The Curfew

The feeling of being slammed down onto a stone road wasn't an altogether pleasant one. On my hands and knees, I recalled very nearly throwing up upon arrival in Shalved, and had to wonder if I wouldn't be so lucky this time.

Tyler was slumped against the wall of a nearby building, a hand over his chest as he panted for breath. The Hunters stood near us, completely unruffled.

"How do you do that?" I gasped, shakily getting to my feet.

"It's something you get used to," Alec assured as he surveyed the area. We stood in a narrow alley that opened onto what appeared to be a town square. White buildings with slanted red roofs formed a wide circle around a fountain that didn't seem to have any particular shape. The liquid running from the fountain was red.

More narrow roads ran from the square, perfectly symmetrical to each other. The sun was setting behind the buildings, casting dark shadows over the square that were penetrated by dim lanterns positioned at the opening to every street. Most of the windows in the houses were lit, but the streets were deserted.

"This is Corenth?" Tyler asked as we left the alley. "I expected a world of criminals to be... noisier."

"Something's happened," Noah said, nearing the fountain. "It wasn't like this the last time we were here." She dipped a finger into the dark red liquid, and my stomach churned as she licked it off. "Wine," she declared, and I relaxed.

"Noah, please don't lick strange substances," Mi'ta said with a sigh.

"A fountain of wine," Tyler mused. "Pretty fancy."

Alec looked more suspicious than impressed. "Let's see if we can find anyone," he said, and started down one of the many streets.

A piercing siren halted us. What appeared to be a motorcycle came speeding into the square from a different street, hovering a few inches off the ground. The rider was crouched low against the vehicle, dressed in a red and yellow body suit, the visor of his helmet shielding his features from view.

"Wow," Tyler said, impressed.

The rider quickly spotted us and changed direction, speeding toward us. He stopped a foot or so away and sat up straight, taking off his helmet to reveal stern, deep-set eyes and a weary frown.

"Excuse us," Alec began. "But where-"

"What are you all doing out here?" the rider demanded suddenly. "Curfew started over an hour ago."

"Curfew?" Tyler repeated indignantly.

"We've just arrived to town," Mi'ta said quickly. "We didn't know of a curfew."

The rider snorted. "You must come from far away, then. The curfew is put in place for your own good. No one is allowed on the streets after nine. I suggest you get indoors, if you don't want to lose your lives."

I wasn't sure if that was a warning or a threat.

"We'll be more careful," Alec said slowly. "Do you know of any inns or hotels where we can stay for the night?"

The man hesitated, then nodded. "Follow me," he said, and dismounted from his machine, pushing it along beside him as he started down one of the streets. We followed obediently.

"So why was the curfew put up, anyway?" Noah asked, frowning at the man, who I was starting to suspect was a police officer.

The man scowled in return. "Because of the Fire."

Mi'ta and Alec exchanged a glance. "I'm pretty sure the town's gonna burn whether the people are indoors or not," Noah said dryly.

"It's a gang," the man snapped. "They came in a few years ago and wiped the town of crime, allowing us to live peacefully. Until they started killing anyone they caught outside after dark. Their leader declared that he would keep us free of crime if we abide by his curfew. Only a patrol is allowed every hour to ensure the streets are clear."

"Why would they bother with allowing a patrol?" I asked curiously.

"They claim to be against violence, but for punishing the insolent. But no one believes it, not after we find the bodies they leave behind."

"And who is their leader?" Mi'ta questioned.

The man rolled his dark eyes. "Honestly, how do you all not know any of this?" he asked scornfully.

"We told you, we've just arrived," Noah said, irritation in her eyes despite her calm tone.

"That's no excuse. People from towns miles away have heard of these things. You'd have to be from the other side of the planet to not know of Damaen of the Fire Gang."

X X X

The inn we were taken to was called The Cats' Eye. It was empty save for the barkeep, a middle-aged man who didn't look the slightest bit surprised at having five strangers ushered into his bar by a police officer.

