Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (24 page)

I
flew straight until I saw the sea. If we had kept walking, we
would’ve been on the wrong path. Uncertain of which way the
city was, I kept going straight. If the city was as big as Roland
said it was, I would be able to see it from a distance.

Only
the sea stretched out ahead of me, but after a while I saw a ship,
heading to my right. Headed more south. I circled above it, and
started in the same direction. Then, I saw the city. I’d never
seen so many buildings in one place! They were seemingly stacked up
on one another. With my second form's enhanced eyesight, I could
already see the people. It was not so different from where I was
from. The amount of citizens compared to the amount of space was
about equal. Achron stretched as far south as I could see.

I
soared over it. The slum was clearly defined against the other
buildings. The houses of the poor were made out of an orange-ish
clay, while the wealthier neighborhoods were made out of stone. A
cathedral tower stood taller than the other buildings and I perched
on the tip of the steeple to look down at the city in wonder.

Below
me, the bell rang loudly, and I took off in surprise. It rang eight
times: eight o’clock in the morning. I had to get back to
Roland. He was northwest of me. He must’ve known that I’d
have trouble finding him because he built a fire, obviously with
green wood.

Roland
looked up at me from the clearing that he’d found and waved. I
landed near him, changing back into first form. “Did you find
the city?” he asked.

“
Yes,”
I answered. “It’s a lot farther south than Rema said.”

“
But
it’s not far?”

I
shook my head. “I’d say it’ll be another half hour
before we reach it.”

“
Good,”
Roland said. “I’m ready for it.”

He
stomped the fire out before we set off.

Roland
was walking fast, anticipating the minute when we would step foot
inside Achron. I had seen what it looked like from up high, but I
wasn't sure if I wanted to see it while I was earthbound. I struggled
to match Roland's long-legged pace and his enthusiasm.

The
first houses that we came across were log cabins, but they soon
filtered into the stone houses of the city. There were people milling
in and out of the structures. These people didn’t stare at us
like the people in the small village had. They were used to the sight
of strangers, as most of the citizens of the city probably were to
them.

Roland
looked over at my expression. “It’s not so bad, is it?”

I
shook my head. “No. It’s not so bad.”

He
smiled in triumph. “Then perhaps I can persuade you to go to
the market with me.”

I
rolled my eyes, but a hint of a smile played on my mouth. “Perhaps.”

The
buildings were getting taller, the streets wider, and the people more
numerous.

“
We’ll
go to the docks first, to see if there’s a ship that’s
about to depart for Kislow,” Roland said.

Kislow
was one of the countries in the mainland. It would be the easiest
country to get to from where we were.

The
docks took up a good part of the seaside. I hadn’t realized how
big the ships were until we were standing next to one of them. I
stood in its humongous shadow, staring up at its daunting height.

“
Excuse
me!” shouted Roland to one heavy-set crew member coming off the
ship. “Where is this ship headed?”

“
We
just docked,” said the man. “We won’t be leaving
until a week from now.”

Roland
thanked him, and we moved on to the next ship, one that was even
bigger than the last. A man was about to go on board with a crate, a
sign that they were leaving soon. “Excuse me, sir—”
Roland started.

The
man didn’t even turn around. “We don’t take
passengers.”

Roland
didn’t reply but moved on to the next ship. It was about the
size of the first one we stopped at, but it was fancier. Its
figurehead was carved into a mermaid. There was a person standing
outside of it, advertising their departure.

“
Leaving
for Kislow this afternoon! Leaving for Kislow this afternoon!”

Roland
stopped by him. “How much will it cost?”

The
man took us both in and smiled. “Five gold coins for the both
of you, but with the best of service,” he announced. Roland
took a while to consider this. I had no idea what the normal amount
of money was for a voyage.

“
Well!
If it isn’t our old friend, Roland!” said someone loudly
behind us.

I
turned around and winced at the sight of a big, burly man, eyes
squinting in the sun, face withered from days upon days at sea. He
looked at me, and then back at Roland. “This your girlfriend?”
he asked, spitting onto the dock.

I
studied the man with distaste.

Roland
turned away from the advertiser and laughed. “Burton! I was
wondering if you’d be here.”

“
Low
and behold, I am,” he grunted. He spat again.

“
Is
your ship here?” Roland asked.

“
Of
course it is! You think I’d be here without my right arm?”

Roland
forged ahead with his questions. “Is it in good repair?”

Burton
nodded. “Why? You headed to Kislow again?”

“
Yes,”
Roland answered. “Where are you headed?”

Burton
smiled. “To Nalla.” I’d heard of Nalla. It was one
of the main cities in Kislow.

Roland
grinned back. “Would you mind a few passengers?”

“
I
suppose I’ll let you on board if you pay. Can’t be givin’
out free food in this economy.”

