Fire Team Two

“Look. They’re coming,” Lior said as his sharp elbow dug into Elian’s ribs to make him turn. His voice was quiet, but his eyes held the same feverish anticipation as Elian felt. Today they would make a difference. Again.

The mark on his hand grew warm, mana flowing through his body as he focused his gaze on the edges of the field. He hadn’t been sure if he wished it were a false alarm so they could return to their garrison, or if he needed the energy rush of stopping an attack. It was addictive in a way. Magic. Power. Being a chosen protector.

Shimmering circles grew solid on the ground around the field. Three… four… seven in total. As soon as the shimmering faded and the portals were in place, insects the size of dogs poured through. First came the beetles. Knee-high, sturdy, their shiny black armor strong enough to withstand any swords, they worked as battering rams. Strong enough to topple people as well as break through fences and even walls.

The armed foot soldiers spread out while the small group of fire-wielders rushed forward. The ones that had grown too big to fit in the tunnels. Darting across the field in a macabre dance, they set the bugs on fire, one by one. One was knocked over by a rampaging beetle, but was dragged to safety before he got trampled. Moments later the beetle joined the rising pile of black carcasses.

It had been hours since the scout tunnel closed, but the troops had waited patiently. This village was exactly the kind they usually chose to raid, rich fields, small-sized livestock, and not too many humans to protect them. Not that regular humans would stand much of a chance. Even with only ten years under his belt, Elian had seen the bloody, broken remains after a bug attack too many times.

“Bug buggers,” he spat, and the others chuckled despite the tension in the air until a high-pitched shriek quieted them. Large crickets flooded the field. Long, sickly green legs and mandibles strong enough to take a grown man’s leg off. Or snap a kid in half… The soldiers raised their weapons and advanced into the growing chaos. Grunts and screams blended with the clanking of metal against armored skin and the continuous screeching.

Elian watched the carnage, biting his lip, fingers fiddling with the hem of his too-short uniform sleeve. He glanced at Lior, who was nervously dragging his fingers through his brown hair, trying to force it back into place. The wind had turned his usually neat style into a mess almost as bad as Elian's own darker mop. At least the fight was going well. The question now was if more was already on the way, or if… He glanced toward the officers standing close to their group, doing the same calculations. Minutes passed, but nothing came through the tunnels. That meant…

“Fire Team One. Go!” Captain Markor shouted, pointing his arm at the opening furthest to the left. A couple of middle-aged soldiers were just cutting the last bugs into pieces, clearing the way for Gereth and Jeena, who banged their fists to their chests before jogging to the tunnel. The captain pointed to the next one, barking, “Fire Team Two. You’re up!”

“Ready, sir,” Lior shouted before he took off with Elian at his heels. The ground was covered in carcasses, shining in black and green, forcing them to zig-zag their way to their target. They made it just as the Captain called “Lightning Team Two” into action.

“You first,” Lior said, pausing just outside.

“As always.” Elian knelt, rearranging his belt so his long knife rested at the small of his back instead of at his hip. The small bundle of tightly rolled fuse stayed in his pocket together with a smaller blade. Satisfied, he went inside.

The tunnel was just wide enough for them to fit, crawling on their hands and knees while keeping their heads down. The surface was smooth and warm under his bare hands, almost like skin, giving off a faint reddish shine.

It took them perhaps five minutes to reach the barrier. Shimmering bright, it seamlessly covered the tunnel, and Elian stopped, poked a finger inside it, watching it disappear until he pulled his hand back.

“All set?” He glanced back at Lior, who nodded.

“Pfft. We were born ready. Let’s go. We want to be the first ones back, right?”

“Right!” Holding his breath and closing his eyes, Elian pushed through the barrier, as if it were too sticky, too thick water. It might be childish, but he’d never managed to make himself go through it with eyes open. Somehow, it felt safer like this. Once on the other side, he crawled a little further to make space for Lior, who soon was right behind him.

The air was warm here, humid, and a now familiar scent filled his nose as he inhaled. The scent of another world. Or country. Nobody knew exactly where the tunnels led; no one had managed to get far enough from the tunnel openings to explore properly. But it smelled alien.

Something pulled on his leg, and he turned his head to see Lior making a face, holding his nose.

“Bug poop!”

Snorting, Elian mimicked his friend, and they laughed quietly, making more faces at each other before they got back into work mode. It was rare for them to encounter any stray bugs in the tunnels, but he still proceeded with caution. He estimated they were five to ten minutes from the opening. More often than not, the distance on each side of the barrier was the same, but they never dared to go quite as fast on the other side.

Steadily they moved forward, hand by hand, knee by knee, the air growing heavier the deeper they went. Then, a hot gust of wind, the smell of sand and stone revealing they were drawing close. Elian held up a hand, letting Lior know it was time, just in case he hadn’t smelled it too. Tension and excitement rushed through him. For all that these missions had become more frequent, almost routine, he was still happy and proud to be one of the trusted ones. One of the chosen to protect the country.

He glanced at his hand as he focused on his mark, feeling mana flow into it until it activated with its telltale red glow. A flicker of cold blue from behind him told him that Lior was ready too. Ahead, the tunnel walls thinned into a mass of threads, leading into the open.

Time to kill some bugs and close this tube!

