Diamond Bonds (8 page)

“Bandits,” Era answers.  “They love that terrain.  It might be unlikely, but it’s not worth the risk of an ambush just for the sake of taking a nice stroll.”

Di slaps her forehead and glares at Era.  “You’d better be planning to carry me up that
mountain
.”  She stomps down the hill, enjoying gravity’s help one last time.

Era laughs as he and Jem follow.  “I was already planning on it, princess.”

“And stop calling me
princess!
”

Chapter 5

“Amazing!”  Di can hardly believe her eyes as the trio emerges from the woods to find a location overlooking the gorge.  “Truly amazing.  It makes all that hiking worth it!”

Era hunches over, sapped of his strength.  “How much hiking did you even do?  I carried you most of that way, including across the river!”

“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my life!” Di exclaims, ignoring Era’s remark.  The gorge spans a wide distance, and the rumble of the river below echoes off the canyon walls.  Di creeps to the edge and looks down, spotting the path that would have otherwise carried them through the area.  The ridge slopes at a steep angle, all the way to where the path and river lie below.  “I guess I’m happy we didn’t stay way down there.  I wouldn’t have seen this view!”

“Well, hurry and take it all in, because the whole point in coming this way was to remain inconspicuous,” Jem reminds her.  “We need to stick to the other side of the tree line.  Don’t forget what we said about bandits loving this terrain.”

Di looks back with a sly grin.  “The big bad bandit girl is afraid of bandits?”

“I’m
not
a bandit!”  Jem insists with a huff.  “Or a thief, or
anything
, so stop trying to label me.”

Di looks back down the slope.  “But why do bandits love this terrain?  There’s no way they could ambush anyone on that path from way up here, is there?”

Era steps next to Di and looks down.  “It
is
steep, but I’ll bet I could skid down it if I wanted to jump a caravan or something.  There’s a gentle grade at the end.”  Di frowns at the thought of intentionally jumping off the ledge.

“If there
are
bandits around, we’re not doing ourselves any favors by sitting out in the open like this,” Jem insists, motioning for them to come.  “Let’s move.”

Di sneaks one last peek at the view before ducking back into the underbrush.  They hike in silence as she silently tallies how much further to her home.

“Yeow!  Stupid bugs,” Era yelps as he smacks the back of his neck.  “Something just bit me!”

“More like stupid
woods
,” Di mutters.  “I’m sick of trees and branches and leaves and bugs.”

Era pulls a small object around to see.  “Uh… Jem?”  Instead of a bug, he holds a feathered dart.  “I dunnn thinnnk…”  With that, he stumbles and collapses to the ground.

“Era!” Di shrieks.

The experienced Jem grabs Di and spins them behind a tree.

“Jem!  Era’s-”

“Shush!”  Jem covers Di’s mouth and stays quiet, ignoring Era’s plight for the moment.  A hush falls over the wooded area, and Jem listens intently.

Di obediently remains silent, though she doesn’t have much choice since Jem’s hand is still clamped down on her mouth.  After a few moments, Jem takes a peek around the trunk and quickly notes Era’s condition.  ‘
A poison?
’ she wonders, but all she can do right now is hope it isn’t a lethal dose.

THUNK-THUNK!  Two projectiles plunge into the trunk next to Jem’s head, forcing her to whip back behind her refuge.  “We’re pinned down!” she hurriedly whispers to Di.  “Come on!”

Jem dashes from the tree, running away from Era and their hidden aggressor.  Pulling Di by the hand, she races through the woods, dodging trees and leaping over fallen logs.  She cuts and runs back toward the clearing next to the ridge, intending to force their pursuer into the open.

As the trees thin, her plan works.  A petite figure with a bandana holding back her short, dark hair emerges from the brush.  Jem whips Di around and gives her a hard shove.  “Get back!” she orders as she withdraws her dagger and turns to fight.

Fire smirks at the inexperienced girl challenging her to a knife fight.  She engages head-on, skillfully dodging a swing and high-kicking the dagger from Jem’s hand.  She swiftly swings around and punches Jem square in the jaw.  The Allerian stumbles back, and Fire lands a solid kick to Jem’s gut, knocking the wind out of her.

