V – Three Days

It was not until the night faded into the first signs of dawn that Matthew Ternagis really looked at the dirt and grime that encrusted his hands. Or rather, it was the first notice of the dirt and grime that he realized that dawn was not long in coming. Tracking several miles the day before and then working grueling labor through the night was something that he could have done with energy to spare when he was much younger, but Matthew was afraid that today was truly showing him how old he was. Still, he knew his role in this community, and what it expected of him. Calm and always in control, Captain Ternagis was the epitome of confidence and the master of discipline. He would weather through any storm. No matter how weak he felt right then, he knew how much collective strength a calm demeanor would impart on his fellow villagers. He continued lifting heavy timber and stacking shattered loads of brick alongside the others who worked through the night.

Looking up at the Inn, Matthew took back everything bad he had ever said about Tel’s Master Builder. Only last night, it was encased completely in flame. When Coole recommended that the towns water be not wasted on the Inn until the other fires were out, Matthew was sure the Inn would not be much more than a rubble. It would seem that Coole was the only one who remembered some twenty years ago when they built it, one of his first few constructions as Master Builder. “With that many rooms,” he had said, “a pity that one imbecile could burn everything down around their heads.” It was decided that enough brick would be fired to case the walls of each two rooms in brick. Not one fire struck the Inn ever since then, and the Mayor had scoffed several times at the cost of the work and clay needed to make so much brick. When Matthew arrived in Tel, a few years later, the argument about it was still a hot topic. But today, with the water finally turned towards the Inn, did that really pay off. The third, topmost floor was caved in in three places, and the first and second floors each had some portions of the outer wall charred, but otherwise, the Inn stood tall and well. Coole’s boys were going to climb in and make sure it was safe, but Coole already had no doubt. After boarding up a few places to keep the weather out, there would be twelve more rooms to house villagers in.

Fenix approached from the direction of what was once the Festival stage, his clothes wrinkled and carrying the previous night’s smudges, obviously slept in. Stretching silently, he blinked his eyes as he stepped next to Matthew, and looked up at the Inn. His hair, slick with sweat and dew, stuck to his forehead. “Well, I’ll be. If there was one good piece of news to be had, there it is right there.”

Matthew nodded tiredly, and barely stifled a yawn. “We should probably rotate, at this point. I am not sure how much more useful I will be in a short amount of time. I can see to the runners, and then take myself to bed.”

“I already saw to the runners,” Fenix replied. “They seemed eager to finally leave. They really did not appreciate having to wait until first light, but they should know better than to want to gallop in the dark. And walking isn’t much better; the ground they’d lose walking all night they would make up in a day’s hour. Best use that time to rest.”

“Who did you decide on?” Matthew asked the boy.

“Thomas Wilker is riding to Metson, and old man Jalal to Chalen. Cheryl Tanis went to Srynn.”

Nodding, he was not surprised at the names. There were no better horse-handlers in the village save Sam Townsend himself. Sadly, Matthew looked at the ground. There were no better, now.

“Deia refused to ride with Thomas.”

“Deia?” Matthew asked. “The Metson girl?”

Fenix nodded. “Yeah. She said she was not going back. She insisted on staying near Cerberus.” He jerked his head across the street. On a smooth stone surface a foot high that was once the foundation of the Mayor’s Residence, Cerberus knelt, holding his handmade tracker device in front of him, speaking to it. Not four feet away, sure enough, in the dirt just next to the slab of stone, lay a girl wrapped up in two spare blankets, her head the only part of her visible. A black and yellow bruise covered the side of her face, forcing her to sleep on the opposite side. “Can you blame her?”

Matthew thought about the question, but did not answer. She was not the only one to lose her parents, but she had nothing left to lose, and had attached herself to the likeliest candidate that would return the favor on her behalf. It also made him think about Xia. What path will you choose, boy?

“Alright boys, get in there and check it out!” came a bellow from around the corner of the Inn. Big stout Coole himself appeared, and brightened slightly at the sight of his son. Stopping only briefly to point out to the other builders where to begin, he made his way over to the pair. “Morning, Captain. Morning, Fenix,” he said, and the two muttered pleasantries softly in return. “Won’t be too much longer here. We’ll be done checking out and patching up here before lunchtime. Its probably best we go ahead and find out who needs to be in here most, and get them gathered up.”

“Xia.” Fenix said. At a surprised look from his father, he continued. “Father, Xia is going to need time alone, and he’s going to need to keep everyone‘s faces up on top of it. He is not going to be able to do that packed cheek and jowl with them in the square.” Fenix nodded to himself and continued. “That, and we need at least a temporary Mayor’s Office, a place we can designate so everyone knows where to go.”

Coole nodded, listening thoughtfully. “I believe you’re right, son. We’ll set aside the room closest to the entry for Xia.” He glanced to Matthew. “How is the lad, Captain? Is he really ready for all this?”

“Who can say?” Matthew responded. “The only thing larger than the hole his father left in his life is the pair of shoes to fill.” He paused to think, and then smiled slightly towards Fenix. “But, he is determined to fit those shoes. It may be that focus that will drive him, and pull him through.”

“Well, he has no lack of support, that’s for sure.” Coole reached up and wiped sweat off his forehead with his arm. He only succeeded in smearing dirt on his face. “I’m just saying, the Council should be ready to step in if needed, that’s all.”

Fenix said nothing. Matthew hesitated before nodding, grudgingly.

“Coole!” one of the builders called from the Inn. Coole turned to face the sound. “Coole! Structure’s good all around! We’re heading up to the second floor!”

Coole waved for them to go ahead, and turned back to Matthew and Fenix. “Captain, Fenix, please excuse me, I want to see what’s what.” Nodding to each of them, brief nods in return, he turned and strode off to follow the line of builders filing into the Inn.

