Diamond Bonds (18 page)

Jem and Di hit the ground, gasping and coughing for air.  Overcome by his exhaustion, Era’s legs buckle as he releases his weapon, which instantly disintegrates.  He swoons to the side, but Fire rushes up and catches him under his shoulder. He looks at her gratefully as she helps him to the wet floor.  “You sure do get lucky,” she mutters as she sits next to Era and massages her injured arm, not sure whether she should be relieved or angry she was again saved by the amateur fighter.

Di rolls to her back, still coughing.  “Please tell me it’s over.”

“I thought… I thought that was it for us,” Jem pants.  “How did you take it out?”

“I struck something floating in the middle,” Era explains.  “That was it.  It just died when I made contact.”

Jem snags the light rune from the floor and shines it around until she spots it.  Di’s eyes widen as she jumps to her knees and frantically crawls over to examine it.  Shaped like a disc, the rock is about half the size of a carriage wheel.  A deep gash stretches across the edge of it, indicative of where Era’s blade sliced it.  “No way,” she whispers in amazement.

“What is it?” Jem asks as she leans over Di.

Di can hardly speak as she squeaks out, “This thing… It was a rune!”

Era’s jaw drops.  “A rune!?  I didn’t know they could do
that
with runes.”

“They
can’t
,” Di insists.

“Well, clearly they
can
,” Era retorts.

“No, Era, they can’t!  This technology is way too advanced, even for Three Pillars professors.”  Unable to take her eyes off it, Di mutters, “What I wouldn’t give to take this back to them.”

Jem snatches it and holds it close.  “Well, they’ll have to pay a pretty penny to see it.”

“Jem!” Di shouts, offended.

“
What?
  We almost died fighting that thing!  There’s no way I’m giving it up for free,” she says as she studies it.  “Ummm… Di, there are no symbols on this thing.  Aren’t symbols needed?  You know, for programming and all that?”

“The symbols are there, all right.”  Di snags the light rune and points it at the disc, illuminating hundreds of thinly engraved rings concentrically marking the disc’s front side.

“Nice try.  You’re saying a bunch of rings is all it takes to program something this big?”

“Look
closer
.”

Jem peers close, shocked at what she finds.  In actuality, each ring is a string of tiny characters, so small and close together that, without close inspection, blur together to form a solid ring.  “Th-That… That’s…”

“It’s not possible, I
know!
  That’s what I’m saying!” Di insists.

“No, Di!  This thing will make me
rich!
”  She puts it to her lips and kisses it with a loud smack, adding, “Sorry Di, you’ve been replaced as my new favorite thing!”

“Jem, you
can’t
sell it!  You have to-”

“It’s settled, Di.  Might as well accept it.”

As the two girls bicker, Era glances to Fire, who removes her bandanna to let her damp hair fall.  She wrings out the cloth in a fruitless effort to start drying herself.  Era blushes, now seeing a stark contrast to the cold-natured assassin.  Water drips from the hair plastered to her cheeks, and her toned arms are defined through her soaked sleeves.  “H-Hey, thanks for helping us,” he squeaks.  When she glances at him, he quickly avoids eye contact.

“Don’t think too much of it.  I was forced to do it,” she responds frankly.

“Well, sure,” he agrees, “but you could have run after the monster fell apart the first time.  You stuck around and helped me save Jem and Di.”

She slaps her wet handkerchief on her knee in surrender.  “You saved my life.  I owed you that much.”

“So you
do
have a sense of honor!” Era chides.  Glancing back toward his partner, he lowers his voice and says, “Look, I know Jem’s not going to be good with the idea, but-”

“You want my help? Then tell the ice queen yourself,” she snaps.  “For being so useful in a fight, I can’t believe how spineless you are when it comes to that girl.”

Era shrugs. “Hey, she’s my boss, but I’ll talk to her if you’re still willing to work with us.”

Fire glares at him.  “Look, if not for my arm, I’d have no problem capturing you three.  And I’d do it!  I’m just looking for a way to make a venni after all this.”  Glancing away, she mutters, “Thirty-five percent, right?”