Fire stands over her opponent as she collapses and gasps for air.  “What makes these targets so valuable?” she mutters
to herself as she begins unraveling wire.

“Jem!” Di cries out as she recklessly tries to tackle their aggressor, who snags her wrist and twists the girl around.  Fire punches Di mercilessly in the back, and tosses her onto Jem.

“Seriously, what’s up with you three?  Are you really the right ones?” Fire asks in disgust as the two girls writhe at her feet.  Powering through the pain, Jem makes a weak attempt to sweep kick Fire’s feet, but the mercenary easily steps over the kick and brings her own leg down hard at Jem’s head.  However, instead of a hit, there’s simply a loud THUD.

Jem finds Fire’s foot suspended in midair mere inches from her head, pressing against something invisible and solid.  It’s as if a sheet of sturdy glass suddenly appeared, protecting Jem from Fire’s attack, and it’s clear Fire is just as confused.  The two simultaneously look at Di, who has her palms outstretched and pressed against the clear shield, the air at her fingertips shimmering.

“What is this!?” Fire shouts as she continues to stomp, but the shield holds sturdy.  Di grunts with every hit, doing her best to maintain the wall.  She squeezes her eyes shut in an effort to focus, but it’s clear she won’t be able to hold it much longer.

Shaking off her own confusion, Jem springs into action.  Without giving Di any warning, she grabs her waist and hoists both girl and shield into the air with enough force to knock Fire backward.

Not done, Jem swings Di’s torso and holds her like a battering ram.  “Hold that wall!” she cries out as she pushes forward like a plow, shoving Fire toward the ridge.  Di squeezes her eyes shut as she concentrates on maintaining the wall of air.

Fire panics when she realizes the error of her positioning.  Jem continues to barge forward with Di’s shield outstretched, pushing Fire closer and closer to the edge.  The bounty hunter frantically tries in vain to catch her footing and reverse momentum.

“Hyah!” Jem grunts as she makes one final shove, forcing Fire over the ledge.  In desperation, she grasps up and manages to snag the top edge of the solidified air.  Her weight topples Jem, who’s already off-balance from thrusting Di forward, until Fire’s feet press against the nearly vertical cliff wall.  Though their precarious position prevents a fall, it’s clear they’re slowly moving the wrong way.

“Di… let it go!” Jem grunts.  Despite their impending fall, Di continues to hold on.  However, just before reaching the tipping point, she hits her limit and releases the shield with a gasp.

The compressed air disperses into the environment, and the two opposing forces are torn apart from each other.  Jem and Di stumble backward to the ground, safely atop the ridge, while Fire succumbs to gravity.  She hits the steep hillside, shrieking as she spirals out of control.  The angle of the slope barely prevents her from free-falling to the riverbed below, but it fails to slow her building momentum.

Not giving any consideration to their aggressor, Jem retrieves her dagger and yanks Di to her feet.  She races back into the woods, dragging the air shaper behind her.  “Di, what in the
world
was that?  Were you
trying
to take us over the edge!  Do you have a death wish!?”

Exhausted, Di gasps for air as she stumbles along to keep up with Jem.  “I… I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to…”

Jem stops and faces Di.  “Didn’t want to
what?
”

Tears in her eyes, she blurts out, “Jem, you shoved her off that cliff!  You said you’re not a killer, but you… you…!”

Frustrated, Jem starts dragging her along again.  “Sometimes you do what you have to do to save your friends, Di!  Did you forget about Era?”

The girl’s heart sinks as she remembers Era’s plight, and she runs harder so as not to slow Jem down.  The two soon arrive at their fallen friend, and Jem dives next to him to check for breathing.  Di bends over and gasps for air while watching Jem closely.

After a few excruciating moments, Jem says, “He’s feverish, but I think he’s okay.  At least for now.”

Di collapses in relief and tries to catch her breath.  “Do you think that girl was alone?”

