“Put me down!”

“I’ll end up dropping you if you don’t stop moving so much.”

“Good!” He was trying to wrestle himself out of my grip but was having no luck. “I swear if you make it so my family can’t leave because you’re here with me—”

“Hush.”

“Do you tell me to—”

“Hush!” His mouth clamped shut at my harsh tone. I stopped running, pushing against a house, and planting my feet. There was something in the distance that I couldn’t quite make out. If I could use the ground to feel it…

All of the residents had made it to the carriages and were loading up. Almost everyone was on board aside from a few soldiers. On the other side of town, something was shaking the ground. It didn’t feel like a quake, but still, something was roaring.

With a hard stomp, I sent a tremor through the ground to the carriages. I wasn’t going to make it in time to give them a proper warning, but this would have to do.

I adjusted him on my shoulders and started running again.

“We’re not going to make it,” he said. He didn’t sound angry this time. Just tired. “You should leave me.”

“You should shut up.” I couldn’t keep running and talking so I began to ignore him. I zigzagged through the streets taking care not to jostle him too much and keeping my feet to the ground. I needed to be sure I could keep track of the roar. It was coming fast.

The carriages were in sight when it hit. I let my guard down for a moment, relief flooding me as I saw my team. They were ready to go, just waiting for me to return. As I passed the last building, my body reacted before I could think.

Fire raced through the center of town, barreling down at the carriages faster than any of them could react. I reached out with everything I had, with every muscle, every tendon, every nerve, and called out. An avalanche of dirt, rocks, grass, and roots exploded up, creating a wall between the inferno and the people.

“Leave!” I yelled. “Go!”

Vanli looked for only a moment before giving the signal to head out. The horses whinnied and bucked, taking off down the road.

Another wave hit, spilling around the wall, and hitting us. I didn’t feel it at first, just a flash of searing heat and then nothing. There wasn’t time to assess the damage before hauling off.

I booked it into the woods, as the fire began to spread. It had been a while since I’d used terra magic, but it came naturally as I ran, my senses reaching out even further before. Maybe it was because my life was in danger, but I didn’t think that was all there was to it. If this man died on my watch, I wasn’t sure I could forgive myself. I was going to try my damndest before giving up.

I used magic to keep the ground even and steady. He was quiet now, though breathing steadily. On horse, it took days of steady travel. With just me and his dead weight, it was going to take at least double that. At some point the adrenaline would fade, and I was going to have to rest. Behind me I could hear the battle raging on, getting closer.

I kept running.

When I was sure we were a safe distance away, I stopped and assessed the damage. I stooped, squatting to the ground, and leaned him against a tree. My leather armor had melted to my leg and part of my arm. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but I would live. The man was panting in pain, his leg bright red.

I quickly looked in my bag for any type of first aid and started to treat him. He gripped my shoulder as I peeled his pants up. Some of it was stuck so I left it be, but I removed everything else. I poured water over it slowly and he let out a hiss, his nails digging in. I had nothing for pain, but I did have a clean shirt. I ripped it into strips and tied it around his wound. That would have to be enough for now.

We sat in silence for a long moment before I remembered I had more water and pulled it out. I resisted the urge to take a long drink, only sipping, before passing it. There was no telling when we’d come by clean water again.

He stared at it a moment before taking it. “Who are you? You’re not like any soldier I’ve met.”

“I’m an Earthling, firstly. And I’m not an asshole. My name is Kaiya.”

He snorted and took a sip. It looked painful. “I wouldn’t say that, exactly. Most soldiers would have left a sick man to die, but most soldiers aren’t as mouthy as you.”

“It’s a skill.” I took the canteen back and dug around for whatever food rations I packed. “What’s your name?”

“Noram of Berra.” He adjusted himself against the tree and sighed. “Do you really think both of us are going to make it back?”

I tried to hand him some jerky, but he shook his head. “I wouldn’t have brought you if I didn’t think we could both make it.”

“I like your optimism. It’s refreshing.”

“Right now, it’s about all I have. If I don’t believe things will get better, then I’m setting myself up to wallow. I’ve done that enough.”

“That’s good,” he said. “War will take a million things from you, but it’s your choice to hold on.”

I stared at the sky, watching the sun above us. In a few hours, I would have to get up and start moving again, but for now, I would enjoy the sky with my odd company.

He fell asleep first and I stayed awake an extra hour to make sure he was still breathing. Sleep came fast and knocked me out hard. It felt more like a hard blink than sleep, but the sun had nearly set when I woke up.

