Spark of War (Progression Fantasy)

"You're going to join the battle against the Depths?" El asked, her chest clenching at the risk Nexin was planning to take. "By yourself? Without Firestorm support? I'm going with you."

Nexin was already shaking his head as the words left El's mouth. "You're in no shape to go. And, I'm not going to join the Pilish forces. Sure, I'll help them when I can, but I'll be there to fight. I need to rethink how I'm using my Spark, and what I can do. I can't do that if I'm worried about others keeping up, or staying safe."

"Harsh," Nidina said, but the woman was nodding. "We'd just slow you down, if we're being honest. I was pretty far away when you were fighting against those seawyrms and the avatar, but I could feel what you were doing in my Spark. When you get serious – when you're not holding back around us – you're on a whole other level."

"I… don't agree." Laze tap, tap, tapped the table as she spoke. "I don't think Nexin should go alone."

"Laze, I'll be fine," Nexin said. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Oh, I know. But, I'm not saying this because of you." Laze looked up when she finished, none of the usual fawning-over-Nexin on her face.

"What's on your mind?" El asked her friend.

"If Nexin is going to go anyway," Laze said, finger still tapping as she thought things through. "It's an advantage we can't afford to waste. Sure, he says he's not going there to help the Pilish, but any seawyrms or hangnails he wipes out is going to be a benefit. And, if he knows where the enemy is – where they're attacking in force – wouldn't that be better for everybody?"

"So…?" Nidina prompted.

"So, I think you and I should go with him to Pili," Laze said, pointing between Nidina and herself. "We can liaise with the Pilish army – Tas, if we can find him – and use our communication magic to coordinate with Nexin. As we learn about the enemy's movements, we let Nexin know."

"Us?" Nidina asked. "Why us?"

"You give me targets that matter," Nexin said slowly, nodding along, while everybody ignored Nidina's question.

"Exactly," Laze said. "And, on the off chance you need it, at least we're close to offer some support. I mean, I already saved you once…" she finished with a sparkle in her eye.

"Oiy, Laze, why us?" Nidina asked again.

"Yeah, why just you two?" El added. "What am I doing in the meantime?"

"You're assuming I'm going too?" Nidina asked.

"You'll be busy," Laze said to El, once again ignoring Nidina. "You have to figure out a way to move an army through the In-Between."

"Still not sure how I'm supposed to figure that out…" El grumbled.

"I might have an answer to that," Sol said as he sat down at the table beside Nidina.

"Can you see me?" Nidina asked him. "Hear my voice when I'm asking questions?"

"What do you mean, Sol?" El asked him.

"I just finished at the biggest libraries in Balacin, looking for any information on the Depths," he said, while Nidina put her head in her hands and grumbled something about how Teth must feel.

"What did you find?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Like they never existed. Or, at least, that your people have no record of them," Sol replied.

"Burn it," El grumbled. "Not surprised though. Did you find something about the In-Between while you were looking."

"No."

"… no? Then why…?"

Sol held up a hand for her to wait. "When I didn't find what I was looking for, it made me wonder where I could find something. Where was there a library big enough to house knowledge that must be rare or ancient?"

"Vestis," Nexin said immediately. "The great library there. You think they might have something on the Depths?"

"If anywhere does, it would be there," Sol said. "And, if more information existed on the In-Between…"

"Also there," El said, catching on. "Or, are you just saying that so I'll give you a ride?"

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"Sounds like you're heading in that direction anyway to take Nexin, Laze, and Nidina," Sol said with a shrug. "So, a little of column A, little of column B…"

"Still not sure when I agreed to go," Nidina said.

Nobody responded.

"That's a big library to search by yourself," Nexin said.

"I'll help," Dayne said, also limping over to join the group.

"What the Blaze, how are you all finding us here?" El asked. "Did somebody post signs in the hallways?"

"El. It's you. Where else would you be?" Dayne said evenly, his eyes going first to the sandwich artist, then to the empty tray in front of her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but by the looks on everybody else's faces, they were all thinking the same thing, so she just closed it back up. Across from her, Dayne carefully lowered himself onto the bench beside Nidina, though he grimaced the entire way.

"Shouldn't you be in bed in the infirmary?" Nidina asked him, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Had a nightmare about somebody trying to suffocate me under a pillow. Thought it best I left," Dayne said.

"May not have been a dream," El mumbled. "Nidina has a point though…"

"Oh, now you can hear me?" Nidina said.

"Are you in any shape to go to Vestis?"

"If you are, I am," Dayne said.

El blew out the breath between her lips, then nodded. "Fine. Just don't push yourself."

"You're not going to try and stop him?" Nidina asked.