“Sorry, offer’s lowered to thirty.”  Fire looks back with a flash of anger, but Era says, “Should have taken the offer
before
you sucker kicked me down a flight of stairs, threw me in a hole, and had your life saved by me
again
.”

“I
did
accept your stupid offer!  You reneged on it!”

“Sheesh, do you
want
me to leave you in this cave?” Era asks with a flat gaze.  “Because that’s what it’s sounding like to me.”

Fire starts to protest, but she realizes Era
is
the only person who can get them all out.  With a sigh, she relents and says, “Fine, whatever.  But if you don’t pay up, I’m definitely killing you.”

“Fair enough.”

Chapter 11

Era holds a long plank of earth as his companions climb out of the cavern one at a time.  Holding the form over such a long distance is exhausting, so he decides to sit down and take a break before climbing out.  He releases his hold, and the dirt rains down to the rock below.

Standing on the basement floor once again, Jem kneels and examines the disc with the light rune.  “Pretty impressive,” she mumbles to herself.

“Is there any chance that thing can come back to life?” Fire asks.  “That rune spawned a killing machine.”

Di shakes her head.  “I don’t think so.  Runes that have their programs erased or otherwise marred like this one become expensive doorstops.  I think we killed the… well, whatever that was.”

‘
Yeah, thanks to Era,
’ Jem thinks as she shines her light down at her partner, wondering when it was he became so formidable.  Were it not for him, she and Di would certainly have drowned.

As if reading her thoughts, Fire mutters in a hushed voice, “You undervalue him, you know that?  If not for him…”

“I-I know that!” Jem says in defense.  “He’s strong, I get that.  But he’s not
smart
, and until he is-”

“Uhh… ladies?  I can hear you,” Era reveals from the cavern below, causing both Fire and Jem to awkwardly stop mid-conversation.

However, Jem leans forward and says, “Era, you’re alright.  Thanks for saving us down there.”  Era blushes in the darkness and absent-mindedly scratches the back of his head.

“So Di,” Jem says, changing the subject, “did you grab enough rune shards?  Just remember I’m not carrying those for you in my bag.  It’ll be heavy enough with my big one, here!”

Di looks at the crumbled rocks in her hands.  “The symbols on these are almost entirely eroded.  I’m not sure they’ll have any value whatsoever to the Academy.”  Glancing at the large rune at Jem’s feet, she whines, “Come on, just let me have that!  You’re not going to do anything with it!”

“Except make tons of money!” Jem exclaims.  “But hey, I’m impartial.  If the Academy can offer up some venni, I’m all for giving it to them.”  Di sighs, knowing she won’t be able to budge Jem’s stance.

Ready to make his exit, Era again solidifies the dirt into a long beam and scales it.  Hand over hand, he works to maintain the form of the earth with each grip.  When he gets near the top, Jem reaches down and helps him the rest of the way.  The moment he releases the plank, it loses its form and crumbles into the cavern below.

After brushing himself off, Era collects his courage and looks Jem in the eyes.  “Jem, I know I’m not the smartest person in the world, but I have a good feeling about bringing Fire along.  I’ve pledged part of my share to her, and I’d like it if… No, I mean to say… I’m hiring her services.”

Jem is startled by the change in conversation.  “H-Hey now, just because she helped us out down there-” 

“No Jem, it’s more than that,” Era says.  “I truly don’t think we’ll make it to Canterin without her help.”

Jem turns around with a huff.  She fights with herself for a moment before turning and meeting Era straight in the eye with her light rune.  “Okay, it’s about time I trusted you with a decision.  I’m fine with her coming, as long as
you
,” she emphasizes as she shines the light into Fire’s face, “can swear, with absolute sincerity, that you will
not
backstab us.”

Fire looks surprised at the request.  “You do realize I could just lie about it.”

Jem nods.  “I won’t believe you either way.  I just want to judge your reaction.  Now look me in the eye and tell me.”

Annoyed by the seemingly pointless request, she relents and grumbles, “Fine, I
promise
not to backstab you or your little bees.”

“And you’re swearing off each of our two million venni bounties?”

