The Golden Duo

He’d be there any second. Any moment. Right?  

With fingers picking restlessly at his clothes, Elian held his breath, watching Captain Markor walk up to the healers, speaking briefly. Then he marched toward them, his young face tired and grave, banging his fist against his chest. Answering the question that hung in everyone’s eyes.

“She’s gravely injured, but there’s hope.” The look in his eyes didn’t share the hope of his words. He sighed and pointed to the last tunnel. “We need someone to take care of that and find Bror, if possible.” His eyes roamed the group of child soldiers in front of him. Several were dirty and bruised, most of their magic close to depletion.

Elian glanced at his hand, the mage-mark lighting up as he nudged Lior in the ribs. His mark shone bluish in response as they both took a step forward.

“We volunteer, sir. Captain, sir,” they said in unison, and Elian could have sworn a hint of a smile passed the captain’s tired face.

“Fire Team Two, I would expect nothing less from the golden duo.” His fist touched his chest again. “Go swift. Return safely.”

“Yes, sir,” they shouted in unison. Elian patted his pocket and took out the last of his fuse. The roll was much too small.

“Anyone have more?”

“Here!” Several rolls were thrust in his face, and he pocketed a few. Then someone grasped his hand and pressed the handle of a long knife into it. Jeena.

“Use this,” she said, voice broken from holding back tears. “Use this, and make those bastards pay for hurting her.”

“I will.” He patted her hand a little awkwardly, and she let go, wiping at her nose with her sleeve. That's right. She always used to call Linnet ‘little sis’, claiming she reminded her of the younger sister she’d left behind when she was recruited.

“Ready?” he asked Lior, who nodded grimly. A rare look on his usually sunny face, but Elian expected his own face looked pretty grim too.

“We’ll be back soon. With Bror.” He stated confidently, touching his fist to his chest, nodding to the Captain before they walked to the tunnel.

“Good luck,” someone shouted from behind, and they both turned and waved to the group before going inside.

This tunnel was narrower than the one they had just closed. Even making himself as small as possible, Elian’s shoulders touched the walls as he cautiously kept going, trying to avoid touching the drops of blood on the floor and walls. The slight uphill made it even harder to move fast, and it felt like an eternity before they reached the barrier.

There was more blood here, smeared across the walls and ceiling, the deeper pool on the floor still sticky to the touch, and the skin on Elian’s hands tried to shrink away from it.

Was this where she got hurt?

“Ready?”

“Of course.”

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Elian pushed through the barrier only for his hands to be met by more warm liquid. More than on the other side. Much more. The air was heavy with the warm metallic smell. His eyes snapped open, and something between a gasp and a scream and a sob tore from his throat.

Bror! His body was lying lifeless, stretched out. One dismembered arm still stuck in the blackened mandibles of a cricket bigger than him. A dead cricket, limbs contorted in the tell-tale way lightning left its kills.

Elian squeezed his eyes shut again, so hard he was seeing white dots. It’s not there. He’s not dead. It’s a dream. Only a dream. It’s not rea… Something bumped into his behind, and he jumped forward, eyes snapping open again.

“What’s wrong with you, get out of the way…” The annoyance in his voice turned into disbelief as he took in the scene. “No! Is he…?”

“Yeah. They must have been followed. Injured. Then he stayed behind to fight, giving her a head start. Then…”

“Can we get past?” Lior. Ever the practical one.

“I think so. We should drag him through for now. Give us space.”

“And we’ll bring him back with us. Right?”

“He’s one of us. He deserves to rest with the others.”

Steeling himself, Elian stretched out flat so he could wiggle his way past Bror’s body, giving Lior room to grab the smaller boy’s ankles. One small step back at a time, he disappeared back through the barrier, pulling Bror with him.

Wiggling ahead, swallowing down bile, Elian managed to free the arm from the cricket and, using his feet, pushed it through as well. This tunnel was too narrow for anything else, and the presence of the dead cricket made his chest shrink and his heart hammer with claustrophobia. They wouldn't be able to squeeze past it. It had to go.

Placing his right hand on it, he calmed his breathing so his magic could flow calmly. Not that there was a risk of fire spreading here, the tunnel itself had withstood any magic or weapons they’d thrown at it, and he himself was, of course, immune to his own flames. Still, there was a proper way of doing things. 

The beast had crumbled into ashes when Lior made it back, fanning his face with a hand at the lingering heat.

“At least he made our job easier,” Lior pointed to the string of pale gray fuse leading down the tunnel, but Elian shook his head.

“That one’s made for lightning, not fire.” To prove his point, he grasped it and let flames erupt around his hand. The part of the fuse he touched immediately caught fire and shriveled to black, but the fire didn’t move beyond his touch. “Besides, we don’t know if the other end is still attached.”

“Right. Onwards then.” Lior tried to sound cheerful, but seeing Bror’s torn-up body had shaken him. Elian, too, if he was honest. And the thought of what his last moments alive must have been like. It must’ve hurt so much. He must’ve been so scared.

Elian looked at Lior, vowing that if it came to it he’d do the same for him as Bror had done for Linnet. He’d protect him at any cost. That’s why the gods had graced him with fire. To protect people. He took a deep breath, the putrid, metallic taste of the air burning his throat and lungs.

“I’ll go first. If there’s buggers on the way…” He raised his hand, flexing his fingers. “I’ll deal with them. You make sure you save your mana for freezing the big guy.”

“Sure. I still have plenty for whatever is on the other side. But I’m not a prode… pro… prodeggi-freak like you…”

“Your magic’s still super strong.” It was. Lior was strong. But it was true he didn’t have the magical stamina that he himself had. No one had. At least no one their superiors had ever met. That was him. The prodigy who’d never run out of mana even once and whose fire burned hotter than most.

