Anansi's Web

We landed several yards from Sraff’s gates. Night had dulled the fields, and roads, but Sraff’s light was bright like the sun that released heat into the cold emptiness of space.

We came to a stop along the side of the road filled with tree’s that chattered as large trucks, and smaller cars raced past. We were tired, and dirty, and smelly and wanted to rest, but we forced ourselves on despite that.

“Where do we go in the city?” Vince asked.

“A hotel, I know one near the entrance. We can sort out a plan in the morning.”

Ember’s voice was a comfort. She sounded weary, but her words were a relief.

Clusters of cars drove into the gate and a large sign read: Welcome to Sraff. I sighed with relief. We slumped forward when I noticed a man sitting in front of the sign. He wore a cream colored jacket, and had a rough silver-grey beard. There was a scruff of hair on his head, and he looked like a tired old lump. I sympathized with him, and tapped Cara’s hand.

“Hmm?” She said quietly.

“Can we give him some astrexium?”

Cara looked at me for a moment and we nodded. She took a single glimmering coin from her small pouch, and handed it to the ragged man.

He took the coin and his eyes widened. I felt like Ember and Vince watching us, but they did nothing.

The man’s tired dull blue eyes looked at us first with relief and then it shifted to recognition, which quickly became a look of urgency.

“Thank you,” He said in a gruff, deep voice.

He lifted his left hand and I noticed a muddy, grime covered red band, loose around his wrist. I felt my eyes narrow, and I looked closer at the strange man. There was a scar on his face, and his dull eyes were full of reluctance.

“Would you mind if I went with you? I’ve been out here for so long I felt I was waiting for something. It’s time to go and find it myself.”

Cara gave him a little smile, and the softness in his voice made me drop my suspicions.

The giant man rose from the ground. He stood several inches above me, looking down, expressionless.

Cara and I walked back to Vince, and Ember. Vince looked cautiously behind us, but Ember smiled, and nodded. I turned to Vince, and I had all of one second to see his face before he pushed the three of us over, shouting a warning.

Bright green light passed us by, eventually evaporating in the air. Did the homeless man just attack us?

Vince reached into his bag, and pulled out his gun. He aimed, and shot at the old pirate who dodged the blasts, and had his arms extended, prepared to attack us.

When Cara, Ember, and I untangled ourselves, and stood up we were ready to attack, but I was so worn out I wasn’t completely aware of what was happening. A few car horns blared at us, but did nothing to stop the fight.

In a flash, Cara Ember and I were blasted backwards, tossed through the air. I felt the force physically, but I also felt it somewhere deeper, in my magic if that’s possible. The blow rattled my very core.

I sat up dazed. Vince was dodging the rapid magic blasts, but wasn’t hitting the man. I tried to get myself together, but I really didn’t feel like moving. Ember staggered upwards with a deep scowl on her face. “Stay here.”

I nodded, sitting up to watch the action. I was struggling to connect the pieces of what was happening, feeling detached from reality.

Purple and green light danced, popped, and snapped like a malicious fireworks show. Vince was off to the side, attempting to hit the man with red blasts, but somehow the man could focus on both of them at once.

While watching I noticed that Ember was a bit sloppy. I had seen her fight before, and then she was more graceful, and calculating, but now she was wild, and her magic flew in all directions, though she was careful not to hit a car. She struggled to keep up with the man’s quick pace. He was almost as good as she was when she wasn’t so tired, and dizzy.

“Why would he do this?” Cara asked, shuffling through her bag.

“I dunno. What’re you gonna do?”

“Help. They need us.” Cara said.

I was conflicted about helping, but I didn’t want to stop Cara. She wavered as she stood, stumbling forward. The traffic into the city had stopped, and people watched from they’re cars.

Ember tossed a spell that missed, hitting the large welcome to Sraff sign, denting the flimsy metal. She was distracted for a moment as she surveyed her work, when green light washed over her, forming into ropes that tied her head to toe. She fell down, squirming, and letting out muffled cries. Before she could escape, she was hit with a green beam, and went still.

I gasped in horror, wondering if he had killed her, but I watched her chest move up and down. She was still breathing through the slits in the rope. I relaxed, and fought my urge to stay down. The world tilted, and spun around, but I tried to blink it away. If Ember couldn’t beat him I doubted I could, but maybe there was a chance.

“What are you doing?” Vince asked, breathless.