I got up, dusting dirt and leaves off before carefully picking up Noram. No fireman’s carry this time; just resting against my back, my arms locked around his legs. If he was going to sleep, I wasn’t going to disturb that. At least one of us should be rested. I took a breath, centered myself, and took off.

It was hard keeping pace when the adrenaline had worn off. My legs were lead weights, even ignoring the sting of my leather armor moving against fresh burns. Every push was wading through high water and every pant was another moment my breathing labored.

When the sun finally set, I slowed my pace. I walked to catch my breath and Noram told me about his family.

“You know my wife has endurance like you.”

“Does she, now?”

“Yes. She was a nomadic hunter before she became a mother. A beast of a woman. It’s what attracted me to her.” That didn’t surprise me. Even with as exhausted as she looked, I could tell from the way she moved and the way she held herself that she was a powerhouse. In a straight fight, she might have been able to take Enri down.

“She did have a strong grip.”

“Exceptionally. She would have been drafted if she hadn’t recently given birth. My son wanted to join, but he’s just a little boy. I don’t want him to endure anything so heinous.”

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“He looked around nine or ten. Why would he join?”

“He’s got magic. All mages have a mandatory service of five years. Don’t have to start until you’re at least fifteen, though.”

“Oh, yes. Fifteen. The year of adulthood.” If not for the heinous situation he was in, I would have said he looked just like every other elementary schooler I’d seen. Awkward, goofy, and the spitting image of his dad.

“In troubled times, and few soldiers, adulthood comes fast. I just wish it didn’t.”

There was a heavy silence before I asked, “Does he have any hobbies? Stuff he likes to do?”

“He likes to sculpt. Before the war, I really thought he was going to be an artist. He has such immense talent even for a child. By the looks of the battles going on, he’ll likely have to join. It’s a shame, really. I’d hate to have my wife lose both of us so soon after the other.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re a terra mage, though, right? Maybe you can be the one to teach my son how to use his magic. He’s clumsy about it.”

“Everyone is clumsy at that age. I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it.”

“Yeah, but I never added a new fixture to the living room because I was upset.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that’s a different kinda clumsy. It takes time to understand how to work terra. He’s got to be a little stubborn, I’m sure.”

“A little doesn’t cut it. He and Linres get into fights daily because they’re both so hardheaded. I’d love to hear it again, though. It was a peaceful kind of chaos.” He yawned, leaning his head against my back.

“I’m sure it was nice.”

He was asleep again before I finished my sentence. That was mostly what he did for the first few days we traveled. He had what sounded like fibromyalgia that was worse in his legs and a chronic illness that left him weaker.

“I crawl at home,” he said. “It’s just easier that way.”

“I had a friend in high school who had the same condition as you. She used a wheelchair and missed school often. She was great.”

“A wheelchair? I’d love to get one, but they’re a bit too expensive for us. Maybe before we had kids, we could have afforded one, but the pain wasn’t so bad then.”

“Maybe when we get to the capital, I can buy you a wheelchair.”

“After everything you’re doing for me now, I would have to refuse.” He paused. “You could still leave me here.”

“I’m gonna pretend you asked me how my back is doing. Just fine, I’d say. We’re going to have to stop and rest soon, though.”

He chuckled. “That’s fine. I need a moment when I’m not being jostled around.”

I started to sit him down when I paused. He stayed quiet, used to me going still to listen. There was always something to be aware of. This time, though…

“Water!” It had been three days since we’d left, and we were almost out of water. I used most of it to clean his wounds and make sure it wasn’t getting infected. At the very least, I wanted to wash off the muck of the last few days.

I used my last bit of energy to push through and make it to the stream. The sunlight glinted beautifully off the clear water as it rushed over rocks and down small falls.

Noram rested against a pile of rocks while I squatted next to the water. Part of the survival kit we were given was a water tester and a filter. Not all water was drinkable, no matter how quenching it looked. I waited while the test strip soaked up the water and started to change color. After five minutes it rested on green. The water was good.

I leaned down, cupping my hands, letting the water rush down my throat. It was warm, but anything was better than nothing. I stooped there for a while, drinking my fill before getting up to retrieve the canteens.

“Now that we have clean water, maybe you can take a look at your burns.” He looked almost comfortable sunbathing on the rocks. Like a sickly seal.

“Sure, but I need to change your bandages first.”

He held up his hand. “You’ve spent the last few days doing nothing but caring for me. Take care of yourself first. I can wait a bit longer.”

“But—”

“At this point, your injuries are significantly worse than mine. Handle that first.”

I sighed. There would be no point in arguing. If he didn’t want to do it, I couldn’t very well force him. “Fine, but at least let me make you a more comfortable spot to lay on.”

