Chapter 11: Reloading, Part 1

Alex stopped in mid slurp. Her ears tingled, just on the edge of hearing something. Like they wanted to twitch, but there just wasn't enough sound to react to. She looked around, scanning the dark shadows cast by Jack's fireball. Jack noticed her change in demeanor. His questioning eyes begged an answer, but he stayed silent. Alex closed her eyes, concentrating and straining to hear anything.

Her eyes popped open. She slid off her rock and into a crouch, knife at the ready. Jack spun around, flame in hand. The can slipped from his hand and rolled across the stone floor. They stood back to back, waiting for an attack from the unknown darkness.

"A dozen, from all sides," Alex whispered.

From the shadows emerged glittering cat eyes from all around. The painted warriors came away from the shadows as one. They were human-like with large ears and sharp oval eyes. They stood barely chest-high and took stealthy steps forward with spears and bows at the ready. The firelight caught the zigzags of white paint from their bodies and light metal armor, making the creatures seem rather formidable.

One thumped his chest with a thumb and said, "Oskowa," in a deep voice. His green eyes stared firmly into Jack's. His strong arm muscles were not hidden by the paint. Though, he was only as tall as Alex's shoulder, he was the tallest of all the others.

Jack stood tall, his two meter figure towering over the man like a giant. He thumped his own chest and said, "Jack. Then he pointed behind him. "And this is Alex."

"You speak English?" Oskowa asked.

"Indeed."

"Mhm. Jack, you make fire from air?"

"Yes." Jack flexed his fingers beneath the fireball. Alex shifted her feet behind him, eyes darting between the painted soldiers.

"Can you make very hot fire?" Oskowa asked.

"Yes."

"Please, Jack of Fire, will you be the honored guest of the Antarian people."

"What do you want from me?" Jack asked.

"We want you to make hot fire for us."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "What's in it for me?"

"The devils chasing you have already entered the cave. We can hide you underground where they won't find you. Then we can take you on a path underground that will lead you east. It will be safer than walking under the poisoned sky."

Jack took a breath. These people were crazy talking about devils. They needed to get out of here quick before, these cave people made any rash decisions. "Why don't you drop your spears? Then maybe we can talk."

Oskowa gave a swift nod and as one the spears snapped up to the soldiers' sides.

"What do you think?" Jack asked Alex over his shoulder.

"She may not come," Oskowa interjected.

"What do you mean I can't come?" she asked, anger rising in her voice.

Oskowa only addressed Jack. "She cannot come. She is a she-devil." He pointed to his own ears and then to hers.

So that was what they meant by devil. Hybrid. This could be the moment he ditched her, left her ass behind, but... Jack crossed his arms and glared at the mole-people leader. "No deal. Look, you want hot fire, right?" He held a second orange flame ball out in front of him, it heated to bright yellow and then white. Jack directed it to the ground and it left a scorch mark. He grabbed Alex's hand and immediately produced a purple flame ball, then directed it to the ground again, except this time instead of disappearing, it stuck to the rock like lava and ate a hole through it.

"The she-devil has to come or I will not make hot fire." Jack let go of Alex's hand.

"Your fire is fine. The she-devil must not come."

"Then I guess it's a fight you want." Jack squeezed Alex's hand tight and a purple fireball swelled in front of him. The many Antarian eyes squinted at the sudden light.

"I see." Oskowa stroked his painted stubble. "The Elders will not be happy, but we need your fire. The she-devil may come, but will be watched."

"What do you think?" Jack asked her again.

"I can't believe the Alphas have already caught up to us." She turned her head over her shoulder to Oskowa. "How many of the devils are following us?"

Oskowa didn't look at her, he kept his eyes to Jack, but answered, "twelve."

"Three teams," she hissed. "I don't think we can take out that many in a tight space like this."

"What if we don't want to go with you, Oskowa? What would you say then?" Jack asked.

"We will kill you honorably so the devils will know no glory."

"So if we don't agree, you're going to kill us, but if we follow you down there and help you out with your fire problem, then you will hide us from the devils and show us the way out?"

Oskowa nodded.

"I don't like this. We can take these guys on," Alex said and readied her stance.

Jack shook his head. "We may be able to, but what about the twelve Alphas on the way? We might be able to out run them here by blocking their path, but they will catch up to us eventually. If we hide below the surface and lay low for a while, they might think we are a lot farther ahead than we actually are. They can't scan us by satellite during the day, so it might take them a while to figure out that we aren't actually ahead of them."

Alex was quiet for a minute, thinking through this plan. "Fine then, but if one of these creepy guys even looks at me wrong, I'm going to gut him."

"Deal." He turned to Oskowa. "Alright, it's a deal as long as you promise us that when we help you, you show us to the east."

"Deal." Oskowa held out his painted hand. Jack took it and shook it firmly.

Oskowa pulled one of his painted men aside then sent him ahead with a message to his people.

Jack and Alex packed their things. Then they followed Oskowa. Jack put Alex in front of him, not trusting what Oskowa's groupies might have in store.

Oskowa turned to him. "Jack of Fire, you mustn't use your fire here. We are too close to the Vestarians territory. We must be secretive."

"Sorry." Jack let the fireball die in his hand.

"Here." Alex grabbed his hands and set them on her shoulder. "Do what I do."

They plunged deeper into the cave, each step lower than the last. Jack tripped a few times before he learned to read Alex's subtle movements. Only the sound of dirt and loose rubble skidding across the floor filled the tunnel.