Frying Pan, Fire: 7
The hardest part, for Arrafin, was convincing herself that what they were doing was worth destroying an ancient remnant of a vanished civilization.
The Fountain of Kings had stood in Al-Tizim for millenia. It was ancient in the time Suelekar Ben Azan, the king who had commanded the spirit they were trying to awaken. The Fountain pre-dated Naridic civilization, and while no one could say for certain, it was thought to be a relic of the barely-known Karidish kingdom that once ruled these lands.
Arrafin thought of what little she knew of the Karidish people while she waited for Nevid to give her the signal to proceed. Darker-skinned than the Naridic people, they had left behind great monuments across the desert and only a few names to mark their presence. Their great king, Tushan Kal Kabbar.
Her brow furrowed as she considered that strange black warrior who had crossed their path twice previously. Laughter of Stones. 34th of the Scar'ith Tushan.
"Once we were men. We loved our king, Tushan Kal Kabbar. The sacrifice was his, and still we fight our ancient war. We are the Scar'ith Tushan, the Three Hundred Forsaken. Through the centuries we have hunted the great enemy. The Keyad'ar. We are the darkness that carries through to light. We are glory out of death."
She had sought further references to his strange pronouncement, but information was scarce and poorly-understood. Arrafin tsk-ed to herself when she recalled the state of literature on the subject, and resolved to put together a paper on Karidish kings as soon as she had a chance.
Rummaging around in her bag for a scrap of paper to note her new resolution, Arrafin entirely missed Nevid's signal.
Nevid stood as nonchanlantly as he could near the great stone circle that marked the Fountain. Uncertain what to do now that Arrafin wasn't watching, he shrugged. Kaley smiled at him. Across the square from Arrafin Elena leaned against an oak tree, trying not to look ready to run. She rolled her eyes at Nevid's hesitancy, and signalled to Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika, all positioned around the square to watch for trouble, that they should hold position.
Elena sighed. She drew in a breath and yelled out at the top of her lungs.
"Arrafin! Now!"
Arrafin dropped her bag, suddenly remembering where she was and what she was doing. She sucked in and blackness erupted all around her, swirling up in wild tendrils and bizarre sprays as she bent that dark power to her will, her mind cold and utterly rational.
Earthbolt
The spell cracked the flagstones at her feet, stone chips and dust flying everywhere, and sent a roaring explosion speeding away from her straight at the Fountain, at the particular stone she and Nevid had agreed most likely contained the resting place of Farouk Ibn Zaoud, fairytale hero of Arrafin's childhood.
The immense slab of rock that formed one portion of the Fountain shuddered and split with an explosive crack. Water shot into the air.
Elena was already running. They didn't know how Kishak authorities would react but it was safe to assume that sorcerous property damage in one of the largest public spaces in Al-Tizim would be noticed and acted upon.
She vaulted one stone wall and jumped down beside the newly formed fissure in the rock. Isaac meanwhile ran and grabbed Arrafin and dragged the girl into the crowd.
Looking down, Elena saw a glint of crystal and reached in. Something small came away in her hand and she clutched it tight and ran for it with all her strength.
Guards yelled and something thundered, but distantly. Elena ran, streets opening before her as her feet pounded on the cobblestones. Merchants and robed women scrambled from her path and now she heard the sound of pursuit, voices calling for her to stop. She ran on.
Around a corner, awnings fluttering, one fat man twisting aside as she careened by. The street narrowed suddenly and she vaulted a low railing, pelting through crowded tables and crashing past a waiter in a sidewalk cafe, a woman yelling angry behind her as she hurtled around another corner, wrong way wrong way, too late now, noise behind her still of yelling soldiers in pursuit.
Her breath tore at her chest, sharp and hard but she couldn't slow down, even as she flew out into a busy street and bounced off a wagon, spun and kept her momentum forward, knocked aside a couple of young kids and tore down a dark alley.
She lurched, reaching out to grab the nearby wall and maintain her balance as she had to stop, reeling backwards, at the sight of red-skinned soldiers ahead of her. One pointed.
"Oh, no."
*****
"She went left. She was supposed to go right. Why did she go left?"
Etienne and Zuleika, torn with indecision, trotted along a main thoroughfare, hoping for a sight of their friend. Nevid had confirmed there was nothing in the broken stone after Elena ran, so they presumed she'd gotten it. Whatever it was.
But she was supposed to go right, and they'd lost her.
"Wait. That's Kishak I hear."
Etienne listened, and nodded.
"This way."
He and Zuleika crossed the street and turned into a lane, the foreign shouting louder here and easier to follow.
Somebody screamed. Etienne started running.
"She was supposed to go right."
*****
"Arrafin, are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The Naridic girl looked a question at Isaac. He sighed and put a cigar in his mouth.
"With. With her. Madame Yuek."
"I. I think so."
"I don't mean to. You know, I'm not trying to say anything. But you have to be careful. She scares me. A lot."
"Yeah."
They sat side-by-side at a neighborhood well, waiting for their friends to arrive. Arrafin tried to explain, gesticulating as she spoke.
"She says she'll help me learn sorcery. It's dangerous. But. But, Isaac, I'm good at it. And I can help."
They sat in silence for a little while, the sounds of Naridic conversation and neighborhood life all around them. Arrafin turned to her Saijadani friend.
"She scares me, too. But if she wanted me dead, I'd be dead already, right? I don't know. But, just trust me, okay?"
"You're not a child, Arrafin. I know we treat you like you were one. And I guess maybe we think of you as one. It's only because we care."
"I know."
Arrafin looked back down at the stones at her feet.
"I know."
*****
The soldiers approached. Elena was spent, leaning against the wall, just watching them come.
She remembered what this was all about and looked down at her hand. Clutched there lay an amber ball set in tarnished silver, a little smaller than her palm.
Nothing worth dying for.
Elena looked up at the soldiers and shrugged.
"What the hell. Farouk ibn Zaoud, if you're around, kill these bastards for me."
She stared at the unbelievably handsome man in front of her. He was a little taller than her, with powerful arms folded across his bare chest. His eyes shone gold and his thick dark hair fell across his forehead in an unruly tangle of curls.
Her mouth watered.
"Hi."
He bowed.
"As my mistress commands."
The soldiers had stopped in some confusion and stood, staring just like Elena at the sudden apparition.
The apparition drew an immense scimitar and started towards them. Two were dead before the rest thought to try and flee. It was a futile effort.
Etienne and Zuleika came around the corner and blinked at the carnage before them. Elena waved and pointed to the beautiful Naridic man beside her.
"Look what I have."
