was doing, it was just blind animal rage and fear. I felt his body go rigid as my fists connected, striking him in the face and chest. He stumbled backwards, grabbing at me. His grip was like iron, locking around both my wrists. At last he held me still, and I was about to get my knee up for a groin shot when he said,

“You’re an idiot.”

The room was spinning, slowly at first. The corners of the ceiling were blurring, melting like wax. I blinked furiously. Was I having a mental breakdown?

The stone walls were suddenly gone, ripped away and replaced by a huge green blur. Were Juku and I moving, or was it just our surroundings? My stomach was churning.

Reality snapped back into place so suddenly that I found myself on my hands and knees. My stomach lurched, and the acid burning in my throat told me I was going to lose my lunch.

Someone was laughing. I was vaguely aware of it, even though every muscle was screaming and I was being sick into the grass, head spinning. I could still hear someone faintly. Juku. Juku thought this was funny. What had he done to me?

My fingers curled convulsively and I found myself with handfuls of dirt.  After a minute I shook my hands out and wiped my mouth, feeling sick and weak. I looked up and my stomach lurched again. We weren’t in the dining hall anymore. We weren’t even in the castle anymore.

There was nobody in sight. We were surrounded by thick pine trees. Far off in the distance I could see the tops of the blue mountains, capped with snow. I remembered thinking they were beautiful when I’d first arrived. Like sleeping giants. Now, when I looked at them I felt terrified. They were closer than they should be. Closer then they’d looked from my bedroom window in the castle. Where were we? Where had Juku taken me?

I glanced over at him warily. He was leaning against the nearest tree, arms folded over his broad chest. His bright blue eyes were fixed on my face and when I looked at him a smirk twisted one side of his mouth. “Welcome home.”

“What…where are we? What did you just do?”

“We simply traveled in a more convenient fashion.” Juku glanced past me, eyes searching the forest. “Not many people have experienced that, you know. It’s difficult bringing someone along with you. If you don’t do it right it can go terribly bad.” He chuckled. “You know, body parts left behind. That sort of thing.”