Chenda and the Airship Brofman (33 page)

Toward dawn, Verdu matched strides next to her. Chenda didn't look up at him.

“You are unhappy.” His words weren't a question. “I'm sorry about that.” He slipped his hand into the crook of her elbow, gently pried her arms from her chest and placed his hand in hers.

“Talk to me, please. Are you in pain? You look a little bit like you might be in pain.”

No, I'm fine. It's just the power they gave me, it's trying to fly out of me in every direction, and I'm just flailing around trying to keep it from spilling out and hurting anyone else.
Chenda sighed deeply, and thunder rumbled in the clear sky. She frowned, knowing it came from her.
I also think it's getting worse. Building up somehow, like static electricity. This is too much for me. I think I hate this.

“I see,” Verdu said thoughtfully, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “I can't begin to imagine what happened to you in the temple, but I would like to try to understand. Could you tell me?”

I'm not sure I have the words to say what it was like. What do you want to know, specifically?

“Well, why you? That's my biggest question. This is such a burden. Who would do this to you?”

Chenda snorted.
I guess I hadn't actually thought that to myself until just now. I think I will be asking 'why me?' a lot now. You were right there beside me. Could you hear the gods as they spoke to me?

“
Wow, the gods? No, we were standing there for a few seconds and couldn't hear anything but the humming of the stones, and for half a second the whole world went black, and in the darkness, somehow we got turned around. We had been facing out, then we were all facing in, toward you. I'm still confused about that one, but now that you say some of the gods were there, I have to imagine that's the type of trick that would amuse them. Which gods were there?” Verdu asked, his voice filled with awe.

All of them. That's the whole point, I am sure. That's what they wanted me to understand. They said, 'all gods are one god,' and that any who suppress any particular god, suppress all of them. I got the sense that it is more important to the gods for people to have faith in some part of them, rather than to reject any part of their continuum.
Chenda bit her lip, deep in thought.
The Tugrulians say there is One True God, but they reject the gods of other people. I think the gods are angry about that. All gods ARE one god. To accept one god, you must accept them all.

“An interesting message,” Verdu offered, “but what are you supposed to do with it?”

The gods did not say. In fact, they asked me if I understood, and I said I did, then they gave me the Power. I have to say, I wish I could give it back. There's just no keeping it inside me.

“
Maybe you aren't supposed to.” Verdu brightened. “Wait, just a second. Let me check where we are. I'll be right back.”

He dropped Chenda's hand and ran ahead to consult with Pranav Erato, then with Ahy-Me. Suddenly the whole procession came to a halt under the weight of Verdu's conversation. Chenda strolled up to the circle of her friends, who were deep in heated discussion.

“No. I get it, Verdu,” Fenimore spoke. “But the only thing her setting off fireworks will accomplish is bringing all the soldiers in a ten-mile radius right to us.”

“Depends on what she does, she just needs to keep it subtle,” Verdu answered.

“I think it's worth a try,” Pranav Erato whispered. “If she doesn't try to do a few things, she'll never learn to use her gifts. That power surely must take some getting used to. Mine is nothing like hers, and it took years for me to control it. And it itches a little.”

“Chenda will have plenty of time to practice when she's someplace safe,” Candice chimed in. “But for right now, she's much better off if she keeps this all under wraps.”

“I'm not so sure. She says the pressure of it is getting worse. I think the gods have rigged it so she will have to use the power on a regular basis. They gave her the gift so she can deliver the message I told you about. So, something wild and miraculous is going to be happening around her every so often – perhaps every few hours, I suspect. I think it's better that she give it a try out here first, relatively out of harm’s way, before we encounter any large populations of people.” Verdu pleaded to his companions, his hands in a position of surrender. He saw Fenimore start to object again and he added, “There's no way we can get her off this continent if she doesn't learn some level of competence over her power. Do you think we can put her on a boat if she's unwittingly attracting lighting or boiling the sea? I know you plan on meeting the
Brofman
soon. Are you willing to put Chenda aboard? Tell me you haven't thought about her bringing the airship down-”

“Fine!” Fenimore said, cutting Verdu off. “You're right. I have thought of that and a hundred other things that could happen, but I also promised her that I would get her out of here.” He glanced at Chenda and spoke softly, “Maybe you do need to try out what your power can do, but if you attract a lot of attention... Well, we'll just have to try to keep you safe as best we can.” He threw a half smile.

Chenda touched Pranav Erato with one hand and Verdu with the other.
What do you propose I do?

“
Let off some steam,” Pranav Erato said, thrilling at his own wit. He sent several thoughts at Chenda all at once.
You control the fire and water. Seek the water in the air around you...
He paused for a moment, and went on.
OK, not DIRECTLY around you, and certainly not around me or the rest of us, and once you've got it firmly in your grasp, set it on fire. Boil it. That should use up a good bit of your pent up energy. Ready to try it?

Chenda nodded.
At this point, I'll try anything. If I don't, it's going to try itself.

“
Stand back,” Pranav Erato said with a weak giggle. “She's gonna blow!”

Chenda turned her back on her companions and took several steps away from them. Ahead of her she could see acres of barren rock in the predawn glow. The air was always pretty dry in this part of the world, but at that moment, just before dawn in the cool air, there was a good amount of moisture near the ground.

She realized she could easily find the element she wanted just by thinking of it. She thought to herself
Water
, and all liquid in the immediate area called out to her: the dew on the rocks, the scant wetness in the few scrubby plants, even the water in the blood of her companions behind her. That intrigued her. There was a shape, for lack of a better term, to the water element that resided within people. It was distinct. She called for water to reveal itself across the next mile or so ahead of her. She could see birds and lizards of several varieties, but no other people.