“Yeah. That’s why we got teamed up.” Lior beamed. “Alright, let’s go and show these bugs what the golden duo can do.”

It turned out that Bror really had made their work easier. Once they broke clear of the tunnel, they were met by more dead crickets, as well as other kinds of bugs – and the caterpillar was still stunned from a strong shot of lightning. The ground was filled with charred narrow craters where his magic had struck, again and again, aided and spread by Linnet’s wind.

“I’ll freeze it just to be sure,” Lior said as Elian scrambled up the caterpillar's massive back, taking out a fresh roll of fuse and the knife Jeena had given him. The rest was but a moment's work, and they grinned as they raced back to the tunnel.

“That was easy,” Elian said as Lior got on all fours and disappeared inside. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he was tired. The second tunnel and finding Bror like that… No matter the reason, the muscles in his thighs were aching, threatening to start shaking.

When they finally reached the barrier, they were both breathing a little heavier and their usual banter had quieted.

“So, how do we do this?” Lior asked, pointing at the barrier. “How do we…”

“Use this.” Elian cut the fuse he was going to use and handed the rest to Lior. “Tie this around him, then around your waist so you can drag him. There’s no way we can carry him, so…”

Lior nodded even though he looked a little green in the face. “I’ll be fast.” Then he was gone.

What felt like minutes ticked by as Elian lay there, curled up, until he stuck his head through the barrier to check on Lior. He was securing the knot around his waist. Bror’s body was just behind him, the lost arm now tucked into his belt.

“All set.” He raised a hand to do a thumbs up, but lowered it again.

“Good. I’ll give you a head start.”

Lior grunted something and took off. Slowly dragging their friend home. Elian returned to the other side, backwards, grasping the fuse once more. Starting to count down from a hundred.

…fifty-four… fifty-three…

Was that a sound? Straining his ears, he couldn’t hear anything besides his heart and the blood rushing through his ears. He picked up the counting pace.

…thirty-seven… thirty-six…

THUMP!

His head snapped back, but he couldn’t see anything. Hopefully Lior had made it far enough, because he wasn’t waiting a second more. He just paused long enough to make sure that the flame travelled safely along the fuse, then he dove through the barrier and hurried to catch up to his friend.

Time stood still as they painstakingly dragged themselves forward, until a humming sound made Elian’s blood turn to ice.

There were bugs in the tunnel. Moving faster than them.

“Go!”

“I can freeze them.”

“I’m between you and them, remember. Nowhere for me to jump here.”

Lior’s face fell. “But…”

“Go. I’ll deal with them. Be prepared to shield if the fire gets too close.”

“Elian…”

“We’ll be fine. Remember that time in Eidelgaard? Much worse, and we made it.”

“They even threw a festival for us,” Lior smiled, some of the tension leaving his face before he picked up the pace again.

The humming sound rose and fell, but as far as Elian could tell, they were still clear. Perhaps they’d make it? Then something grabbed his boot, and he yelped, hitting his head on the wall as he tried to turn. Almost folding himself double, he slammed his hand onto the mandibles holding him, setting the fire free.

“Shield!” he yelled, and immediately felt the coolness of ice. Lior was safe. 

Behind him, the fire spread through a long line of crickets so massive it was a wonder they could squeeze through. Good. But as soon as he turned back to Lior and his now melted shield, more humming drew closer.

“Hurry! More are coming!” he shouted.

“I can’t go any faster.”

“Look!” Elian pointed forward. “It’s downhill from here!”

Lior’s eyes widened, then he grinned and closed his eyes until the mark on his hand shone blue. Ice shot out in front of him, covering the bottom part of the tunnel with an inch of smooth ice.

 “Give us a push.”

Lior lay on his belly while Elian grabbed Bror’s feet, giving them as powerful a shove as his tired body managed in this position. It was enough. The two slid forward, gaining momentum, and he threw himself onto the ice to follow them. Glancing back, he saw more bigs closing in, slipping and sliding… falling behind. Looking forward again, he could already see the light of day… They’d make it.

They tumbled onto the ground, quickly scrambling to their feet. The others had regrouped a little further away, starting to relax, only a few of the elder soldiers hovering close by.

“They did it!” someone shouted and everyone headed towards them. “They have Bror!”

Elian gave them a wave and a tired smile. They made it. But before he could move, a rattling sound behind them made him turn. The entrance had collapsed, but where it had been stood one of the giant crickets. Even out here it was the biggest bug he’d ever seen, and he could hear the surprised gasps from the others.

One of the soldiers shouted something, running toward them with his sword in hand, and Lior veered toward him with Elian a couple of steps behind. The rope binding Bror’s body to Lior grew taut, making him lose his balance. As he fell, the cricket made its move. Powerful legs propelled it to its chosen prey.

“Lior! Noooo!” Without thinking, Elian threw himself forward, his hand smashing into a green side even as flames grew from his palm. “Shield!”

His eyes met Lior’s, wide and scared. Flames spread over the cricket. There were shrieks. Shouting. Its back plates moved. A fluttering of pale wings glowing. A butt pulsing with yellow light. Then it exploded.

Pain surged through Elian’s hand and arm as he flew backwards. His hand was on fire, from flames and agony alike. He hit the ground. His hand touched the grass.

The world burst into flames. Spreading from him like rings on the water, they devoured everything, anyone in their path.

“Lior…” Scrambling to his feet, he stumbled to the spot where flames hid his friend. Flames that suddenly grew higher, hotter, hot enough to singe his hair. 

Lior… shield... was his last thought before he fell face-first into the spreading inferno, and everything turned black.