"Stay inside for the rest of the night," the officer reminded us before leaving to continue his patrol.

"Going for a thrill, were you?" he asked with an amused smile. "Kids are always getting caught outside, trying to be rebels-"

"We're not kids," Tyler put in.

"We weren't seeking any thrills," Alec added. "We've just arrived in town and didn't know of the curfew."

"Ah, tourists, then," the barkeep said knowingly. "Still, the lack of people should have told you something. Anyway, business or pleasure?" He eyed our variety of dress. "Let me guess..."

"We're looking for a missing person," I said tiredly, and described Lily for what felt like the millionth time. "Have you seen her?"

The man shrugged. "I see a lot of people. Might have seen your girl, don't remember if I did."

"Thanks anyway," Noah muttered, as tired of dealing with the man as I was.

Alec paid for two rooms, fishing currency from one of the many pouches at his belt. I wasn't sure how he'd gotten money for this world, and decided it had something to do with his being a Hunter.

A wide, white staircase led us to the second floor, where we found our rooms. Alec led us into one of the rooms he'd paid for, a small, brightly-lit space that looked like a high-class apartment. Two wide beds were against one wall, the white sheets neatly made. A tiny kitchenette took up the other side, and a white couch and coffee table served as the centerpiece. A small bathroom could be seen through a door opposite from us.

"Damaen's here," I said as soon as Mi'ta shut the door. I'd been holding my breath since the officer had mentioned Damaen, and I felt like I was going to explode.

"That he is," Noah agreed, settling cross-legged on one of the beds, her cloak spread out around her.

"So shouldn't we go find him?" Tyler asked eagerly, his eyes bright.

Alec smiled softly. "Not right now."

"Why not?" I demanded. "It shouldn't be hard to find him, if he goes around with his friends all night-"

"Friends." Noah gave a short laugh. "Did you not hear that guy? Damaen's the leader of a gang that came out of nowhere and completely wiped crime from Corenth. We aren't going to hunt him down now so we can be vastly outnumbered in his territory."

I faltered, feeling stupid. Of course it wouldn't make sense to look for Damaen now.

Tyler sat on the couch, frowning. "So what will we do?"

"We'll ask around the city tomorrow," Alec said. "Someone has to know about Damaen's location. Someone might even know where Lily is."

Mi'ta gave Noah and I our bags before he left with Alec and Tyler, going to their own room. I was glad for a shower, eager to wash off the uncomfortable sand left over from my brief swim in Shalved. I got out feeling refreshed, and dressed in my pajamas before returning to the main part of the apartment.

Noah was on her bed, having shed her cloak, tunic, trousers, boots, and weapons, leaving her in a suit of black leather that clung to her body, covering every inch of her skin to her wrists and ankles. Her dark blue hair was undone as she brushed it, but I couldn't tell if the thick waves were natural or because of the braid she always wore. An irritated look was on her face as she tugged at knots with an odd, slim black comb.

I took a moment to glance at her weapons when she wasn't looking. Her two swords were at the end of the bed, close enough to reach easily. Both were long, but one was slightly curved, covered by a dark blue sheathe that matched Noah's hair. The other sword was wider and perfectly straight, wearing a sheathe of deep green. Three slim throwing knives were on the floor beside her boots, and two daggers were rested on the pile of her clothes, strapped to two separate rings of leather.

"What's your world like?" I heard myself ask, and grimaced inwardly. I didn't take the question back, however, curious to know more about the people I was traveling with.

"Eh?" She looked up, then shrugged and pushed her hair over her shoulder. "It's called Hatall. It was... I don't know. Dangerous, I suppose. I lived in a small village in a swamp, so we were always being attacked. There was this sword that the village saw as sacred, and I guess the creatures in the swamp agreed, because they often tried to steal it."

I glanced to the swords on her bed. "One of those?" I asked as I moved to sit on my bed.