The man remained silent. He flicked his hand carelessly, and Vince’s gun was knocked away. He left his sword with the griffins, several yards from here. Vince ran up, and punched the old pirate with an audible crack, but at the same time the man used his magic to knock Vince away.

Both men were off balance, and woozy, but before anyone recovered from watching the scene, the towering man snapped, and the grass elongated into dark vines, adorned with sharp thorns. The vines grasped onto Vince, holding him down while he winced.

Cara was behind the man, and he didn’t seem to notice. She shook up a bottle just as the man began to walk towards me. She uncorked the bottle, and tackled him, pouring the liquid onto his face. He began gagging, rolling on the dirt.

I held my hand out, and he was surrounded by my magic. He was caught mid cough, looking like he was in the process of throwing up. Cara walked closer to him. She took some small blue crystals that glimmered in the white light of my magic. She placed them into a small jar full of a clear fluid. She shook the jar around, and when the liquid had turned blue, she raised the glass to his lips, and poured the concoction into his mouth.

She nodded to me, and I let him go. He went completely still. Cara walked over to Vince, who was moaning in pain. She took out her knife that he had given her, and sawed through the green vines.

I walked closer to the man. He could move, but not very well. “Can he speak?” I asked as Cara finished cutting Vince out.

She nodded, and walked past me to Ember, and began to saw through her ropes.

Vince sat up, observing the small pricks that had settled on his skin from the little thorns. The wounds were small dots of red that weren’t big enough to be a danger, though in one place the thorns had cut a long line across his arm, leaving it bleeding more than the rest. He trembled as he stood, reaching for his black bag that was tossed aside in the fight.

Cara and I shook Ember to try and get her back on her feet. She would open her eyes, and then close them back again. I heard car doors open and slam shut as people rushed up to help us. I wanted them gone, I didn’t want any more attention, I was tired, but I guess I couldn’t stop them from coming now.

With some help of strangers, Ember was being assisted in standing, and was beginning to come back around. Vince was bandaged, he was a bit woozy still, but the pain had made him alert. People were patting his back, and commenting on the punch he gave the man, but he shrugged it off, and walked to us.

“You two okay?”

I nodded.

“Are you okay?” Cara asked.

“I’ve been worse. C’mon, let’s go.”

The three of us walked to the still man, while Ember sat against a stopped car, fighting to keep her eyes open. I wished I would never see her so vulnerable again. The thought that she may have died earlier almost broke me.

“I’ve called the S-MOD. They should be here any minute now” Said a nearby stranger. I nodded slightly, but otherwise ignored them. They were a useless chatter in the background.

I scowled as I looked down at the mess that was spread before me. He stopped me from getting into the city, and getting some sleep. I needed to find out why.

“Why did you attack us?” I asked as calm as I could be. He was quiet for a moment as he practiced moving his mouth, but his words still came out slurred.

“T’Fervn director, ’as loookouts ’n city. Paid me t’watch fer you three.”

“Are the others in this city?” Vince asked with a harsh tone.

“No. They’re ’r even more in Othaaal and Barkham. Neptia too”

“He has connections everywhere prob’ly. Right under our noses.” Vince said through his teeth.

“What does the director-” I stopped to yawn,” Know ’bout us?”

“Not Much.” The man sputtered.

The nearby civilians listened carefully. They’re car engines were off, and everyone was out of their cars, crowded around us. Confused murmurs spread thought he crowd like a spider web forming.

“What’re we gonna do with him?” Cara asked.

“He can’t do anything now.” Vince whispered so that only Cara and I could hear. “When the S-MOD shows up, he’s going to prison. They’ll question him. I doubt they’ll go deep if we don’t show up and give them information. I learned not to deal with the MOD. If we tell them, they’ll want to keep us in the city, ’n protect us, but you know how well that went last time. Plus, there’s that guy that’s going to be attacked by Amunites.”

“So what do we do?”

“S-MOD might know who we are …They might know about the war. If we ran to the city we’d be in more danger. I say we go with the S-MOD. After tomorrow we save the guy in the city, and go back to the mountains together. We’ll wait until we can make a better plan.”

Cara and I looked at each other, and had a silent conversation that ended with a shrug. “Okay.” I said, willing to agree if it meant I got to sleep tonight.