Quickly, they got on their feet, the screech of insects raising the alarm at the intruders greeting them. A dozen dull green crickets with oversized maws turned toward them, legs smattering against the stony ground, ready to attack.

“Jump!” Lior shouted as he crouched down, placing both palms on the ground. Elian leaped high into the air. Below him, ice spread from Lior’s hands, thick and strong enough to trap anything that it touched. Lior got back up just as Elian landed next to him, feet skidding a little on the smooth surface. “Was that enough?”

“Looks like it.”

The crickets were safely frozen in place, and both boys turned their attention to the massive caterpillar squirming in front of them. Like a fallen giant tree trunk, reddish-brown threads protruded from its swelling behind, like thin branches. Threads that turned into an intricate web that connected it to the tunnel it was creating. Running towards it, Elian pulled out the rolled-up fuse and drew his knife.

When they reached the caterpillar, Elian leaped onto its back. The huge maw turned his way, open, angry, red, but toothless and not a threat.

“Now. Freeze it.”

A moment later, the beast was frozen to the ground, the lower half of its long body trapped in inches of ice. Elian wrapped the end of the fuse around the handle of his knife, securing it with a tight knot.

“Just do it already. Hurry.” Lior sounded more annoyed than frightened, but Elian still turned to look.

Some of the giant crickets had managed to break off the frozen parts of their legs and were mindlessly moving, legs slipping on the ice, streaks of green blood staining it as they staggered forward to protect the caterpillar. Time to finish this.

The knife easily slid inside the squishy body, just behind the neck, hilt and all. To make sure it wouldn’t be shaken loose in the caterpillar’s frantic writhing, Elian stomped on the spot a few times, making sure the blade and the end of the fuse went deep enough.

“All set.” He grinned at Lior, making a double thumbs up. He somersaulted off the caterpillar's back, almost losing his balance as he landed on the ice, narrowly avoiding falling on his butt and ruining the effect. Lior was shaking his head as they sprinted back to the tunnel and dove inside, but there was a grin on his face. This time, Lior went first, while Elian followed, carefully letting the fuse roll out behind them.

“You’re such a show-off,” Lior laughed. “Do you really think the buggies care? Because I for sure don’t.”

“Just giving the bug buggars a last show.”

Once they reached the barrier, they stopped, making sure they weren’t followed.

“Hurry. We want to win.” Lior said, one arm already on the other side, ready to take off.

“It isn’t a race,” Elian reminded him. It wasn’t, not really. That didn’t mean the kids didn’t treat it as one, and it had become tradition that the first ones out got extra dessert in the evening. And Elian always had a sweet tooth. “I’m on it. Get ready to run.”

Lior just snorted something about being able to outcrawl him anytime, while Elian cut the fuse, stuffing the rest back into his pocket.

With his right hand, his marked hand, he gripped the end, focused, until it burst into fire. The mark shone as brightly as the flames, and the rush of magic made the small hairs on his arms rise. He let go, watching the flame travel along the fuse. Unfortunately, direct touch was needed to ignite things, but the fuse worked very well. Giving them time to escape.

“Okay. Go,” he shouted louder than necessary as he scrambled to follow his partner through the barrier and toward the exit. The fire travelled slightly faster than they did, so there was no time to linger. They had to be outside before the fire reached and consumed the caterpillar, collapsing the tunnel. He didn’t want to think about what happened to the soldiers who got caught, still inside.

They made it with several seconds to spare, greeted by a blue sky and a warm breeze. Back in their own world, they paused, stretching as they got back on their feet, taking a few deep breaths. The air in the bug world wasn’t toxic, but it sure was unpleasant.

The ground was still littered with dead bugs, a mass of black and sickly green with splashes of human red blood. A squad of the older soldiers was still hovering close, just in case more live ones were incoming. It was unlikely, though; the insects usually stuck to their predictable patterns, and today didn’t seem to be an exception.

“Are we first?” A look around confirmed they were. Grinning, they smacked their palms together, both marks springing to life, glowing reddish and pale blue.

With a whoosh and a gust of wind, another team emerged from one of the tunnels, moments before it too collapsed, leaving only a patch of barren ground in its place.

“Hey, good one, Gereth and Jeena. We still beat you, though,” Elian teased the Lightning and Wind team that headed their way. “With more than a full minute.”

“Well, they don’t call you guys the ‘golden duo’ for nothing,” Gereth pointed out as the four gathered, watching the remaining openings intently, waiting to see who would be next. Their group quickly grew as teams made it out, and the tunnels disappeared one after another. Until only one remained. Unwavering, while the minutes dragged on.

“Who’s missing?” Lior broke the heavy silence. It happened that some of their friends… no, their fellow soldiers, comrades, didn’t make it back. But it didn’t happen often.

“Linet and Bror.” Jeena’s voice was barely more than a whisper, her eyes misty as they met his.

Images of freckled cheeks and missing front teeth behind proud smiles flashed by Elian’s mind. Their first real mission. For all the training they went through, one could never know exactly what would happen when in the field. But there was still hope…

Another minute passed while the tension grew by the second. Then…

“They’re coming!”

A small shape shot out of the tunnel, carried by a strong gust of wind.

Linnet! She landed in a heap, dark liquid pooling around her.