“
Would
two gold coins work for both of us?” asked Roland.

The
man scrutinized Roland. After a while, he nodded his head. “Fine…
The ship’s leavin’ tomorrow morning. I’ll expect
you on board and the money in my pocket.”

“
I’ll
just give it to you now,” said Roland, pulling out the bag.

Burton
shook his head anxiously, and looked around. “I don’t
want the money until we’re on board. There are too many
pickpockets here, and the rest would probably get stolen if anyone
saw the exchange.”

Roland
seemed to understand. “It really has gotten worse here, hasn’t
it?” he mused sadly.

Burton
nodded gravely. “You’ll find many changes. Just try to
keep your little lady out of danger.” He winked at me before
continuing on down the row of ships.

I was
blushing at the statement he had left us on. I was not Roland’s
'little lady'.

Roland
grinned as we headed back into the city. “We can relax until
tomorrow,” he said. “That means that I can take you to
the market. I heard talk that there are going to be fire dancers
today.”

The
mention of them spiked my curiosity, and made me forget about Burton
for the moment. “Fire dancers? What do they do?”

“
They
dance
with
fire
,”
he answered, saying it slowly as if I were a child.

“
I
guessed that!” I said defensively. “I just wanted to know
how.”

“
You'll
have to wait and see.”

He
led me into the crowded market. My shoulders must've brushed against
hundreds of people. I felt my heart hammering in my chest. What if
something bad happened? We could be trampled.

Roland
gave the impression that he knew where he was going. After a while,
we finally reached a red and yellow tent set up in the center of the
city square. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the destination of the
whole city. People were cramming into the tent like bees in a hive. I
felt like fleeing, but Roland grabbed my arm and tugged me along
behind him, pushing past people rudely until were were in the tent. I
felt like apologizing to the those that we'd left in our wake.

Inside,
a blazing fire was burning in a smooth silver barrel on the stage,
making the tent smell like smoke and sweat. Roland had dragged me to
the other side of the tent, away from the entry and the fresh air.
The heat felt good to me, but as we waited, I saw sweat start to bead
on Roland's forehead.

Finally,
the curtain opened, unveiling a single person that stood in the
middle of the stage. I assumed that he wasn't one of the dancers by
his girth and his tight tuxedo. “Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen!”

The
crowd quieted.

“
We
are about to begin. If you would all step farther from the stage, it
would be much appreciated.”

The
crowd pressed closer together. I could feel someone's breath on my
neck.

Somehow,
a few people got between Roland and me. I felt uneasy about it, but
then a dancer came out on the stage wearing a stunning red dress,
causing me to forget any discomfort I'd previously had. The tent
entry closed, making the light of the flame flicker across people's
faces.

The
dancer lit the ends of her fire-staff and held it horizontally in her
hands, waiting for the violinist on the other side of the stage to
begin playing. The song started on an impossibly high, clear note and
drew out into a beautiful melody. The dancer's steps matched the song
perfectly as she spun and flung the staff high in the air before
catching it again. She danced without flaw, silencing the audience
with her grace and beauty.

Another
dancer, a man, appeared beside her. The dance between them showed
their love for each other.

Then,
another man came from behind the curtain, wearing black, his face
hidden in the shadow of his hood. His dance was quick and aggressive,
and the song picked up to match it. He shoved the woman away and
began to duel with the man. Finally, the duel was ended when the evil
man kicked the good man to the ground and held both his and the other
man's staff up in victory.

Then,
both staffs were doused in water and the men disappeared from the
stage, allowing the attention of the crowd to switch back to the
girl. The tune melted into a sad song, and my heart broke for the
girl, who danced alone until the song ended. The crowd clapped and
whistled once the dance was finished, and the girl smiled, reminding
me that it had only been a performance.

The
crowd cheered even louder as another song started up, this one with a
much more lively tune, flooding the stage with dancers.
They
spun the fire-staffs so fast that it was just a blur of light and
heat. As they did so, they weaved in and out of one another.
Unexpectedly, half of them handed their staff to the other half. They
spun them with both hands and moved back into a line, while the other
half started doing flips. The staffs stopped spinning and were formed
into squares. I stood in fascination as they each took turns
back-flipping through the provided space.

I
noticed Roland looking over at me for a reaction and I smiled at him.
Even though we were packed in tight I was glad that I came. I’d
never seen anything like this.

However,
in the second that I looked away from the dancers, something horrible
happened. One of the dancers, a woman, landed wrong with her flip,
and sent one of the fiery poles flying toward the tent wall.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Most
of the people in the crowd had noticed the accident, and we were all
pushing for the exits. Roland and I were the farthest from them. The
fire dancers doused their staffs in water buckets and tried to douse
the fire as well, but it was spreading too fast. The whole back wall
was aflame.