Tranquil Fury (5 page)

“Are these horseless wagons that dangerous, if so, why do you use them?”

 “Normally they are quite safe, and I am not clear as to what exactly happened.”

“Well, I knew your story would be interesting, but I would need time to think of a better word to describe it. If you had found me in your lands, I am sure I would have questions. What would you like to know,” asked Mirtza?

Lauren was first, “Why are you helping us?”

 “Why would I not? My parents raised me to be considerate to others. It would have been wrong to leave you to die in the grasslands. Would you not agree?”

 “How do we know that we can trust you,” continued Lauren?

 “I would imagine that I will have to earn that trust over time.”

Lauren would not let it go, “Why do you trust us?”

“Well, I guess in the middle of the night, you could run off with the wagon, but I don’t think you know where to go. Your friends need help, and I am just trying to be that help.”

 “Why was it not safe in the grasslands,” asked Eric?

 “The Newlands are deserted. Every village that I visited was empty. I could find nobody in several months, except for you six, and I have no idea what is happening there. Tomorrow we will meet with the healers. There you can decide what your next move will be.”

John asked, “When you were on your travels, you got lost? Why did you not use that portal bracelet trick to get back?”

 “It requires a unique stone to direct the magic. In the Bright Coast, where the school is, no such stone exists. I only had a few unique stones, one of them led to the Northlands. All of the others, I gathered on my trip through the south. It is late, and we should get some rest now, as tomorrow will be a long day.”

Mirtza got up to collect the dirty plates and mugs, which he put back into the chest. John offered to wash them, but Mirtza replied that it was not necessary. He told them to make their sleeping arrangements under the wagon, and went over to check on Zack and Ryan. Mirtza then grabbed some blankets, went up towards the ox, and was soon fast asleep.

As the four were lying under the wagon, Lauren said, “We should post…” All four were sleeping in no time.

Chapter 5

Lauren carefully opened one eye when she heard Mirtza preparing the morning meal. She did not move, instead, she lay watching every move that he made, seeing if he would slip up. Even though the meal the night before had not been drugged, and nothing happened during the night, she still did not trust him. She heard Logan yawn, and witnessed him follow the aroma of the hot bean juice to the fire, in search of its source. Eric was the next to rise, followed swiftly by John. Lauren realized that there were too many eyes on Mirtza, that he would not do anything now, so she also crawled out from under the wagon. As she stood, she heard Zack ask, “Where are we?” He was groggy, but hearing him talk was a good sign. As he tried to sit up, he screamed in pain, which got the attention of the rest of the group, who rushed to the back of the wagon.

Lauren launched into a rough explanation, “We were in a strange accident yesterday, and you were hurt pretty bad. That plastic case you had, it blocked most of the explosion, but you have some bad burns from the melted plastic.”

Zack looked puzzled, “Explosion? Where are the fire trucks and ambulances?”

“Something happened. We don’t know where we are,” Eric replied.

“What do you mean? You don’t know where we are?”

“We are not on Earth, I am quite certain of that,” John replied, pointing to the three suns in the sky.

 “Well this really sucks. What the hell! Where are we?”

Mirtza came over, “Well I see your friend is improving. Hello Zack, I am Mirtza.”

 “Does everybody else see the weird dude in the black robe, or am I hallucinating?”

 “Everything is okay Zack,” replied Logan, “Mirtza found us and is taking us to some doctors.”

Zack, with a great deal of effort managed to sit up, and that was when he looked over and saw Ryan, “What happened?”

“Sitting at the back of the bus, he got the worst of it,” said Eric.

“Where is his wheel chair,” asked Zack?

Eric dribbled some water into Ryan’s mouth, “It was destroyed.”

 “Is he…Is he going to be okay,” asked Zack?

Mirtza had retrieved his medical bag, and gave a few drops to Ryan, “Your friend should be fine. We are going to find some people who are more skilled in the healing arts today.”

Zack was scratching his head, looking up towards the three suns, “No seriously, where am I? I’m hallucinating. Right, this is all some sort of flashback. I’m having a dream, lying in a hospital bed? Those suns are just hospital lights. Crap! I’m in an operating room. They didn’t put me completely out. Why are they operating on me?”