She focused on the air, swirling it through the moisture. She played with those two elements for a while, pushing the water with the air and then back again. She knew if she wanted to, she could separate them completely. She could wring the water out of the air! She really started to wish she had a bucket handy. And... it felt good. Using the power was like the relief of a long sigh after holding your breath.

Pranav Erato softly cleared his throat. “Play later. Get on with it so we can keep moving.”

Chenda nodded.
OK, boil the water in the air. I guess I need some fire. Hmm. I just need a spark to get me started, I think.
She searched around for the most elusive of elements, and came up short. No fire. She spread her search farther out. Nothing. Not a single spark. She could feel the deep fire of the earth far, far below her, but she couldn't see how she could get a grip on it and bring it to the surface without causing another major earthquake – or worse: a volcano.

How can I make fire?I don't have any matches. Could I rub the air together make some lightning? That's less than subtle and would cause some attention to be drawn here. Hmm....

And then she remembered her chemistry tutor and the concept of pyrophorics: substances that ignite at around room temperature. The simplest was iron. She had been fascinated the day her aged teacher struck flint to steel, making sparks. He explained that the flint had very little to do with making the sparks, but had everything to do with exposing the iron, the real, unoxidized iron, to air. She reached up under her bejeweled Tugrulian gown to her pouchbelt and felt around for the knife she had taken from Daniel Frent. A strong steel knife. She held it at arm’s length and turned her power and concentration toward thoughts of the element earth. All she had to do was separate the invisible layer of rust that clung to all things iron, and the steel would ignite on its own – creating a spark.

Here goes nothing...

She focused on the double point of the Tugrulian knife, and she ripped the atoms of iron oxide away. Hot sparks jumped. Chenda, in a moment of agonizing release, let go of the pent up power within her. It caught the spark she created and shot away into the air before her. It raced from her like a hooked fish, thrashing and jerking away. She pushed it toward the water. The water absorbed the energy, sizzling and hissing as it expanded.

Chenda laughed out loud. This felt great. Better than great. Relief. As the power dissipated, and the heat and sparks blew away on the gentle breeze, Chenda turned to face her companions.

“I did it!” She shouted, and she was relieved all over again when she realized she spoke out loud and hadn't caused a natural disaster. “Oh, and I released most of the power. Ahh...”

“Great,” said Fenimore, lying face down on the ground with the rest of Chenda's friends. “Try not to steam us like shrimp the next time.”

Chenda hadn't noticed the moist heat all around her until that moment. “Oh!” she said. “Sorry.”

Verdu stood up quickly and walked over to her. He put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. “You did very well, all things considered, but you are just a little dangerous. Now you know that you can at least do that little procedure to release some of the pressure you have building up inside you, assuming that you have several hundred feet of clear space around you when you do it. The flaming dagger, now, that's a way to say 'messenger of the gods' if ever there was one. That we need to show the local villagers.”

Chenda snorted.

“Not to mention that both of those things can be considerable weapons.” Fenimore added, satisfied. “You may just be able to steam clean any spots that darken your path.”

Chenda's face turned white. “I could never....”

“What a horrible thing to say, Fenimore!” Candice chided. “What kind of brutal monster are you?”

“I'm just looking at this from a practical perspective. I think Pranav Erato is right. The Tugrulian hierarchy will not allow this kind of power to exist, not when they can't control it. When we cut back toward the coast to get out of here, we're going to have to fight our way out. We're going to need every weapon we can get.”

“Wait,” Chenda said. “I'm not here to be a weapon. Just because I can kill with a few thoughts, doesn't mean I will or I should. That's not the purpose of the Pramuc, is it Pranav?”

All traces of humor left his wizened face. “Yes and no, my dear.” He thought for a moment. “You say that the gods gave you a message. Well, if they waited so long and brought you so far to receive it, can we say that
hearing
that message was your primary purpose? What good is a message meant just for you? Not much. I believe the message was given to you to share. In sharing it with us, you have fulfilled some small slice of that duty. The telling has no need for power. So what is it for? It must be there to protect the messenger, and to prove the message, as it were. Do you see?”

“No, not exactly.” Chenda said as she looked to the wise eyes of the mystic.

Pranav Erato continued, “You've been given power equal to that of a god. You have that power so you can demonstrate it. So everyone who meets you will know that your message is true, from the gods, or the one god made of many gods. That concept makes my head go all funny if I think about it too long.” Pranav Erato scratched his head in confusion, then shrugged. “Beyond that, what good is a message from the gods if someone kills the messenger? There are those in this world who will refuse to hear your message, or will fear it. They will come at you with the zealot's passion, and will be willing to kill themselves if it means that they can silence you.”

He paused to let the thought sink in. “So, think of it this way. You may need to defend yourself, because without you, Candice, Verdu and Fenimore won't get out of this land alive. Of that I am sure.”

Fenimore looked at the brightening sky. “There's no stopping the dawn. We're exposed. What shall we do now? Walk or hide out for the day?”

“I vote for taking a rest,” Candice said. “I'm exhausted, and these pretty slippers are just not made for walking in the desert. I wish I still had my aeronaut boots.” Candice grumbled some more, then said, “There should be a place we can find some shade up ahead. There seem to be the right formations that would indicate caverns there. We could get lucky.”

As the small group headed toward the taller rocks ahead, Pranav Erato turned to Ahy-Me and asked, “Do you think you can make it to the Village of Hoe-Lend and back by nightfall?”

“Of course,” she said. “Vhat vould you like me to do?”

“You know the Resistance there. Get some of their leaders and slip out. Bring them here. We need to have Chenda visit with them for a time. She needs to deliver her message and keep moving. Also, we will need to find out just how organized the hierarchy is in their search for us. I won't be surprised if the Emperor himself is out looking. We'll stay here until nightfall, then we will be heading due west overnight.”