Elements (Tear of God Book 1) (24 page)

Mink nodded dumbly, then looked over at Alré, positioning herself on the other twin’s scooter. Mouké had removed his glove and was busy Manipulating the curved portion to accomodate Alré’s elongated form. Sapo spoke her Slip Skate chant in the elided manner of a Water user,

“My feet slide on a Water flow.

Gracefully, I glide where I want.

My hips control the direction.

The Water under foot remains.

The side of my foot slows me down.

I feel no friction to slow me.

My Water enhanced by Spirit.

Rush me around upon my spit.”

Having implemented the effect by spitting on the ground, Sapo played her feet back and forth, watching them with her hands deep in her pockets. Slip Skate couldn’t keep up with a Wood user’s Sledding speed, which meant that it would take them longer than anticipated to reach Mink’s parents on Rift Ridge. Water users couldn’t have prolonged contact with Wood, as it sapped their energy. So it wasn’t as if the twins could give her a lift.

“Ready,” Mouké confirmed to Tralé.

Standing on the board, Tralé placed his hand atop the curved portion of his scooter, right in front of Mink’s face. He watched as Tralé’s thumb and pinky turned to Wood and slipped into the crest. Simply being connected to Tralé’s power, Mink could tell that the scooter felt lighter, as if it were Imbued with an Air user’s Featherweight effect. That couldn’t have been the case though, because it was Tralé’s touch that seemed to cause the change. Mink racked his brain for any possible way to explain the sensation with only one of Tralé’s hands connected.

“Mink,” Alré called. “I will give the directions until we get through Etersna’s western gate. Once we reach the forest, you’ll continue in the same fashion. Listen and learn.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m just along for the ride at the moment.”

Alré guided them to the main road, heading west out across the Eternsa Prefecture with the rest of the groups following in order. They traveled uneventfully for some time. The Penbik twins struggled to stay slow enough to avoid pulling away from the group. Alré forced them to match Sapo’s speed, while Sapo entertained herself by Slip Skating backwards.

Mink watched the rolling pastoral hills of Eternsa’s landscape slide by, pondering how the next few days would go, and imagining what it would be like to see his parents again. His reverie was broken about an hour into the trip by the cacophonous sound of Blin, Nylki, and two other Lightning users running by on Flash Feet, presumably on an errand to the next checkpoint. Tralé and Mouké traded quiet smiles, giving Mink the sense that they wanted to play catch-up.

“Are we going to have a problem?” Alré asked, noticing the exchange.

“No, ma’am,” they replied together, returning their attention to the stretch of road ahead.

By the time the border gate came into view, Sapo looked a little worn out. The twins had both taken a knee on the flatboard of their scooters, propping their chins on their free hand. Mink yawned and looked over at Alré, who was engaged in a Silent Signal Fire chat, chuckling. Mink thought it unfair that she was allowed to jabber away in her mind while the rest of them had to ride in silence.

She directed them through the gate and off to a grassy field where temporary bleachers sat beside a long table covered in white linen. From an assortment of glass serving containers, Mink could smell the floral sweetness of typical Eternsa fare. At this point in the day, anything fresh would whet his appetite. Alré pointed out a spot for the twins to park. They wasted no time pulling up and yanking their hands free.

“Go make yourselves a plate and find a seat on the front-right of the bleachers.” Alré dismounted and stretched before speedwalking to the food. Mink followed suit, passed by Sapo, who was Slip Skating toward an overdue lunch with a vengeance.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Tralé asked Mink as they got to the table.

“Uh, no,” Mink admitted. “My buddy Dreh could take a few lessons in comfort from you.”

“Dreh Hoy?” Tralé smiled broadly. “I know Dreh. Comfort’s not the only thing I could teach him.” Tralé laughed while Mink puzzled over what he found so funny. “I like Dreh.” Tralé grabbed a plate and handed it to Mink before taking one for himself. “It’s a shame I couldn’t show you some real speed. What a snoozefest.”

“Yeah, well. Thanks for the lift anyway, I guess.”
Tralé snorted. “Not like I had a choice.”

Mink filled his plate with a flavorful assortment of flowery rice, boiled root vegetables, sweet soufflé, and crispy dried fruit wedges before taking a seat beside Sapo and Tralé. The bleachers were hastily made and rather uncomfortable, facing only open fields and the Great Barrier Range beyond. Mink tried hard not to stare at a big guy tending to Alré’s scars. Typically, healers made Materialized prosthetics more resistant by adding wet sand to the parts as they formed. But, prolonged use of a Spirit effect was bound to start canceling the repair. The use of Silent Signal Fire must be taking a toll on her Body effect.

“Don’t eat those,” Sapo grabbed Mink’s attention back to lunch, pointing out the vegetables on his plate. “They’re nasty.”

Lieutenant Jannri and Sergeant Makunam walked out in front of the stands, accompanied by a woman who was introduced as Sergeant Holph, head of the Extraction and Transportation Unit. Sergeant Makunam received some brief applause as the head of the Support Unit, and Lieutentant Jannri announced herself as leader of the Command Cell to oversee both Units that made up the overall Tear of God Team.