Fire swallows hard at the prospect.  Her straight face gone, she visibly squirms as she forces, “S-Sure.”

Jem studies Fire for an uncomfortably long period.  “Well, if you’re earning most of Era’s share, you’d best pull your weight.”

Fire crosses her arms.  “Of course, but now that I’ve played your little game, I’m setting ground rules.  No more fires, no more towns, and
no more roads
.  You
will
take my advice, or the deal’s off.”

Di watches the interaction nervously, wondering how smoothly this operation is going to go with these two egos vying for control.

“I’ll go get my map,” Jem grumbles, heading upstairs with her light.

As they follow Jem and her light, Fire turns to Era and mutters, “This thirty percent had better be worth dealing with her.”

Era pats her shoulder, and she glares at him with a look that screams, ‘
Don’t you dare do that again
’.  Nervously pulling his hand back, he says, “W-Well, if you can get us to Canterin safely, I’m sure you’ll never have to deal with either of us again.  Think of it as a bonus!”

Fire looks Era over with contempt, questioning her decision already.

*              *              *

Leaving the competing egos alone to plan, Era and Di find furniture to use as a bed.  It feels to Era like a short nap, but when he’s shaken awake, he’s surprised to find sunlight streaming through the boarded windows.

“Get up already,” Jem orders.  “We need to be out of here before it gets too bright.”

“Too late for that,” Fire grumbles.  “We should have left an hour ago.”

“Then next time don’t spend so long trying to decide something so trivial!”

“That was
not
trivial!”

Era sits in a daze, trying to remember the last time he was so sleep-deprived.  After the skirmish with Fire and Jaras, not to mention the battle in the caverns last night, it’s a wonder he’s even able to keep his eyes open.  Still, he shakes off the desire to lie back down, not daring to cross the dual leadership of Jem and Fire.  He groggily walks over to the table where the map is sprawled out.  Penciled lines litter the map, some half-erased and others crossed out.  The one that remains takes them far away from any more main pathways, far from any cities, and to a harbor town called Kemplen.

“Kemplen?” Era asks.  “I thought we were going to approach from the coast.”

“And then what?  Just strut into Canterin like you own the place?” Fire asks in disgust.  “We need to get to Canterin by ship.  Kemplen is the largest port town this side of the Lidoran Sea, which will keep our profile low.  Naturally, they’ll be searching the ships at Canterin, but smugglers have gotten good at their trade thanks to the tariff spikes.”

Jem begrudgingly nods her approval. “She’s right about all that.  We should be able to get smuggled in.”

“Will she even be safe once we get her inside?” he wonders aloud.

“Not our problem,” Fire says coldly.  “We get her in, get our reward, and leave.  Her rich daddy can hire protection for her from there.  That’s the plan.”

Era wants to object, but he acknowledges the first priority is to get Di home.  “I guess I’m fine with that.”

As Jem rolls up the map, Fire glances at the sleeping Di, and she quietly mutters, “Have you two considered the idea of just turning her in?”  Jem freezes in place, and Era’s brow furrows as she continues, “Look, I don’t know what your relationship is to her, but with two million venni just
sleeping
over there, why not cash in?”

Era immediately contests the idea.  “Sorry Fire, that’s a negative.  I’ve sworn to Di I would take her back, and I-”

“You value your honor over two million venni?” Fire scoffs.  “Aren’t you a thief?”

“Thieves can have honor!” Era insists.  “Besides, Jem and I have bounties as well.  It’s unlikely we can turn her in and get the reward.”

Fire crosses her arms and asks, “Do you think your bounties are just going to go away once this is over?  You could negotiate with them, have them erase your bounties and give you the two million.  They’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Era is caught off guard by the proposition, but Jem interjects, “For now we stick with the plan.”

“Figured I’d at least convince
you
,” Fire says, “but if you’re out then the honorable thief over here is certainly uninterested as well.”  She shrugs and admits, “Too bad, I was hoping to make things easy.”

Era’s mind races while Jem silently packs.  His dreams, his goals… everything he wants to be is contrary to this decision.  Being a thief means becoming an emotional island, if his dad’s words are to be believed.  His life with Jem has, in some ways, helped him get closer to that state of mind, as she’s always kept him at a distance.  If he were to treat Di the same way, he could achieve the infamy he’s always desired, plus cash in on a major bounty in the process.