I pushed the balls of my feet into the ground, grinding them in, and then kicked my heel. A square patch of rock with freshly turned soil and grass rose two feet high. I helped him to the makeshift bed and turned to the stream before he called out. “Can you make a wall or something?”

“Don’t want the critters paying you a visit while you nap?”

“That would be nice, but I was thinking for privacy. For you.”

“Oh. Right. Forgot about that.” I took a breath and brought my arms out and up. Three walls pushed out of the ground, surrounding him against the tree.

I had completely forgotten about having privacy. I had helped the man piss for the last three days. I didn’t think it would be a big deal if he saw some ass. To each their own, I suppose.

I grabbed my bag and waded to the middle of the stream, plopping on one of the rocks and taking a deep breath. I had been ignoring my burns to get through the pain of having to keep moving, but now that we had stopped, I could feel how angry they were.

A quick tug told me I wouldn’t be able to take care of this easily. I pulled a knife out of my bag and cut around the melted parts and stripped off the rest. I set a rock on my shirt and let the water run through it while I set to cutting what leather I could off my arm.

With my now semi clean shirt, I ripped it into strips and wrapped up my arm. Cutting off the leather would only make me bleed more and I needed all of my strength to carry us to the next town.

With the same slow process, I cut away the excess leather and wrapped my thigh in the remaining cloth. Even though the blood loss was minimal, I was still dizzy. We hadn’t had much to eat and most of the jerky I had was almost gone. I had no experience hunting, but I needed to figure something out.

Once I was sure my bandages were secure, I wiggled my way off the rock until I was mostly submerged. The water was cool against my sunbaked skin, and I let out a soft sigh. I didn’t have the energy to scrub, but just this would have to be enough.

I couldn’t have said know how long I spent in the stream, but when I managed to pull myself out, the sun started to creep toward the horizon. I shook myself off on the bank of the stream and raised my hands up before dropping them down, pushing the water off little by little. Magic was so useful.

Noram was still sleeping when I got dressed and checked on him. I could tell that this trek was weighing on him more than it was on me. He didn’t go into detail about his chronic illness, but I could assume it took a lot out of him, and healing from a burn wasn’t helping. His pallor had gotten worse, but I was trying to ignore it.

I brought down a wall and sat on the bed, gently shaking him. He grumbled a bit and squinted at me. “Give me a minute, Len,” he said. “It’s a bad pain day.”

My heart ached. His wife and I looked a bit alike in skin tone and build, and I was sure he missed her dearly. “Not your wife, bud.”

He blinked hard, rubbing his eyes, and staring. He started to turn red when his expression cleared and looked away. “Sorry, Kaiya. I was just… I had a dream about them. My family.”

I picked up my bag, and he nodded when I gestured to his leg. I started to unwrap the bandages and asked, “Wanna tell me about it?”

He stared at the sky for a long moment as I worked. “We were going to move before this,” he said. “We had made plans to move to the capital and start over there. Doctors had been called away to be teachers or serve, and we knew that the capital would still have some. Without my medicine, I would steadily decline.

“This was last year when the war hadn’t affected us yet. We couldn’t move right away; we needed to save money. The impasse had come at just the right time and ended at just the wrong time. Everything went into lockdown and all travel was restricted unless you were a refugee. We were grateful not to be refugees and decided to make the most of what we had.

“I was dreaming that we’d been able to move. That we were in the capital, and I had access to better medication and Kejesi was in school to better understand and learn about his power. We were living as we should have been.” He paused, putting his arm over his face. It didn’t hide the tears, but I ignored them, continuing to clean the wound. “I wanted it to be real.”

I had nothing to say to him. I couldn’t give him hope that the war would end soon, and I couldn’t guarantee that the life he dreamed of would come true when we made it back. I wanted to reassure him, but there wasn’t anything I could do.

Instead, I made a joke. “At least you’re traveling with the almighty chosen one, am I right?”

He choked on his laugh. Still got it. “What?”

“I told you I’m an Earthling. I’m not here for fun times and forest adventures. I’m here to become a Suriqi mage and help end the war.”

“Really?” He looked skeptical. “Shouldn’t you be older if you’re gonna carry the weight of a country’s hope?”

“That’s what I’m saying.” I finished replacing his bandages and sat back. “I’m just a kid, you know? I barely finished higher education, and now I gotta save a whole country.”

He smiled, and I was reminded of the one good memory I had with my dad, him smiling at me when I won a prize at a festival. It was a real smile, not the fake one I knew so well.

Noram grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “You’re doing great so far, chosen one. All you have to do is save the millions of other people who live here.”

I snorted. “Let’s see if we can make it out of the forest and then we’ll talk.”