Fenix also nodded to Matthew. “Well, I’m going to be helping move the larger cookpots out to the green. Miss Toolin’s putting together a kitchen, and several of the women involved tasked us with finding and bringing pots out enough for near half the village.” With a half-hearted chuckle, Fenix strolled down the path.

The sun broke the horizon, pouring light and long shadows alike over Tel. With the dawn rose those who were able to sleep at all during the night: the youngest children, and the oldest villagers. It seemed too many people could not bear to sleep while their friends and family were still out digging in the rubble. Unable to stifle the yawn this time, Matthew realized he had been one of them, and was in dire need of shuteye, at least for a few hours. He glanced at Deia, who was just rousing from her blankets, and Cerberus, sitting nearby and shaking his head at his tracker. Shaking his head, he turned on his heel and walked in the other direction. His home was one of the lucky ones, barely touched by the Explosion. It was full of men and women older than he was, but at least his bed was there.

* * * * *

It seemed that he had barely closed his eyes when Matthew awoke again. Glancing at the large gilded clock standing across the room from his bed, he realized he had slept through noon. His body cried to stay in bed, but his head said he had been asleep entirely too long. Ignoring the dull ache that throbbed in his legs, his arms, and his back, he pushed his feet out onto the floor, forcing himself to sit upright. He stopped and stared down at his feet blankly, blinking the sleep away. His eyes seemed to want to remain shut with each blink, so instead he opened them wide and looked around his room.

Never in his life had Matthew owned very much. He grew up poor on the streets of Halvaren, rarely noticed amongst the myriad of homeless children his age in the city. He and his mother had lived together in one of the rundown quarters of the Capital, struggling to survive. He managed to earn what coin he could by running errands for local shopkeepers and the like, but it was difficult, and competition was fierce from other hungry lads willing to do more work for less. Soon after Matthew turned sixteen, his mother took ill, and he very nearly worked himself to death pulling enough money together for medicine. There was nothing fatal about the illness, so long as it was treated. But, his mother’s soft rasping breaths soon slowed to silence long before he had enough to buy what she needed. With nothing left to him in Halvaren, he heard the cry of the Royal Legion and their push to enlist recruits for the Eastern Conflict, as it was called now. The pay was laughable, as soldiering went, but they also fed their soldiers, and that was worth all the gold in the world.

Through it all, Matthew never had time for possessions. He lived on the land around him and what belongings he could fit in his carrying sack, which usually consisted of a spare uniform or two and rations for his journeys. As he looked about his room, he briefly wondered, as he always did from time to time, how others could gather and hold value to so many things. His belongings amounted to just what was in this room. A bed that took him years to learn to sleep comfortably in, a stand-dresser that he never had enough clothing to fill its four large drawers, and a small bookshelf that stood on the dresser, holding almost a dozen books he had collected on his travels. Books were a good friend on lonely journeys.

But most of all, his most prized possession, his only prized possession, hung on the wall above his bed. A painting of a beautiful, scarlet-haired woman smiled down at him, holding a young child in her arms, and he felt himself tense, confused between the tranquility her eyes always exuded and the anguish of knowing he would never truly look into them again. He had come home one day to find the house ransacked. He remembered Sandra’s glossed-over eyes twisted in fear above a messily cut throat, blood already drying on the sheets where she lay. When he found their daughter Shala missing, he was not sure whether he should be angry at finding her missing, or relieved that she had not met the same fate as her mother.

He crossed the room and leaned over the edge of his washbasin. He dipped his hands in the warm water still there from yesterday, and splashed some over his face. Years went by, and he never found Shala. He soon had to make the choice to abandon the search, and start earning a living again.

He shrugged out of his filthy working clothes, regretting with a single look at the bed at having slept in them in that condition. Splashing water quickly down his body, he scrubbed at some of the dirt caked on his hands and arms with the soft brush for that purpose, and dressed himself in soft-threaded clothing, suitable for a day out on the farm. He was bound to get dirty today, no point in mussing his uniforms over it. Finally, he picked up his sword and belted it on.

Exiting the room, Matthew nodded kindly to an older woman at the top of the stairs carrying linens. She smiled and nodded warmly in return. She, along with the nearly dozen men and women quartered in his home, were grateful for the roof. Most of them had never been without a home in all their lives, much like the rest of Tel, and each did what they could to repay the kindness. These particular folks had decided that although they were too old to assist much out in the village, they could assist the Captain by performing every manner of chore for him. His entire house had been cleaned from top to bottom. Matthew had never really paid much attention to cleaning. He usually never created any mess to clean. Walking past him, the old lady entered his room, and let out an amused sigh. She had seen the bed, he realized. Tsking just loud enough to be heard, she set about to work. Matthew chuckled and descended the stairs. He usually never created any mess to clean. He briefly nodded to the others in the entryway and reception area, and ducked out the front door.

Stepping onto the path, he immediately noticed a group of men down the path at the edge of the village. The border of the village was clear: the houses stopped and the trees began. Tel was backed into the forest. Noticing some of them with defensive garb, he realized they were mostly Guard, and decided to see what had attracted them.

As he approached, he took note that most everyone had a shovel in their possession. They were digging around the end of the irrigation ditch that had been dug from the Mahndestine Lake out west. When he came close enough to see exactly what they were doing, he stopped and blinked, perplexed.

Fenix stood straight and hefted his shovel over his shoulder before addressing the look on Matthew’s face. “Its going to be a pond, when we’re done with it.”

“A pond?” Matthew asked. The new mouth of the ditch opened into a pit dug deeper than the ditch itself had run.