“I’ll head out first,” Fire says, snapping Era’s attention back to reality.  “Follow the map exactly, and I’ll scout out the path to ensure there’s no one waiting to ambush you.”

“Wait,” Era says as he fumbles around in his bag.  He withdraws a dagger and hands it to Fire.  “You’ll probably recognize that.”

Despite her annoyance, Fire can’t help but grin at the sight of her old blade.  “Thanks for keeping it. Ugorzi had a falling out with the Smith’s Hammer a year ago, so there’s no smith here.”  Looking back at Era’s bag, she asks, “Got anything else of mine in there?”

“Sorry, that’s all I kept,” Era assures her.

“Sure would make this easier if I had my gear,” she grumbles.

“Hey, at least you
have
a blade,” Jem groans, drawing her own dagger.  With the blade cut cleanly across the middle, she swings it around in dissatisfaction.  “As if fighting against swords wasn’t enough of a challenge.”

Fire turns to Jem.  “So, you’re going to follow me this time?”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Jem promises as she sheathes her weapon.  “Just do your part.”  With that, Fire heads to a window, pushes out the boards, and slips outside.

Jem plants her hands on her hips.  “This had better work, Era!  If not, I’m blaming you and-”

“Why, Jem?” Era interrupts with sincerity.  “Why were you so fast to reject Fire’s idea?”

Jem frowns.  “You’re seriously asking me that? 
You?
”  Throwing two fingers in the air, she contends, “For one, there’s no guarantee they’ll give us the bounty since we caused this whole mess in the first place.  For two, there’s
this
whole issue,” she adds, waving a hand over her face.

“So, if we could easily collect the bounty, you’d be up for it?”

She pauses before answering.  “Money isn’t everything to me, Era.  The thought of helping the military makes me throw up a little in my mouth.  I’m not sure I could bring myself to negotiate with them, even for two million venni.”  With a smirk, she asks, “So you have such a low opinion of me that you thought I’d betray a poor, lost girl?”

“No, I… I guess I’m trying to decide for myself,” he confesses.  “I mean, if I’m in this for the money, doesn’t it make sense to turn her in?”

“Since when are
you
in this for money?” Jem asks.  “You’re all about honor, honest thievery, etcetera etcetera, on and on…  You never shut up about those kinds of ideals.  Plus you just gave most of your share to Fire for her help.”

Era shrugs.  “I don’t think much about money, but Di asked me last night if we’d be helping her if not for the potential reward.  I couldn’t give her a straight answer, because… well, I honestly don’t know.”

Jem scratches her nose. “Am I having a negative influence on you?  There’s no way you’d
ever
have debated something like this back when I first met you.”  Placing her hand on his shoulder, she meets Era’s eyes with confidence.  “I know you pretty well by now, and, in my opinion, you’ll never have it in you to betray someone like Di.”

Her words instantly lift his self-imposed burden.  He offers a grateful smile as Di stirs, and Jem turns to her with relief.  “Oh, thank goodness we don’t need to wake the princess up.  That’s even more of chore than waking Era.”

Di yawns.  “Wha… What time is it?”

“It’s time to get moving!” Jem orders as she pulls her to her feet.  “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

*              *              *

Fire watches as the three ‘sneak’ out of town, doing their best to blend in amongst the sparse early-morning crowds, which primarily consist of the market vendors arriving from their villas with their produce.  Both Di and Era get distracted, hoping to buy a fruit or vegetable while Jem yells at them to keep moving.  Fire starts to give herself less credit for tracking them so well.

Perched high above the town once more, she laments her situation.  The encounter in the caverns was a setback for her arm and leg, and Era has demonstrated himself as a formidable foe.  Still, she can’t help but be pleased with the way things turned out.  By helping them fight that monster, she’s managed to earn their trust.  Now that their guard will be lowered, an opportunity shouldn’t take long to present itself.  Era may have saved her life twice now, but she insists to herself that it cannot cloud her judgment.