"No. I was never allowed near the sword, no one was." Noah observed her swords for a moment. "My family was the village Protectors," she continued. "My father, his father, his grandfather, it was their job to protect the village whenever we were attacked. My brother was being trained, but he was killed, so the title was left to me, my father's last child."

I stared at her, stunned by how easily she spoke of her brother's death. She didn't seem to notice.

"No one was happy with it. There had never been a girl as a Protector before, and I was only... sixteen at the time. It was a tough year." She smirked faintly and lifted the blue-sheathed sword. "I was given this sword the day I finally became the official Protector. It's called Lyalin. I should have gotten it when I started training, but I wasn't about to complain." She slowly put the weapon down again. "Anyway, it turned out that the sword we all worshipped had been taken to our world somehow. Alec and Mi'ta showed up to take it, and with nothing to steal, the swamp creatures stopped attacking us. I didn't have anything better to do, so I went with Alec and Mi'ta."

"So, where did that sword come from?" I wondered, indicating the green one.

Noah glanced to the weapon and studied it for a moment. "It's called Leonart," she said. "It was my brother's. He left it to me when he died. No one was happy about that, either. Usually a Protector's weapon is buried with him. But his dying wish overrode tradition, and I got the sword."

We were quiet, both of us staring at the green sword for several moments.

"I'm sorry."

Noah shrugged. "It was a long time ago." She moved Leonart to the floor but kept the blue sword with her as she lay back on her bed, stretching out a little.

"...What about your mother?" I asked awkwardly.

"What about her?"

"What did she think when you became the Protector?"

"Oh. Hell, the woman was crying, she was so upset." She rolled her eyes. "I was her 'little girl' as she put it, and little girls aren't meant to fight. She would have liked me to marry some rich lord or something and live like a princess."

I snorted at the idea.

"She was happy when Mi'ta and Alec showed up, but when I told her I was going with them, I thought her heart was going to explode."

"What about them? Alec and Mi'ta," I asked. "Where do they come from?"

"Alec is from Tirelai, and Mi'ta is from Nyahal," Noah told me. "I think Alec was a bounty hunter, and Mi'ta was a healer. That's all I can tell you. Anything beyond that isn't my business to talk about."

I nodded and fell silent, thinking over all I'd learned. As the quiet wore on, the lights dimmed on their own, until the room was dark. Noah's breathing eventually evened out, and soon enough, sleep overtook me, as well.

X X X

We split up again in the morning, Mi'ta and I taking the Noth Corner of the city, Noah, Alec and Tyler taking the South. Apparently we would be doing the East and West corners tomorrow.

The city we were in was called Senth. After observing a map I'd found in the Cat's Eyes' bar, I determined that Senth was shaped perfectly like a square, with high walls serving as barriers and gates at each corner. At the center was a smaller square, labelled 'The Citadel'.

"The last time we were here," Mi'ta explained as we explored the North corner. "The Citadel was used as a hideout for the most powerful gangs. It was originally a government building, but the gangs took it over. I can't imagine what it's being used for now that the crime's gone..."

I had been worried that we would receive the same strange looks and distrust that we'd been treated to in Shalved. Here, however, the people were as mismatched as the Hunters. Every person was different from the last; some looked like they had come from Earth, while others had oddly colored skin and hair. Some wore simple shirts and pants, and others were dressed in elaborate layers of vibrant colors. It all made me feel like I was in a science-fiction movie.

Mi'ta had left his staff and robe in his room. He wore a loose white shirt that hung to his knees, tied with a brown rope at his waist, and simple black pants.

I'd dressed in what I hoped was an inconspicuous button-down shirt and jeans. I had decided to continue wearing my jeweled belt, though I wasn't sure why I liked it so much.

We asked everyone we could find about Lily and Damaen. No one remembered seeing Lily, and though everyone knew who Damaen was, they claimed to have no idea where he was.

"So what now?" I couldn't help feeling dejected as we finished with the North corner. It was getting close to nightfall, and we still hadn't found the slightest hint of Lily.