Fenix nodded, and stepped around several of the Guard digging between him and the Captain. “Well, at first it was an attempt to move a log that had blocked the ditch further up.” He pointed at the heavy log that had been moved aside. “We had to dig under near the length of it to get it out of the ground, and the water pooled up in what we dug. That’s when I realized it. We were hauling quite a bit of water last night, and the level got pretty low. We were using it faster than the water was seeping out of the Lake.” The source of the ditch began just outside the Lake because the Lake itself was a stone formation, filled with water. It had some underground pockets as well, and the ditch made use of one of them to channel water to the village. “So, we decided to come down here to the village and dig a large pond. Then, there will be more to go around, in an emergency.”

Matthew smiled. It was something of a habit with Fenix. Always good for a laugh or a prank, Fenix’s demeanor led one to believe that he was not very bright. He was not too quick on his feet, but when he put his mind to something, he usually came up with something so blatantly solid that no one could ever argue against him. When it came to tactics, no one could match Fenix. Not in Tel, anyhow. The idea to expand the ditch into something like a small town reservoir would come from him. “Don’t spend too long on this, Fenix. We’re going to need these lads back in town.”

“We just decided to turn our efforts away from piling wood chunks out of the paths for a change.” Fenix said. “We will not be too much longer, so long as we keep focused.” Suiting his own words, Fenix joined the guard around his pond, lowered his shovel, and stabbed straight down.

His pond. Fenix’s pond. Fenix’s Pond. Matthew smiled. It would stick. He turned and strolled into town.

The rubble and debris from the previous day had already been cleared from the path. It looked like Fenix had focused on the streets first, as shown by the piles of charred wood along both sides of the path. Villagers had wheelbarrows and sacks, toting the unusable wood to the pits dug just beyond the forest-line. Longer planks of wood that was completely or at least mostly untouched by flame were stacked neatly besides each pile. Matthew observed men collecting those smaller stacks and carrying them to a cart central to the stretch of path. Clean-up was progressing, despite the somber mood.

Passing by the cart, the Captain saw another gathering down at the end of the path. Curious, he strode straight for them. Eventually he could make out that they were standing in a line that started at the Inn, and looped back and forth across the large center of packed dirt that marked the adjoining streets in front of the Mayor’s Residence. In front of what was once the Mayor’s Residence, Matthew thought with a sigh. He stepped to the front of the line and loudly asked, “What is going on here?”

“Why, Captain,” answered one of the women standing with her husband and small child, “the Mayor is assigning us rooms to stay in.”

Matthew nodded in realization as he recalled the conversation from early in the morning. Excusing himself, he pushed between the family in front and walked inside.

“Ah, Captain Ternagis,” a delighted voice sounded deeply. Jan Glandon, the Inn’s owner, floated up to the man and gave a slight bow. “Welcome to the Townsend Inn.”

Matthew grinned, and clapped Jan on the back. “Master Glandon, no need for your sweetness, I am not here for accommodations.” He patted the man’s back to ensure it was taken lightly. Then he blinked. “Wait, what?”

Jan’s smile widened. “Yes, the Townsend Inn. I do not have any signs yet, but as soon as I can get something made, we’ll put them up real large-like out front.”

Xia’s movement drew Matthew’s eye. The boy sat at a table that seemed pieced together from four previously whole ones and shook his head as he looked over a list he held in front of him. “What’s the matter, Xia?” Matthew asked. “Not everyone gets a building named after them.”

Xia sighed without rising his eyes. “It’s not for me, Captain. It is in honor of my Father.” The whispered words silenced the three of them. Jan cleared his throat, looking away. Even Matthew lowered his eyes. Xia put down the paper, and looked at the Captain challengingly. “I wanted something permanent left behind of him.”

Matthew raised his hands. “I meant no offense, boy. I think it is a fine idea, and Master Glandon did too, or else he would not have gone along with it.” That seemed to satisfy Xia, as he leaned back in his chair and returned his gaze to the papers laid out in front of him. “What’s wrong, Xia?”

The young Mayor leaned forward, his elbows on the makeshift table, staring at his list. “They just showed up when they heard Master Glandon was going to give out his rooms for the time being. When I got here, they were arguing with him, because more showed up than can fit in the rooms he has. Then he asked me to settle it.”

“He did, did he?” Matthew muttered wryly, shooting a look at the innkeeper. Jan smiled weakly and shrugged. “Well, I never heard of an innkeeper who could not settle his own differences with his guests, but,” he sighed, “I suppose this is a different situation.”

Xia continued as if the Captain had not spoken. “I took down their names. I made a list of those with the youngest children, and those with pregnant mothers. I added two more families because one among them was injured, and one because their father had died in the Explosion.” He whispered that last, and softly ran his finger over that name. Then, he continued. “The rest have no more right than any other, but I can only pick half of them. I do not know how to tell some of them they can come in out of the wind, and tell the others they still have to wait out in the square.”

“May I make an advisement, Mayor?” Matthew asked.

“Please.”

“We still have not finished sorting everyone out yet, and there are still yet others injured out by the Doctor’s. Maybe it would be best to save the remaining rooms for those that truly need it. We could bring quite a few of the injured townspeople here.”

Xia considered this. “That makes sense. Though, it will still mean telling everyone out there ‘no.’”

“I’m sure if you explain it to them, they will understand. Whenever your father explained his reasoning, few could argue with him.”

Sighing, Xia nodded, and stood from the table, clutching the paper in his hands. “Like my father.” He shook his head. “Master Glandon, please prepare to help those coming in. I’ll go and let them know.” Xia hunched his shoulders as if expecting a fight, and marched through the door.

Matthew followed behind to watch. The townspeople hushed as they noticed Xia’s return. They looked to him, some clutching their children, others sitting calmly on the dirt path. Xia took a deep breath.