Mirtza reached his hand out to Zack, “Look, feel my hand. I am real, and this is not a dream. You are awake, alive, and injured.”

“All the dudes in my dreams say something like that. I still awake. No, it has to be a dream.”

Eric just shook his head, “Zack, it’s not a dream. And you won’t be able to hand in your science project, so you will fail the class.”

“That sucks, but this,” Zack pointed up to the three suns, “really sucks, I mean really, really sucks.” He looked over to Mirtza, “Do they have schools here Dude?”

 “Why yes Zack, we do.”

 “Bastards will probably make me start over from the beginning, make me fail in two freaking worlds. This really, really sucks.”

 “Yes Zack, it sucks, it sucks times six.” For some reason Lauren was upset with the way Zack was reacting, “You don’t like it? Well we really don’t like it either. For now, get used to it.”

Zack reached into his jacket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and started looking for his lighter.

Logan walked over and gave it to him, “We had to borrow it to start a fire.” Zack lit a cigarette, and asked Logan if he could have a coffee.

When Mirtza saw Zack work the lighter, he held out his hand, “How did you make fire? What kind of magic is that?”

 “Dude, it’s not magic, it’s just a lighter.”

 “Fire from nothing, it has to be magic.”

John replied, “A lighter is just a pressurized reservoir that holds a flammable liquid. When you depress the button on the side, and rotate the wheel, the liquid converts to a gas, which escapes out. The wheel is abrasive and rubs against a flint, which creates a spark, which in turn, ignites the gas. It’s not magic, just applied science. Mirtza, I’ve seen you do magic. Can’t you make fire with it?”

 “If it is possible, none have shown me how. This is really quite ingenious. I know many who would like to see it, and hear more about it.”

John shook his head, “As for the ‘coffee’ Zack, it is something similar, but definitely not the same. I really don’t think you want any, as you are starting to get better.”

Mirtza let out a chuckle, “I did not brew it so strong this morning. I will get you a mug, and some options to lessen the bite.”

Mirtza brought the hot bean juice over to Zack, with some honey, “Sorry I don’t have what you call Baileys or Kahlua. Now give me a few minutes and I will prepare the morning meal.”

Lauren watched Mirtza open the same chest that he had put the dirty dishes into the previous night, and the thought of eating from them made her cringe. However, when he opened the chest, he pulled out clean plates and pots.
I have to get a chest like that.

Mirtza tending the meal advised, “I hope you like pig, it's not as good as the ones we raised on my farm, but it does the trick.” In one pan, he laid out thick bacon strips, and in another, what everybody hoped was potatoes.

Eric inhaled deeply, smelled the fresh meat sizzling over the open fire, the scent of the hot bean juice wrapped around it. He looked at Lauren, “How do you guys feel today?”

 “Fine.”

Eric was almost drooling as he looked at the fire, “So the meal last night was not drugged or poisoned. I’m starving, if you want to eat your lunch, go ahead. Today, I want some of that.”

Mirtza came over to the wagon, and handed Lauren a jar, “There are some here that prefer this for a hot beverage. Would you like me to boil some water, so you may try it?”

She opened the lid, and smelled fresh tea leaves, “Oh, yes please, that would be wonderful.” The desire for comfort fought against her instincts of distrust, and comfort won.

When the meal was ready, Mirtza called them over, “Zack, you stay there, I will bring some over to you. I do not want you moving, you could open one of your wounds.”

As the others gathered around the campfire, Zack tried to make himself more comfortable, and as he shifted his weight, he could feel a painful twinge in his chest. Reaching down to the source, he could feel the silver necklace he wore, and where it joined a large, fresh scab on his chest. He tried to pull the chain free, but that action only caused more pain. He reached behind his neck, undid the clasp, pulled it around and through the scab, until only the small clasp ring remained embedded in the wound. One quick tug and the chain came free. He then lowered the blanket that covered him, so he could evaluate the source of the pain. His shirt had been a synthetic blend, that obviously did not like the heat, having shrivelled up in most places. Large pieces of the plastic case had melted through his shirt, and had melded to his abdomen. As he picked at the plastic, he did manage to get several large pieces free with only minimal pain, but was shocked at what he saw. He quickly covered himself up, as Mirtza brought over a meal for him.