"No. Look, you all saw what we're up again with the Depths. You know, better than anybody, how burning bad it'll be if they open that big ring. We don't have time to sit back and heal up before we jump back into the fight. Those seawyrms could already be pounding down the Pilish walls and dragging sacrifices back to Wirock right now. We need to get back out there, and right now, you five are the only people I can take to the front lines."

"Did she just drop the fate of the war on our shoulders while she goes to read a book?" Laze asked the others.

"You know if she tried to shoulder it herself, Dayne would just have to bail her out." Nidina gently elbowed the big man beside her, careful to avoid his injured ribs. From the slight red glow under his uniform, he was just as bound in rune-covered bandages as El was.

"Actually," El said seriously, "I haven't had a chance to thank you, Dayne. You're hurt because you saved me – again. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way like you did, I wouldn't be sitting here with all of you."

"You would've done the same thing for me," Dayne said simply. "But, you're welcome."

"I'm glad you're… mostly okay?" El stumbled at the end of the sentence.

"I'll mend. And though I can't fight yet, I can still make soup."

El opened her mouth, once, twice before words came out. "I mean… that's great and all, but you don't have to…"

"Enough food talk, you'll make her hungry again," Laze interrupted. "Any other thoughts on our 'plan'?"

"I've got one, if you all can hear me again?" Nidina started. El nodded at her, which only resulted in a minor glare. "When we were on Wirock, we found one of the Wirockian golems…"

"The one whose hand you were going to give to Dayne as a souvenir?" Laze interrupted.

"Yeah, that one…"

"A golem hand?" Dayne asked. "I could put that on my shelf. Do you still have it?"

"No, I left it back…"

"Guys. Nidina. Point?" El cut them off before they could get going.

"Sorry," Nidina said with a bob of her head, then whispered out of the side of her mouth to Dayne, "If I find another one, I'll grab it for you. Anyway, that golem said something about the Wirockians digging too deep to the north. Sounded like they were the ones who freed the Depths. Or something."

"That's right," El said. "It's a good point. I don't know if he meant north on Wirock, or out to sea further, but… Nexin, do you want to look into it?"

Nexin rubbed his chin as he thought about it, but eventually shook his head. "It's a good lead, but if I'm spending all my time looking, I'm not fighting. Sorry, but right now I'm a dull sword. If that avatar shows up again, I can't beat it. I don't even know if I can slow it down. That needs to change."

"He's right," Sol added. "Nexin getting stronger gives us an edge against the avatar, the Depths's greatest weapon. I'll go after I finish in the library."

"The library should have maps, shouldn't it?" Dayne asked, and Sol nodded. "That could give us a place to start looking, instead of wandering around thousands of miles of open sea."

"Would save some time," El agreed. "Good thinking, Dayne."

"Will the generals go for this?" Nidina asked. "Sol and Nexin both gone – to different places – and El, you're their only link to the In-Between."

"We can get them on board," Nexin said.

"You can get them on board," El clarified. "They listen to you."

"Probably scared of him," Dayne said.

"Either way works for us. Think you can do it by tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Nidina asked. "So soon? Ah, burn it, you're right. If we're going, we need to get right to it. Delaying only helps the Depths."

"Exactly, though I think we need at least one night to get a good rest," El said, looking at each of her friends around the table. They'd been running themselves ragged for the last week, and while one night wouldn't really be nearly enough, it was the best they could do. "Tomorrow, after lunch, we're leaving."

"I'll make the generals understand, so we aren't committing treason by leaving," Nexin said.

"Good. Rest of you, pack what you'll need. Who knows when we'll be back here," El said, and each of them looked around the empty mess hall like they were imprinting the memory.

"One more thing," Nexin piped up, looking at Dayne. "Watch out for Sol."

"I'm sitting right here," Sol said.

"Do not let him close to your cooking, and hide the salt," Nexin continued.

"I'm not worried," Dayne said in his usual, even way. "If he messes with my soup, it'll be the last one of my meals he ever eats."

Every eyebrow around the table rose, and four heads turned to look at Sol's reaction.

"If Nexin can't…" Sol started.

"Not about a fight," Dayne interrupted. "I won't cook for you again."

"Ooooh," four voices winced in unison.

"Is… that a bad threat?" Sol asked El, who nodded fiercely.

"He makes the best food outside of the city, and better than most of it inside," El said. "You're only hurting yourself if you provoke him."

"I'll… keep that in mind," Sol said.

"Good, then I think we're ready. Let's break and meet at the usual place tomorrow an hour after lunch," El said, gently slapping her good hand on the table.

"Of course it's after lunch," Laze chuckled.

"Actually, El, there's one more thing we need to do before we go our separate ways," Nidina said.

"Yeah?" El asked.

"I promised Felps I'd bring you to him."

"Oh, burn it."