“The Inn’s rooms are to be used first for those injured, and those with very young children.” He read the list of names he had compiled. Each time a name was read, the respective families smiled and hugged one another. Matthew saw their reactions, and realized that, to them, Xia giving them the entire world, not just a room. Xia ran down his list, and finished. When he looked up, the remainder looked up expectantly. “The rest of you, I want to thank you in advance for your understanding. We need to get as many injured into the Inn as we can, and for each of you who are strong and whole and can sleep out under the stars, we can get several more of those folks outside Doctor Johen’s in out from the wind. In the end, we owe you for doing such a great thing for them.” Licking his lips, Xia watched the crowd. He was expecting an explosion.

But there was none. Nods and smiles appeared amongst those whose names were not called. “See, I told you the lad would settle all this.” Someone said. “Alright boys, you heard the Mayor. Let’s move out of the way of the folks who need to get in there.” Another said. Xia sighed in relief.

“Come on, Xia. Let’s get those folks moved in.” Matthew said. Xia nodded and reached down to pick up a sack belonging to the closest family.

“Xia! Behind you!”

Xia turned quickly, but it was too late. He was able to sidestep the first one, barely allowing him to slip past, but he was no match for the other five. They plowed into him, crashing him into the floor. “Gah!” Xia cried. He landed with a grunt, and called, “Mercy!”

The children all stood and laughed triumphantly. “We got you again Xia!” Reets said, the youngest of the bunch.

“Well, what do you expect, its six on one!” Xia laughed.

“We saw you and Fenix fighting, you count as three people!” said a little girl.

“No, Fenix is much better. Fenix is three. Xia’s just two.” Reets retorted. That opened the floodgates, and soon all the children were arguing over who the best swordsman in the village was.

Matthew chuckled as he looked on. It had taken a few hours getting everyone in and situated, and with the children under their toes, Xia volunteered to keep them all occupied. It seemed a pleasant change of pace for the boy, so no one argued. With the children playing in the halls, there was almost a semblance of normalcy. In fact, it was the first time the Captain had seen Xia smile, and he was glad for it. It will be hard boy, but you just showed that you’ll survive.

With the last of the families inside, Xia stood and approached. “Captain, thank you for your help.” Matthew nodded and waved it away. Xia continued. “Tomorrow, we can see about transporting those from Doctor Johens’ office.”

“A good plan.”

As Matthew left the Inn—the Townsend Inn, he corrected himself—Matthew heard a collective “Aww!” from the children inside. Apparently it was time for the Mayor to get back to work.

Stepping back out onto the path that forked either west, towards his home and Fenix’s Pond, or south, towards Tel’s primary gate, Matthew felt the weight of his eyelids already, and decided he would take the former. He glanced briefly towards the old site of the Mayor’s Residence. Cerberus was still nearby, standing what would have been behind the building, had it still been there, and looking to the south. Deia stood several paces behind him, facing the opposite direction with a dagger in her hand. She was slightly squatted, as if ready to catch something that was about to be thrown to her. Her head was slightly ducked, and her face was twisted death. She did not move. It was not a comfortable position to be in. Matthew knew it as a basic fighter’s stance. The reason for assuming and holding the stance was so the body’s muscles were familiar and comfortable in the stance. It was also so it would come instinctively in battle. Battles were planned with strategy and thought, but battles were fought with instinct. Not being able to choose and assume the best stance automatically could kill you.

Turning his back on them, he shielded his eyes from the setting sun. Matthew’s eyelids were leaden weights. Even though he slept all morning, it was just no substitute for a good night’s sleep. After all, he was not as young as he once was. He realized once more that he just was not a soldier anymore, ripe for adventuring. He chuckled. He was going to have to leave all that to Fenix and his boys.

* * * * *

The next morning started much better than one before it. Matthew was surprised that although he had slept half the day the day before, and was back in bed before sundown, he had still managed to sleep clear through sunrise the next morning. He knew he had needed it, but still. He was slightly irritated that he was being constantly reminded of his age, and then abruptly chuckled. It was silly to be worried about ones age when he was likely lucky to be alive. Matthew rose from the bed, and sauntered over to his washbasin. He had already undressed the night before—some amused, but stern, words from the old lady who had cleaned his room that day had seen to that—and had laid out his Guard uniform for today. After a quick splash in the washbasin, he quickly dressed and left the room.

Decidedly less debris was left to lay about in the town’s small paths today, he noticed with a smile. He was proud of the determination of this village. No one stopped to let this disaster ruin their lives. They picked themselves up and moved on. They hurt, they grieved, and they held tighter who was left to hold, but they saw what needed to be done and moved on. He was glad to call Tel his home.

He passed by Cerberus and Deia again, still at the old Mayor’s Residence. This time Deia was not standing still, but taking small steps forward, and then back. As she stepped forward, she would toss the dagger ahead of her slightly, and catch it in the same hand, so that the point was aimed downward, ready for a stabbing motion from above. Then she would take a step back, letting the dagger go and bending her knees slightly. She would catch the hilt with the dagger pointing upwards, so that she was ready to spring forward with a thrust from below. He had not trained men with daggers, but it was an interesting tactic. Cerberus was training her to be able to switch back and forth between defensive and aggressive postures. It was more stance training.

Cerberus himself seemed to be staring again, sitting cross-legged in the center of the worn building foundation. If it was not for the fact that Matthew knew the boy had to have slept sometime, he would have said Cerberus had not moved since the night prior. There he sat, transfixed on the horizon, squinting his eyes as if he could make out Tailz from here.