They ate a very tasty meal, and with the bean juice watered down a bit, even Eric enjoyed it. John stuck with water, while Lauren favored her tea. When done, they all helped replace the contents into the wagon, and continued their journey. Eric, Logan, and Lauren sat in the back to keep Zack, and the unconscious Ryan occupied, while John sat up front with Mirtza.

“We have a long trip today, but we will meet the healers before nightfall,” Mirtza advised.

As they rode along, Lauren offered to clean some of the burns for Zack, but he declined, was more interested in what had happened. “Tell me everything that I missed.” So, in turn, Lauren, Logan, and Eric repeated what they knew, and had seen over the last day. It was a story they would become very proficient in telling. As they rode along, under the blanket, Zack continued to pick at the plastic that had melted to him, trying to figure out what was happening with his injuries.

After several hours in silence, John spoke up, “Is it okay to talk?”

Mirtza nodded his head, “Questions of magic I cannot answer. Not because I am forbidden, it’s just that I am a student, and there is much that I have to learn. The items only loaned to me, to help me on my trip. I know how to operate them, what not to do, and such. Should they break, fix them I cannot.”

John nodded his head, but did not show his disappointment, “How come we haven’t seen any other people out here?”

 “We are in the Northlands. Most people live on the coast or in the Newlands, and as I understand it, the growing season is short up here, the soil thin, and winters are a horror onto themselves.”

 “When will we get to the healers?”

 “It is at least a day's ride.”

 “What are they like?”

 “In truth, I do not know. I have never met them, and as you will eventually find out, this is my first time to the Northlands. I learned about this place from my first year at school.”

John looked hard at the soft road. It was old, with lots of ruts and depressions from puddles. After a while, he began to notice two different roads. The main one was made of soft dirt, about fifteen feet wide, and even had boards under some of the old softer spots. The new road seemed to spill over the old road, and onto the surrounding grasslands. The sides having muddy patches, dirt, or gravel exposed by overflowing traffic, but when they came to a small creek or bridge, the two roads would merge back into one. And on the other side, you could clearly see where the original road widened. John looked over at Mirtza, “This is an odd road. I have seen very few crossroads that join, but lots of tracks that meet with it. It also seems to have seen some hard use over the last year.”

“Yes, I had noticed the same, but I am not sure of what caused it,” Mirtza responded.

John looked over at him, “When we left the spot where you found us, you used your bracelet to make three routes. We took the middle one. The other two were false trails, weren’t they?”

There was a surprised look on Mirtza’s face, “Yes.”

John looked into the back of the wagon, “Eric, can you come up here for a minute?” The seat was wide, so John moved to the center, and Eric sat on the far side. John looked up at Mirtza, and asked him to explain his last statement.

With a sigh Mirtza said, “You have a smart friend here. When we left the grasslands, I used my bracelet to create three portals. Two of those were false trails.”

Eric was quick to act on this, but careful not to raise his voice and alarm Lauren, “Are you running from somebody? Are you a wanted man? Are we in danger from those you avoid?”

“Slow down. Let me explain. When activated, a magic spell makes a noise, the bigger the spell, the bigger the noise. If I prick you with a pin, nobody would hear your comments. If I hit your hand with a hammer, everybody in the back of the wagon would know. If instead, I hit your hand with a big rock, anybody back at your horseless carriage would hear you scream. Your entrance was very loud, as if somebody had been hit by—well, as if a mountain had hit them. I have never heard a magic spell so loud, and to be honest, I almost soiled myself when I heard it. A noise that loud, I came to check it out, as others should have.”

Eric had an intense look on his face, “Maybe we should have stayed there? To see who else might have arrived?”

 “Eric, you were there for most of the day, did you see anybody else come by? No! That is what raised my suspicions. There should have been numerous people from my school, who heard and acted on that noise, which your arrival generated. I should have found nothing but that strange mountain, the metal hut, and that odd horseless carriage of yours. You should not have been there, considering how long it took me to find you. The only conclusion I have is that nobody was near enough to hear it.” Mirtza paused, “I am not a hunted man, and I mean you no harm. If I did want to hurt you, I could have easily done it last night. As for my false trails, they were more of a precaution.”