Wet Fire

Starfall (E11)

Adair

In the shadow of a stone pillar, Adair practiced with his uncle. It did not take much to realize how much better than him Kade was at swordplay. Adair sloppily parried and dodged his blows, trying to adjust himself to the uneven balance of his new golden sword, but to no ends. Each of Kade's moves--each form--was smooth and delicate, yet precise and deadly. The sword and swordmaster seemed a single being, flowing from one position to the next. If he wished to kill Adair, it might have been easier than squashing a fly.

Suddenly, Kade moved forward with alarming speed and caught Adair's golden sword in a lock with his own iron long-sword. With a twist of his wrist, the golden sword left Adair's grip and was soon flying through the air, glimmering as it spun out of the shadow of the pillar and into the hot light of the early evening. But he did not stop there. Kade butted in and whacked Adair across the head with the flat part of his sword blade, then drove the blunt hilt into his shoulder. Pain prickled up his arm and on his head, and he crashed down into the dust, disarmed and helpless as a baby.

Kade straightened and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "I cannot recall you being this weak with the sword, son." Swiftly, he walked over and grasped Adair's shoulders, pulling him up onto his feet.

Adair winced and gritted his teeth, holding his bruised head with his hand. As much as he felt humiliated by his defeat, he would not take the energy to think about why it had happened in the first place, nor did he want to respond to his uncle's blatant remarks. "I...can't either. Obviously."

Kade patted his nephew on the back and watched him stagger to pick up the golden sword laying on the cracked, scorched dust. Adair hated that sword. He had hoped to at least sell it, but soon realized it was nothing more than a piece of junk. The cave where he had found it still gave him chills, and there was nothing new more he wanted than to be rid of this foul reminder. Turning it over in his hands, he scowled.

His friend Cass lay asleep in the shade of the pillar. Lately they had been traveling at night and sleeping during the day. It was the only way to avoid exhaustion--the temperature in this part of the Great Desert easily reached well over one hundred degrees before noon. Some days, like today,  him and Kade woke up early to practice.

Angrily, Adair scrubbed his fingers through his sweaty blond hair. He sheathed his sword and walked back to Cass and Kade.

Kade began to shake Cass, and her eyes shot open and shoulders jerked.

"I--" She let out a long breath. "You startled me." Shaking her head, she accepted Kade's hand and stood.

Adair went up to her and helped her collect her belongings. There were bottles and trinkets strewn all over the ground. He stooped over and began gathering the bottles, but just as he rose, he found himself face to face with Cass. For a moment they both stared at each other and gazed into each other's eyes. Adair wondered if he should do something romantic, but decided against it and backed away from her, scratching his face. Cass lifted her eyebrows and gave him a smug look.

"Is there something you want to say to me, Adair?" She said.

"Uh...not at the moment." Adair nearly lost hold of the bottles.

The scarlet moons peeked above the horizon just as they set out from their camp. The sky was a rich gradient, specked with stars, and not a cloud in sight.

Kade and Adair led the way. Kade kept a constant watch on the compass he had salvaged from the beach. Right now that compass was the only thing keeping them going in the right direction. If they traveled just slightly off-course, it could prolong their journey months. Cass followed a stone's throw behind, tinkering with the water collecting device. Ever since they had started through the Pillars, she had been determined to find a way to get the thing to work, even out here. Adair doubted that she would be successful. Judging how dry the air was, there must not be a single drop of water around for miles.