Leaving the pair of them behind, he continued to the Doctor’s Office. The sight was definitely less gruesome than the night of the Explosion, and a difference from yesterday as well. The dead had been moved to the new graves north of town, though it had taken all day and likely most of last night to move them. Also, the number of injured townspeople outside had diminished as well, more than likely sent off to join the rest of the villagers in the Square once their injuries were not life threatening.

He chose to approach the Doctor’s assistant, since the Doctor himself was not in immediate view. She was leaned down over a man propped against the building. As Matthew neared them, he saw that Danni was applying fresh bandages. His old, blood-dried bandages were discarded next to him, and Danni was inspecting his wounds. His chest was crisscrossed with burns, but it looked like they were just burns now, with no open wounds that Matthew could see. Danni carefully worked a cream over his chest, using her delicate, gentle touch to keep from causing him too much discomfort. The Captain nodded at her work; she was known for her mansuetude with patients and children.

“Yes, Captain?” Danni said with a brief glance towards him.

“Xia asked me to inform Victor that there are six rooms available at the Inn for those he thinks need them.”

The young nurse placed the lid over the cream jar, and unwound fresh bandages to wrap onto her patient. “Doctor Johens is inside.” She said, motioning to the front door. “Though, I do not know what we can really do with those rooms. Those out here will be patched up soon enough, I think, and those in there… well, that’s up to the Doctor.”

Nodding thanks, Matthew stepped onto the porch and walked inside.

Every bed was filled with someone. Most had bandages, covering most of their bodies, still stained in blood because their wounds were not yet healed. One poor soul had his face uncovered, but it was twisted with burn scars. Matthew studied his face, and realized he could not recognize the man. The man turned his eyes to gaze hopelessly back, and Matthew quickly diverted his eyes elsewhere, embarrassed for staring so.

The Doctor himself was sitting next to one of the beds, talking softly to a woman, wrapped in cloth so that nothing but her eyes and hair showed. When Matthew looked at those eyes, he felt something familiar, but he could not identify it. They teared up again and again, squeezed shut to clear the tears from her sight, and then watered again. The Doctor spoke soothingly, stroking a bandaged arm, assuring her that once everything healed nicely, she would be back on her feet again. It did not seem to console her.

Matthew wondered what she had lived through. Those eyes had a hint of fear in them, and there was nothing to be afraid of here. She looked about frantically, not seeming to settle on any one thing, only stopping long enough to squeeze tears away. She must have seen the worst of it. Given the extent of her injuries, if she was close enough to be hurt from head to toe, she probably saw the townsfolk bursting into flame, the buildings collapsing, fires blazing from nothing. Her life would never be the same again.

Victor had realized that someone had come in, and had signaled behind him with a forefinger, signifying he would be with him in a moment. “Hang in there.” He told his patient. “I’ll take care of you.” With that, her eyes fluttered close. The Doctor stood silently and sighed, shaking his head. Pursing his lips, he turned to address his visitor. “Hello, Captain.” He spoke quietly. Matthew placed it somewhere between anguish and just keeping his voice down for his patients.

Matthew matched his voice. “How is she?”

With a pained look, Victor glanced back at her before answering. “I do not even think she can hear me. She was found on the path outside the Mayor’s Residence.” Matthew winced; that would place her among the worst injured. “She was just like this, startled and scared, looking at everything and nothing. It took me a while to realize that she does not see or hear us. Whatever she is seeing, its a product of her own mind.”

“What can be done?”

“She was badly burned from the neck down, and I’ve treated and dressed her wounds, but as for her mind, there is little I can do about that. The mind has a way of deliberately turning itself off to the outside world when the stress is just too great, as a protection. What she saw was more horrible than she could comprehend. Until her mind realizes the danger is past, she’ll stay like this.”

Matthew realized what was so familiar about those eyes. He had seen it numerous times on the battlefield. Wars were gruesome. For some soldiers, wars were far more than they could handle. Some met their limit out on the fields of battle, and when they did, it was those eyes that they returned with, collapsed into their own world. He frowned at the woman on the table. They rarely recovered.

“But that is not what you came to see me about, is it, Captain?” Victor returned to his desk in the corner. His drop into his high-backed wooden chair screamed weariness.

“No. No, it was not.” Matthew followed after the Doctor, and stood in front of the desk. “I was asked to deliver a message. Xia had the Inn’s second floor reserved for any injuries that need rest.”

Victor nodded. “An excellent idea.” He gestured to the patients that filled the beds and cots in the office. “Some of these folks do not need my constant attention. I have them here because they need to be indoors, or it will make healing more difficult. I’ll have Danni make arrangements to move those who can be moved. That will give me some more room here.”

“I’ll send Fenix and his boys to help.” The Captain swiveled on his heel and approached the exit.

“Makes sure they bring enough to help carry a few stretchers.”

He nodded and opened the door.

“Oh, and Captain?”

He turned and waited.

“Tell Xia I said thanks.”

Matthew smiled and pushed outside, closing the door softly behind him.

* * * * *

Tailz coughed as dust kicked up with the swirling winds. As much as he hated to admit it, the idiots were right. Nearly two days of travel, and the horses these primitive people relied on did eventually need rest. That, and they seemed to have no night vision at all. One of the horses had apparently broken its leg the night before. The stupid thing ran right into a ditch! After disposing of it, he tried to make up for the lost speed, which seemed to be going well, until idiot number one drove the carriage right over some damned rock. A rock! And that’s all that it took to snap a carriage wheel clean off.

“It won’t be too much longer, boss.” The disgusting one, Skippy, with his ugly crooked-nose was placing a spare wheel onto the carriage. “Lucky for us, the frame is still in good shape. Could’ve lost the whole thing, we could’ve.”

Tailz shot him an irritable look. “Stop your mumbling and fix the damn thing.”