The top brass detailed the days ahead for the group, seated according to their Cells, and Mink got to hear the upshot of the High Council’s deliberations. The Team sent to get the geode would be led by a small contingent of military personnel, but not in a military capacity. The youth camp facade and slower pace were employed to avoid any Machinist surveillance misconstruing their actions as a declaration of war.

When the Lieutenant finally announced that a Tear of God was the target of their mission, a mixture of reactions circulated in the bleachers. It seemed Mink knew more about what they were doing than did the rest of the ‘campers.’ Tolrin signaled for him to come forward. As he approached the front of the stands, some voices in the crowd started to sing “As the Falling Rain” in an exaggerated off-key. The Corporals barked them back to silence.

Mink forced a laugh and shook his head as the embarrassment flushed in his face. By the time he finished confirming what he knew and where they were headed, nearly everyone was in a heated conversation with the members of their Cell as to the veracity of the information. He felt as if he had lost their attention, but at least they had found resolve.

T
HE LAST
time Mink traveled the wild, grassy plain between the western gate of Eternsa and the forested mountainside, he had sprinted across in minutes. Quick Legs coupled with boost bar had made it feel like one simple step of the journey. This time, wrapped around the back of Tralé’s scooter and digesting three helpings of a military banquet, the forest seemed to remain a distant goal despite their progress. The slower pace also emphasized the roughness of the terrain over which they traveled.

Uneven ground posed no problem for most of the Team, but Alré kept ordering halts to allow the Soil users time to make the way passable for the bulky wagon, which carried the gear and a week’s worth of provisions for seventy-eight people. After a few of the contents bounced out, Tolrin had encouraged extra precaution, adding hours to the duration of their trek.

The twins had slowed their scooters to a crawl and were tediously watching the wagon lumber up behind them. Alré dismounted, stretched, and shielded her eyes to check on the wagon’s progress.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sapo offered.

“Not your job,” Alré responded dismissively.

Sapo huffed and Slip Skated a couple of yards ahead to a small basin, probably formed by an ancient sinkhole or crater, covered in tangles of a short runner grass. Mink watched as Sapo circled the edge of the basin, looked it over, and then slid gracefully in. The center was barely three feet deep, and the whole thing couldn’t have been more than six yards wide, but she made the best of it. Mink loved how smooth and poetic her movements were. For all her height and the shallowness of the dip, Sapo managed to get some great hang time Slip Skating up the sides.

“Sapo!” Alré repremanded. “Get back in formation! Now!” Sapo twirled down to the ground and came back between the scooters with one graceful kick. “We need to be ready to start moving the second I say so. This is no place for frolicking.”

Alré’s raspy voice made anything she said come off like admonishment, and she did seem to be reigning Sapo in; still, Mink couldn’t take anyone seriously who used a word like frolicking in her reprimand. He made eye contact with Sapo and quietly applauded her demonstration of skill. She half-smiled appreciatively and rolled her eyes in good humor. Turning around, she got into an exaggerated ready-to-go pose. Alré had already turned her attention back to the wagon.

“Okay, kids. Let’s keep going,” Alré said, climbing back on Mouké’s scooter.

It wasn’t until they got moving again that Mink felt the stillness of the Air around them. Why an Air user or two weren’t creating a breeze was beyond him. It’s not like the extra hit to the Lightning users’ power mattered on this stretch. Keeping at this pace over dry land in the middle of the afternoon on a full stomach felt horrible, and they weren’t even permitted the simple distractions of conversation or music.

“Sapo? Could you get a little mist going, please? I don’t feel so well,” Mink said, breaking the code of silence.

“She is not under your command, Mink!” barked Alré. “If you have a question or complaint, you will address me and I will tell you to be quiet. Understood?”

“My bad. Sorry. I just don’t feel so good.”

“Understood?” Alré practically yelled.

“Yes, ma’am. I understand perfectly.”

The next hour seemed unbearably long until at last, they reached the edge of the pergnut forest. Mink half-expected them to camp there for the night. A few more good hours of daylight remained though, and after waiting in formation while the army communicated via Silent Signal Fire, it became obvious they were going to press on. The prospect of shade improved Mink’s morale. Still, considering the wagon’s trouble getting over the field, the forest would prove an even greater obstacle.

“All right, Mink,” Alré addressed him, once she had received the order to continue. “Where did you cross over the range?”

Mink scanned the mountaintops up ahead and spotted the large tree with its branches bent to one side. It was some distance south of where they were currently facing. The tree looked so small to Mink now without the benefit of Tunnel Vision. Without a way to gauge how much forest stood between them and the tree, Mink had no idea how much longer they had to go.

“That tree up there. The big guy with all its branches to one side. That’s where I came over. It also has a yellow cloth tied around it.”

“Good,” Alré said to herself. “A marker tree. That makes it easier.”

Judging the distance left to travel, Tralé gave a long whistle. Sapo slumped, and Mouké cracked his neck. Alré went silent, likely making her report and awaiting instructions.