Eighth Fire (13 page)

The group sat at one of their usual booths
and ordered. Jamal asked, “Have you figured out what you’re going
to do about Slone’s group yet?”

Mark answered, “Not completely. I plan to
apologize to everyone that got slopped last year that didn’t
deserve it, but I don’t think it’s going to have much of an effect
on Slone’s core group.

“It looks like LeOmi wants to teach us about
sword fighting, so I’ll see how big a group she is willing to take.
Maybe we can make our group larger than Slone’s group. That might
work if we can do it, but that’ll take time.

“I can’t think of any group here that might
offer us protection. Last year Ms. Vanmie said we have to learn to
fight our own battles. Slone is after me mostly, so if I have to,
I’ll drop out of the group.”

Chenoa snapped, “That won’t work!” She
leaned across the table toward Mark with her hand at the base of
her neck. “We stand together! There isn’t any other way.”

Nick and Jamal exhorted, “She’s right.”

Mark saw Chenoa smile when he used his thumb
to feel the cross under his tunic. “We stand together then.”

Chenoa, Jamal and Nick chorused, “We stand
together!”

“I’ll come up with something then.”

Shana walked up and said, “Since you guys
have already had the tour of the areas beyond the wall, you get to
go into Magi City this week. Jamal, Nick and Chenoa, you meet up
with the second level sophomores at the entrance to the engineering
section. Counselor Foran will be looking after you while you’re on
this excursion. Mark, you have a noon meeting to attend. After the
meeting, just go to the engineering section and take an auto-car
into Magi City to meet up with the group. Any questions?”

Mark asked, “How will I find the group?”

“The car will have their location. As
always, just tell the car where you want to go.” Shana looked the
group over and nobody else said anything. “Well then, I’ll see you
later this evening. Have fun and try not to get into any more
fights.”

Mark frowned and nodded. “That’s my
intention,” and immediately thought of Mr. Thorpe’s words.
“Intentions have no substance
…
”

Shana tilted her head, “Quite right. It is
actions that have consequences. Might I ask where you learned
that?”

“It’s something Mr. Thorpe said.”

“I see. Tonight, I’m going to ask you to
expound on that. Do you think you’ll be ready?”

“What do you mean expound on it? It’s
obvious what it means.”

Shana’s Irish accent became pronounced. “Is
it now laddy?” She turned, started walking away and said over her
shoulder, “We’ll see.”

Nick said loud enough for Shana to hear, “I
think we’ve narrowed down the place in Mark’s dream.”

Shana spun on her heal and walked straight
back to the table. “That was pretty quick.”

Nick answered, “Well, logically it has to be
in or around Canyonlands National Park based on Mark’s description
of the river. We can’t be sure since Mark only saw the area from
above. We were heading to look at some online aerial photos
yesterday, but we got a little sidetracked.”

She asked Mark, “What’s your feeling on
this?”

“The way Nick figured it out makes sense,
but I don’t know for sure. I don’t recognize any of the pictures in
the books.”

“Well then, right after breakfast I want you
to go look at those aerial photos. If you recognize anything,
anything at all, you come back here and tell Jeremy since I’ll be
in the stable area with the rest of my group. Even if it makes you
late for your meeting, you come back and tell Jeremy first.”

“Yes ma’am. Can Nick come with me? I don’t
know anything about the Internet.”

“Sure. As a matter of fact, all four of you
can go.”

Chenoa said, “How on Earth can anyone not
know how to use the Internet?”

Mark frowned at her. “I was just never
interested.” He shrugged. “It’s not a crime.”

Nick frowned, “It should be.”

Jamal sided with Mark. “I never bothered
either. I’d rather be outside doing something than sitting in front
of some computer screen all day.”

Nick retorted, “I get some of my best ideas
from the Internet. If it hadn’t been for the Internet, I never
would have–”

Shana cleared her throat. “Mind you, the
Internet is useful, but people made out just fine without it for
thousands of years. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Nick brought picture after picture up on the
computer screen while Mark, crouched at his side, watched intently.
Mark shook his head. “I want to think some of that looks familiar,
but what I saw was two thousand years ago.”

Chenoa gasped. “You never said that before.
How do you know it was that long ago?”

“I don’t know. I just know it was. But
you’re right; I didn’t know I knew it until just now.”

Nick said, “So this is the place.”

“It makes sense that it should be, but I
just don’t know for sure. These pictures were taken from a lot
higher than I was.”

Nick turned back to the screen, “No
problem,” tapped a few keys and the image zoomed in.

Mark nodded, “That’s about right, but it
still doesn’t look familiar.”

Chenoa said, “Zoom out.”

Nick did as she requested. She pointed at
the screen just north of where the Colorado and Green Rivers split.
“Zoom in here.”

“I think that might look familiar,” Mark
hesitated, “but not really. Everything looks kind of the same from
the air. What I saw in the dreams had a lot more bushes and
stuff.”

Jamal asked, “Was there any point in your
dreams where you were on the ground?”

“I don’t remember. I don’t think so.” Mark
put his hands on the sides of his head, turned around and started
walking away. “I just don’t know!”

Chenoa called after him. “Mark! This is
important. We have to figure this out.”