Skippy wilted and lowered his mumbling to something inaudible.

Lumbering behind him, Jif spoke slowly. “Uh, boss, you could always take one of the horses ahead, if you wanted.” He patted a hand on the rear of one of the two remaining horses. “With just the two of us, we’ll be just fine with one.”

Tailz looked at the horses, considering that very thought for what seemed like the hundredth time, and rejected it just as quickly. He turned his back on them, and crossed his arms. “I am not getting on one of those.”

Jif blinked. “Don’t you know how to ride?”

“People don’t…ride…horses, where I’m from.”

“That’s not true. Everyone rides horses.”

Tailz’ eyes widened, and he swung around with a growl. “How the hell do you know? You just shut your mouth and get this rickety thing rolling.” His screams echoed on the empty road. Wide-eyed, Jif coughed and looked away. Tailz nodded. How dare he talk back to him. Does he not see how irritated he is?

A humming noise filled Tailz’ ears. He immediately recognized it and froze, his eyes dropping to his sack next to the road. He scrambled for it, nearly knocking Jif out of the way in his haste. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out the Spheric, a small red pearl carefully centered in the palm of his hand. It was glowing. It was also the source of the beautiful harmony that filled Tailz’ ears. He did not allow himself to be overcome by it this time. Before, he knew he had been the cause of it. But now, it was not him. He did not know how he knew, but he knew it was not him. A bright fiery light flickered, then bathed everything. Holding it in his hand, he panicked slightly. This is how it began before. He knew not to open his mind to it, to keep it from happening, but he was not the one doing this, and once started, had no idea how to stop it!

“Boss? What is that?” The two had eased their way around the carriage, and were looking around carefully from behind it.

Tailz felt the Spheric get hotter, the hum get louder. If he was not careful, this thing was going to blow like it did before, and he might not survive this time. He still was not sure how he had survived it in the first encounter. Regardless, he had to do something. Tailz held it up to his head, and closed his eyes. He relaxed his mind, released it from the tight control he held it under, to prevent random thoughts from crossing into his head, and let it wander. He felt it mesh with the melody the Spheric sang, and his mind filled with song. It filled with the power of force. Destruction. It filled with the power to level the area around him to the ground. Then, it filled with…

The world faded back into view from darkness. With a gasp, Tailz’ eyes popped open, and he dropped the Spheric. It landed on the road with an earthen thud and did not move. The light disappeared, and the late afternoon sunlight returned, as if it had not been shining a moment before.

“Boss? Is everything okay?” The voice was all that came from behind the carriage now.

Tailz did not respond. He just blinked at the Spheric and dropped to his knees. I did not think that was possible, but I’m sorry you had to learn this way, friend.

* * * * *

Matthew and the others stood outside the Townsend Inn. Fenix had one foot up on the steps that carried visitors up to the Inn’s front door. Xia leaned against that door, his arms crossed and seeming distracted by thought. Danni stood next to him, seemingly by coincidence, but the worried frowns she shot in Xia’s direction told Matthew otherwise. Deia stood on the path near Fenix, her hands on her hips, watching Cerberus from there.

“Well, there’s not much left to that.” Fenix was saying. “With the good wood we’ve found, my dad says he’ll be able to have enough homes patched up enough for everyone by week’s end.”

When Xia did not respond, Matthew broke in. “That’s very good, Fenix. I think we should start considering relieving double duty. Don’t you think so, Xia?”

Xia blinked and focused on Fenix. “Yes. Yes, of course. They have been working really hard.” He shook his head, and then nodded. “Yes, see to that, won’t you? Fenix? We have to make sure everyone is taken care of.”

Danni reached over and patted Xia’s hand. “It’ll be okay, Xia. Soon.” She held her hand there for a brief moment, but when Xia did not respond, she flinched, and put her hands together in front of her.

Fenix seemed not to really notice. “Yup. Soon this place will be back together as if nothing happened. Well, not like nothing happened.” He realized no one was answering. “Well. You know.”

“Well, Xia.” Matthew said loudly, to ensure he got his attention. “With some of the injured here in the Inn, Danni will be staying here most of the time to care for them. Make sure she gets anything she needs for her work.”

“Yes,” Danni nodded. “I’ll be staying here, like I did at the Doctor’s office.” She said, a little too cheerily. “I’ll be nearby, if you need me.”

Xia nodded half-heartedly. “Yeah. No problem. You can have my bed.”

Matthew snorted. Fenix looked away and coughed.

Danni gasped in fake surprise. “Why, Xia Townsend, I never…!”

Xia blinked, and realized his mistake too late. “Bah, uh, I mean, I mean, I was going to give it to you, you know, to sleep in. Because, that’s what people do in beds. They sleep.” He coughed, and then realized that was not much better. “Not together. I mean, they do sleep together, but not us, I-I was going to sleep, uh, you know, somewhere else…” Xia stammered, turning as red as a beet.

She smiled, and laughed, her mock shock melting away. “Of course, Xia, we know.” Matthew laughed harder. Fenix was rolling on the ground.

Deia took a step forward, and stopped, gasping.

Matthew looked first to her, then across the path where Cerberus was sitting. Had been sitting. Now he was standing on top of the old building foundation of the Mayor’s Residence, his head clutched in his hands. “What’s he doing?” Matthew asked.

Fenix picked himself off the ground, still chuckling, and looked over at Cerberus. He blinked, and frowned.

Deia shook her head. “I’m not sure, he has not said a word for two hours.”

Cerberus yelled out in pain, dropping his knees, shaking his head between his hands. All at once, everyone next to the Inn gave each other a brief glance, and then immediately ran across the street. Deia beat them all there, and leapt up onto the foundation. “Cerberus? Are you okay?”