“We’d have seen any friends by now,” Jem replies as she snags one of the mercenary’s robust needles embedded in the tree.  She then searches through the nearby dead leaves until she finds the barb Era had pulled from his neck, and she slips the projectiles into a side pouch on his backpack before tossing it toward Di.  After grabbing her pressure pack, she also dumps her own bag next to Di, who realizes what’s going on.

“W-Wait a minute, Jem!  I can’t carry these!”

“You want to be the one to carry
this
instead?” she retorts as she straps the pressure pack to Era’s back and activates it.  The gush of air lifts his torso off the ground, and she lifts his legs and starts dragging her partner with considerable strain.  “This is what pressure packs were
actually
made to do, but he’s still heavy.”

“Jem, are you sure you can-”

“We need to make it to the next town as soon as possible!” she grunts.  “I don’t know what poison she used, but he’s alive and I want him to stay that way.”

Di feels each bag, surprised to find Jem’s bag is heavier than Era’s.  ‘
This girl is a beast!
’ she realizes as she slings the bag onto her back, watching as Jem stomps across the uneven terrain with her partner.  She heaves Era’s bag over her shoulder and hurries to catch up.

*              *              *

“That’s
it?
” Galen screams in reaction to Bowen’s report.  “
Twelve
villages?  It’s been nearly forty-eight hours since we sent word out by beacon tower, and only
twelve
villages have sent back a report!?”

Bowen takes a deep breath, having expected the reaction from his superior.  “Only twelve villages have reported back, but that doesn’t mean word hasn’t spread.  Our forces are actively looking for them.”

“There are thirty villages across the hill country!” he exclaims.  “Twelve is unacceptable.  We need to find her immediately!”

“Yes, you
do
,” a voice booms from behind Bowen.

The commander’s eyes bulge at the sound of the arrival.  Bowen jumps aside, making way for the new arrival to enter the small office.  “G-General!” Bowen stutters as he manages a salute.

Galen also salutes.  “General Graff, sir!  We weren’t expecting you to personally-”

“I’m here to see for myself what your efforts are producing,” the general interrupts.  His short, graying hair reflects his veteran experience, as does the blue coat decorated with enough ribbons for an entire platoon of soldiers.  “You’re dismissed, Lieutenant Commander,” he says, his eyes still fixed on Galen.  Bowen hurries to retreat.

Graff glares at his commander in silence.  He has a way of asserting his authority over his subordinates with his presence alone, and even Galen has a hard time meeting his gaze.  The general leans against the door and rubs the bridge of his nose.  “Commander, your operation was a simple one.  Retrieve a schoolgirl and return her to the capital.”

Galen swallows hard.  “Sir, I-”

“You do
not
fail an S-class operation!” he barks.  His deep voice shakes the small office, and Galen wonders how many people outside can hear the conversation with clarity.

The general folds his arms and mutters, “The official report states the girl wasn’t at the Academy, that she had left for Canterin shortly before you arrived.”

Galen’s eyebrows furrow.  “But sir, why would you-”

“Nayl,” he says, using Galen’s first name, “the king has expressed great personal interest in the recovery of this asset.  This embarrassment will not reach His Majesty’s ears.  Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Galen affirms.  “I’m doing everything in my power to retrieve her, but I need more information.  Why does the king want her?”

“The king was presented with quite a claim,” he replies.  “Supposedly, the girl knows how to access ancient Third Kingdom technology.”

“Third Kingdom?” Galen repeats in surprise.  “Do you think that’s true?”

“I’m obviously hesitant to accept such an assertion, but we have a certain form of evidence,” he says.  “We’ve found a cavern entrance, sealed by a wall we cannot scratch with even the sharpest blade.”  With a shrug, he offers, “Supposedly the girl knows how to open it.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Galen says.  “Do we know for certain she’s from Canterin?”

Graff sighs.  “We should assume nothing about her, which means it’s possible she isn’t headed to Canterin.  Unfortunately, if she’s not headed there, she could be going anywhere.”

The commander takes a deep breath.  “Even to Alleria?”

“That’s a possibility,” he admits.  “I read your report about the thieves.  Though I doubt the Allerians are involved, we must allow for that possibility.”