Mark continued walking. “Leave me alone!”
He’d felt this same type of pain earlier. Someone was in imminent
peril. When he reached the hall he turned in a full circle
searching for the direction he should go. The pain subsided to
almost nothing when he turned to the right. He started walking. The
pain returned to its full intensity when he passed the short
corridor leading to the school grounds. He immediately turned,
walked down the hall and then outside.

About a hundred yards from the entrance
LeOmi, crouched low and with her sword poised in front of her,
stepped left as her opponent did the same. Her challenger was a
large, cloaked and hooded figure wielding a two-edged sword of a
style Mark didn’t recognize against LeOmi’s Spanish steel. LeOmi
blurred for an instant and her opponent’s sword and right hand fell
to the ground. She raised her sword for what looked like the
coup de grâce
and Mark yelled, “Hey!”

LeOmi glanced toward Mark and the hooded
figure disappeared. She turned back to where her opponent had been,
grimaced and shook her head. “I wasn’t going to kill him!” She
reached down and picked up the sword and hand. She examined the
signet on the hand’s middle finger, confirming it was the same
signet design as the one the man that had killed her mother had
worn. When she walked past Mark she said, “I just wanted some
answers.”

Chenoa, Jamal and Nick had just reached the
exit when LeOmi, followed by Mark, walked back into the school.

Chenoa looked anxious when she saw the sword
with the hand still attached that LeOmi was carrying. She gasped,
“What happened?”

LeOmi kept walking but Mark paused and said.
“Someone tried to kill her!”

“Who?”

“Don’t know, but I want to find out. Come
on.” He started jogging after LeOmi. “LeOmi, hold up.”

LeOmi kept walking.

The group caught up with her and Mark asked,
“What’s going on?”

LeOmi quickened her pace. “You saw what
happened.”

“Yeah, but—”

“You know as much as I do.”

“We have to tell a counselor.”

“Duh! You think?”

The group strode into The Oasis and LeOmi
plopped the sword and hand down on the first table she came to,
curled her lips inward and whistled loudly. “I need a
counselor!”

A crowd of older students formed around the
table, all whispering their speculation about what was going on. A
moment later a counselor Mark had only seen in passing, a tall,
skinny, red-haired fellow in standard wait-staff white shirt and
black slacks, pushed through the crowd, took one look at the signet
and exclaimed under his breath, “Neo-Phylum!”

At the back of the crowd Jeremy cleared his
throat and everyone turned to look. On seeing who it was they
stepped aside, forming a path for Jeremy to walk to the table.
After seeing the signet on the hand that was still clutching the
sword, he said, “David, get this to Council Chambers right now, and
anyone involved. I’ll make the notifications.”

David, the first counselor that had walked
up, nodded smartly to Jeremy, turned to LeOmi and asked, “Anyone
else involved besides you?”

Jeremy walked out and LeOmi pointed to Mark,
“He saw me being attacked. That’s all I think.”

David gestured toward Mark and LeOmi. “Both
of you; follow me.”

Chenoa asked, “Can we come?”

David rolled his eyes toward her, tilted his
head and frowned, “Don’t you have some place you’re supposed to
be?”

“We’re supposed to be with him and he’s got
a noon meeting...”

“Well, that’ll have to wait. You can wait
here.”

David left Mark and LeOmi standing in the
middle of the room. The large double door closed behind him when he
left.

Mark didn’t feel much different this time
than he had last year in his first experience being in the Council
Chambers. Even though he knew he’d done nothing wrong, his stomach
was knotted and he felt like he wanted to be sick. This chamber was
designed to make anyone on this level tremble with respect at the
power and authority of the twelve council members sitting high
above. There was but a single small area in the center of the floor
illuminated by a single shaft of intense light projected from
above. There was no furniture, not even a single chair to sit in,
making anyone on this level feel they were under extreme scrutiny
from the powers above and with no place to hide.

LeOmi stood beside Mark with her hands
clasped in front of her and looking around.

Mark leaned toward her and whispered, “First
time?”

She didn’t answer. The stark lighting made
her look somewhat surreal, like an animated manikin on stage
waiting to perform in some kind of robotic play. She looked up when
the sounds of people taking their seats started.

A couple of moments later Mrs. Shadowitz’s
voice began, “LeOmi Jones, would you begin by telling us what
happened regarding the man that accosted you?”

“Yes ma’am. I was on my way to find Mark so
we could go to our meeting together. I saw a man wearing a Magi
cloak running toward me and he was calling for me to stop. He
wanted to know where someone was. I don’t remember who he was
asking about. He reached out like he wanted to shake hands and I
saw his signet. It was just like the signet that Compton wore. I
drew my sword and he drew his. I’d just cut off his sword hand when
Mark yelled at me. I turned to see who yelled and the man
remanifested. I wasn’t going to kill him, I just wanted some
answers. If Mark hadn’t interrupted me, he wouldn’t have been able
to escape.”

“Mark Young, do you have anything to
add?”

“No ma’am. What she said fits exactly with
what I saw, except, she blurred.”

LeOmi turned to Mark, hand on her hips,
“What?”

“You blurred.”

“What does that mean?”

Mark looked at her sideways, frowned and
shrugged slightly.

There was a loud crack of a gavel striking
hard on its base. “Enough.