Growling, Cerberus flung out a hand and knocked Deia away. “Get away!” he growled. Deia fell backwards off the foundation, but was caught by a swift-moving Fenix. Cerberus returned a hand to his head, and shook it. “Go away! Get away!” He yelled. On his knees, he leaned forward, his forehead touching the foundation. He began to pound on the solid rock. “No, go away!”

Fenix let Deia go, and she stood there, her mouth hanging open. “What’s wrong with him?” Fenix said.

Deia just shook her head. “I-I don’t know…”

Cerberus pounded the stone one more time, and it made a loud crack. He looked down in surprise at his fist, and then screamed as it burst into flame.

Deia and Danni yelped and stepped back. Xia jumped in front of Danni, his hands held out wide. Fenix had his sword out, with Matthew a step behind him with his. Cerberus’ entire body began to glow as if it too were on fire. His clothing started to singe, the edges of it starting to burn away. He howled as his body flexed involuntarily, seething in pain. He lifted a full foot off the ground, and a shimmering sphere surrounded him, suspended in midair.

Several townspeople had overheard the commotion, and stopped to watch. As Cerberus lay suspended in air, the sphere around him pulsing with energy, one of them pointed out to him. “Its the Explosion, its happening again!” People screamed, and suddenly villagers were darting in every direction.

Matthew called out while Cerberus howled. “We have to run! We have to go now!” Red lightning shot from Cerberus, striking the ground in several places, leaving behind burned, darkened dirt.

“No!” Deia yelled. “We need him! He has to stop Tailz!”

“Don’t be stupid, girl.” Matthew called. “This whole place is about to be another Explosion!” He sheathed his sword, and reached for her, trying to drag her along.

She fought him. “No! If he does not kill Tailz, no one can!” Deia cried out frantically, tears in her eyes. “Please! Xia! Xia? Right? We can’t let Tailz get away with what he did!”

Xia was staring at the sphere, staring at Cerberus. Matthew called out as he dragged on Deia. “Fenix, let’s go!”

Fenix sheathed his sword, and turned to follow, but saw that Xia was not moving. “Xia, come on man, let’s go!” Xia continued to stare. He did not respond to anything they were saying; he just looked on at Cerberus, his eyes unblinking. Then, to Matthew’s horror, Xia reached out a hand, and stepped forward. Fenix grabbed at his shoulder. “What, are you nuts now? Come on Xia, don’t make us lose you too!”

Xia took another step forward, and the pulsing red sphere reached out and enveloped him.

* * * * *

Xia blinked his eyes, and looked around. He tried to, anyways. It was pitch black; he could not even see his nose. He moved his feet, stamping them in place, and was surprised to find soft earth beneath them. It was cool, and wet. It felt as if a fine mist was falling over him. “Hello?” He called out.

A hesitant voice replied. “Hello? Xia?”

“Cerberus, is that you?”

Silence. Then, “Yeah.”

“Where are we?”

“…I don’t know.”

As if his eyes were just starting to focus, a soft light began to rise around them. Very slowly, the world faded in. First, Xia could only make out his hands, but as the illumination increased, he could see the ground beneath him. Flowing green grass lay beneath him, and around him. He saw the tree not but a few feet from him. Slowly, he could make out the stone walls: natural rock formations. He was in some kind of cavern. As the lighting increased until he could see across the room, he could make out Cerberus too.

Cerberus was dressed in his uniform, the one he had on the first day he walked around Tel. A pair of weapons—pistols, Cerberus had called them—hung from either side of his waist. His eyes were darting around, trying to make sense of where they were, but he was clearly as confused as Xia.

Then, they made out a third face. Xia gasped as the red-haired man faded into existence, just as the rest of the cavern did. He appeared looking down at a running creek that fed the soft earth, and the tree it surrounded. Oddly, he had on the same uniform that Cerberus wore. He looked up, and his face was painted with surprise as he saw the pair of them.

“Tailz,” Cerberus growled. Wasting no time, he drew his pistols and fired. Tailz threw his hands up and flinched.

Nothing moved. Xia blinked, and looked at the two of them. Cerberus looked at his pistols and back at Tailz, and pulled the triggers again. Again, nothing happened. Sighing, he dropped them, and braced himself for hand-to-hand combat.

Still, nothing moved. The trickle of running water echoing through the cavern was the only sound. Tailz and Cerberus stared at one another, Xia looking between the pair of them. Then Cerberus launched into motion, jumping into a mid-air kick, aimed at Tailz’ chest.

Then, the whole world moved too fast. Xia felt the wind flow, encircling him, before it rushed at Cerberus. Xia could see the wind, it was a solid mist, and at the same time, it was a clear breeze. But he had no time to think on it. Before he blinked, it plowed into Cerberus still in midair, driving him to the ground. He fell to the soft earth with a quiet thump, and the air solidified on top of him. The mist shaped itself close to the ground, and then materialized into a creature Xia had never seen before. The best he could describe it was as a very large, black, cat.

Cerberus’ eyes went wide as he looked up at what had grounded him. He started to move, struggling to get up, when a growl from the creature resounded in the cavern. Cerberus froze, the first time Xia had ever seen clear fear on the man’s face. As a matter of fact, Tailz was just as surprised, firmly pressed against the wall as far as he could get from the huge cat.

Xia blinked. He was not scared at all. He knew inside he should be, with the wind materializing into sharp-clawed creatures from the abyss. But, he felt like he knew exactly what was going on.