Mi'ta smiled gently. "Now, we go back to the inn and see if the otehrs have found anything," he said, lightly patting my shoulder. "Don't worry, Jai. It's not like we're going to give up. We'll find Damaen and Lily."

I glanced at him and managed to force a weak smile. "Thanks," I said, though I didn't really feel assured at all. It was hard to allow yourself to be reassured when your sister was still in a demon's hands.

Mi'ta seemed to notice my lingering distress. We were quite as we headed back to the inn, watching as the street rapidly emptied. After a few minutes, he looked at me and asked, "Is there any magic on your world?"

"Not that I know of," I said with a shrug. "Not your kind, anyway. We have magicians who perform kids tricks. Rabbit out of a hat kind of stuff, you know?"

Mi'ta raised a silver eyebrow. "Why would anyone want to put a rabbit in a hat?" he asked, confused. "...What is a rabbit?"

I couldn't help smiling. "Well, a rabbit is a furry animal with long ears and a small tail. And you wouldn't put one into a hat, it's an illusion. The magician shows everyone that there's nothing in the hat, says a magic word, and the rabbit appears."

"Oh. What magic word?"

"I don't know. Alakazam or something."

He grinned suddenly. "Alakazam?"

I felt myself blush and shrugged it off. "I don't know, I'm not a magician. Why? What do you do?"

Mi'ta shrugged. "It depends on the magic."

"There are different kinds?"

"Of course. If I don't know the magic well, I have to use an incantation. If it's something I'm familiar with, I can just use my mind."

"What kind are you best at?"

He considered for a moment. "Healing, I suppose. I've studied healing since I was young, so I've been doing it longest. After that, I'm good at simple spells I learned for... entertainment."

"Entertainment?" I repeated suspiciously. "Like what?"

He smiled and stopped walking, and I stopped to watch. He held up a hand and began twirling his fingers in slow, random movements.

Before I could question his odd actions, a faint music started to play. It was soft and lilting, and it took me a moment to determine that it was coming from Mi'tas fingers.

Slowly, the air around his hand began to shimmer. Tiny gold flecks of dust appeared, twisting and turning with the motion of his fingers. Gradually the dust began to clump together into what appeared to be tiny figures of men and women. The dust people paired up and danced slowly to the music, drifting about in the air.

I couldn't take my eyes away as the little figures danced. "Wow."

The people soon stopped and bowed to each other, before the dust scattered and faded away. The music stopped as Mi'ta lowered his hand, amusement in his eyes. "See? Entertaining, wasn't it?"

I blinked at him, and felt the corner of my mouth twitch. "Yeah, it was," I mused, and continued toward the inn.

"Do you like magic?" he asked, walking with me. "Usually when a person sees magic for the first time they don't trust it."

"I don't know. It's hard to freak out about anything," I admitted, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"That's good. It's best to be calm," Mi'ta said, nodding.

"I guess so."

We reached the inn, and the barkeep mentioned that we were late for curfew. Ignoring him, we went upstairs to find the door to the room I shared with Noah left open.

"Finally," Alec said when we entered. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Where have the two of you been? We were getting worried."

"We got a little lost," Mi'ta confessed apologetically as he closed the door.

"Did you find anything?" Tyler asked, sitting on my bed. Noah watched from her cross-legged perch on the coffee table.

"No," I sighed, settling on the bed beside Tyler. "Everyone's heard of Damaen, but no one can say where he is."

"We've heard the same," Alec muttered. "Either they don't know or they're too afraid to say."

"So what do we do?" Tyler asked impatiently. "Something tells me that searching the East and West corners will be pointless."

Alec sighed. "I used the Seeker earlier, and it said that no humans have been taken here," he said. "Not very helpful. But we will search the East and West corners tomorrow. We may find someone willing to talk."

As Alec spoke, Tyler's hand found mind and squeezed my fingers. I glanced at him to find him staring at me, eyes hard. I could see that, beyond the fierce look, he was developing a plan. He was tired of waiting around and taking orders.

And so was I.