“It is much too early for this. Much too early.” A soft woman’s voice echoed through the cavern. Tailz and Xia turned their heads to the source of the voice. A small woman, barely up to Xia’s chest, leaned against her staff, enshrouded in robes. “My panther gets kind of touchy after not having a plaything for such a long time.” She whistled, and the—panther?—leapt off of Cerberus and jaunted over to the lady, purring as it presented its head into her palm.

Cerberus stood up, and looked up at Tailz. The woman pointed her staff at Cerberus. “If you think of doing that again, you’ll get more than a warning, I assure you.”

Cerberus sighed, then nodded.

“Now, all of you, come here. Let me see you.”

The three men looked at each other cautiously. The panther decided them: when they did not move to comply, it growled again, making it clear that there would be no fighting here. The three of them stepped forward, approaching the lady and her staff. The three of them stood side-by-side: Cerberus, Tailz, and then Xia.

Taking the cowl down from her head, she revealed a younger face than Xia expected. She could not have been Deia’s age. Then, all three men gasped as she looked upon the three of them. Her eyes were blue one moment, then they were red. That quickly cycled to green, and then a bright orange. Then, as if nothing happened, they were blue again. Tailz blinked and shook his head. “What is going on here?”

“I am the one who seeks the Icon.” she said in crystal tones. “I, am the Seeker.” She stepped towards Cerberus. Although she was nearly two feet smaller than him, Cerberus took a step backwards. She chuckled, her laugh dancing along the cavern walls. “Don’t worry, I will not harm you.” Cerberus did not step forward again, but he stopped moving backwards. She stood on her toes, and peered Cerberus in the eye. He blinked several times, his eyes darting elsewhere and back, but he did not move his body.

The Seeker shook her head, and then moved over to Tailz. She looked up at him in the same way. Tailz frowned as she inspected him, and then settled for glaring back at her. She shook her head as she stepped down. “Too many of these lately,” she said, half to herself. “So full of pain, and hatred.” Tailz’ mouth dropped, then he snapped it shut, crossing his arms, turning away.

Sighing, she moved on to Xia. Xia could not help but look at her eyes, swirling from color to color as she gazed at him. He seemed to be sucked into those eyes, mesmerized by the way each color seemed to be leaked out while being replaced by the next. For a moment, her entire face filled his mind, and along with the changing colors, he heard humming, each color a unique sound. The colors fused in his mind, the reds and blues, the oranges and greens, and then everything popped, like a bubble, leaving him blinking down at the Seeker.

“Prism?” He said, the only word left in his mind.

The Seeker smiled. “There are few left who would call me that, but yes, that is another name I use.” She tilted her staff, bringing the head of it down on level with her eyes. “Attend all of you, quickly. There is little time, and not all of you should be here at once.” As she commanded, each of them turned their direction to her staff. It was decorated with four small translucent spheres, each glowing in their respective colors: blue, red, green, and orange.

“Spherics,” Tailz said, now truly in awe. “But how? I have the red one.”

“Those are Spherics?” Xia said. He looked at them; they seemed familiar.

“Look, closer.” The Seeker said. The panther purred loudly, wrapped up behind the Seeker’s feet.

Xia looked at the staff. The four Spherics grew brighter, and as their light converged, it became a light brighter than even the sun. He tried to look away, and shield his eyes, but he could not move. He looked down at himself, or thought to do so. He had no self. He looked around the cavern, but suddenly, no one was there save the Seeker and her panther. Xia could not even see himself. He seemed to be floating, helpless.

Then, thoughts flooded his mind. He saw through Cerberus’ eyes, training and fighting. Killing. Xia felt the remorse Cerberus carried, secretly disgusted at the weapon he was, yet never faltering at his orders. He felt the comradery of his fellow Scouts, working together. He felt the kinship he shared towards them. He felt the friendship he had with Tailz. Xia felt the pain at giving the order, to kill his only friend.

He saw through Tailz’ eyes. Tailz, who could hear you even when you did not speak. Tailz could feel what you felt, and know better than you what you wanted. He was ashamed of it, being different than everyone else, even within the organization that made him different from Humanity. He felt the pain at his death being ordered simply for his ability. And he felt the pain at the sight of Cerberus pointing his pistol at him.

He saw Tailz drinking the power of the Spheric. He saw his father, dead, on the floor of the Mayor’s Residence, while Tailz rummaged through a chest in the back. He saw Tailz screaming in pain as the energy of the Spheric poured into him, his skin glowing aflame as he had seen Cerberus’ do. Then, everything went white.

Just as the world came to be, it faded away, until nothing was left save a darkened sky, filled with stars.

With this, the Union will pay for what it has done.

The stars winked out one by one, until there was nothing left but nothingness.

* * * * *

Xia’s eyes opened. He looked down, and saw Danni’s head on his chest, sleeping soundly. She was sitting next to him, and must have fallen asleep, watching over him. Looking around, he realized he was back in his room in the Townsend Inn.

“Xia!” Fenix said, rising sharply from the chair as he noticed his friend’s eyes open. The noise awoke Danni, who looked up and smiled in relief.

“What happened?” Xia asked.

“Well, you pulled a stupid by stepping into that thing with Cerberus. But then, everything went backwards. Not moments after you stepped in, it all went out. No one got hurt, except for Cerberus, who got a few burns. Surprisingly, not near as many as he should have gotten.”

Xia looked out the window at the sun setting. “How long have I been asleep?”

Danni answered shakily, wiping tears from her face. “Almost an entire day. The Doctor, he did not know why you could not wake up.”

The door opened, and Cerberus entered. Deia was right behind him. “I’m going after Tailz. He’s had three days to get a jump on us, and nothing in this village is worth waiting any longer.”

Xia nodded, and laid his head back.

Fenix looked to Xia. “What’s this about?”

“Tailz,” Xia said sadly, “plans to unleash Earth’s Sin again.”