Vince nodded, and we assured the crowd that we were fine, and we’ll wait for the S-MOD. I had some doubts about Vince’s plan, but Ember would be awake in the morning to judge.

Once traffic started moving again, and the night was filled with the rumble of wheels along the road, and the chatter of a busy city, Vince, Cara and I sat next to a mumbling Ember, fighting for consciousness.

The pirate twitched on the ground, and Vince spat at him, just missing his head. “No one helps Fervan.” He said.

“Not our enemy. Zirea’s.” The man spoke, with some more control over his mouth. “Director threatened me, but I did it for everyone. We can end this. Fervan wins, by re awakening three Siribi, and the world will be at peace.”

With each word Vince’s face grew darker. “People say Fervan is cruel.”

“They wanted a united world, but when Zirea refused to share power, she dropped it until Zirea sent a spy. The spy learned secrets, and weaknesses.”

They was preparing for war, and experimenting with dangerous stuff.” Vince said.

“Say what you will. The pirates ought to be pulling for Fervan.”

“Fervan helps Amedia, the reason we’re pirates. The reason people hate us.” Vince said, and this seemed to close the matter.

I didn’t want to get involved in all of this, but I found it interesting to listen to. Both were passionate, but Vince looked like he was two seconds away from finishing this poor man off. I remembered that punch, and I saw that the side of the man’s face was bruised badly, and drops of blood had come from his lips.

Cara sorted through her bag, searching for nothing in particular, and Vince was looking at the man. There was ferocity in his eyes that made me believe that he was still a pirate, whether he wanted to be or not.

Sirens blared as an S-MOD car came down the street, rolling onto the grass, out of traffic’s way. Two men stepped out. They wore blue uniforms with golden name badges, and several pockets were scattered across their outfits, holding who know what. A gun was held sturdy at their waists, and their hands fidgeted around the small device, like a reflex.

“What’s going on here?” An officer with black, tidy hair asked.

“The man there, lying on the ground. He attacked us.” Vince said.

“And we kind of need your help.” Cara said. Ember twitched, which I figured was agreement.

“Come on with us to the station. We’ll talk about it there.” said the officer. We all got into the car, sitting in the back, packed together in the toasty box. Ember moaned from time to time, but I think she’ll be okay. No one said anything.

The station was bright, and a small improvement from the tight car. The desks of S-MOD officers were close together, leaving little room for guests on a small plastic bench. The room smelled like chemicals, and left my skin tingling with goosebumps while I examined the officers.

They finished interrogating the homeless man in a small room. We were taking from the bench, and into the same room, with a few extra chairs brought in for all of us to sit down. I fought to keep awake, but it was getting more difficult. The clock on the wall that clicked annoyingly said that it was early in the morning, almost to sunrise. It had taken us three hours from the moment night fell to get to Sraff, not including breaks.

“So why do you need our help?” The officer with black hair asked. There were lines under his eyes, and his lips were thin, and his eyebrows were bushy, lying on his caveman like forehead that shadowed his eyes in the light of the single yellow bulb handing from the ceiling.

“First of all, could you help our friend?” I said, feeling the need to act confident, and cold in front of the officers.

A man standing in the back of the room, walked up, and helped Ember away. She groaned as she walked like a dizzy newborn deer towards the door. “Sorry, we meant to help her while you were waiting, but we forgot.”

I focused on the man in front of me; looking much less comforting than he should to someone he was supposed to help.

Vince began to talk about why we had been attacked, and what we had been through, but he kept out some information about him in the mountains, and how he was a pirate.

When Vince had finished the officer looked absolutely dazed. He was feverishly writing notes with a black pen in scratchy handwriting about our adventures. I looked across Vince, at Cara, who looked back at me with concern blaring in her eyes.

Vince noticed our concern, and placed his hands on our shoulders, giving us a reassuring glance. I felt unstable without Ember, but Vince felt like an untrustworthy older brother, who did dangerous stuff, but you knew that a lot of the time you would get away with it. Yet, he didn’t know everything.

When he was done writing, he told us that he would let Othal know at once. I wondered if the kings and queens would hate me for this. I was one of the main reasons the war would soon be announced to the public.

The man folded up the paper, handed it to an officer in the corner, who was told to take it to the head of the department. With a brisk nod, the hard faced officer began his stiff walk into the bright station outside of the eerie interrogation room.

“So what’s going to happen to us now?” Vince asked with a cautious tone in his voice.

“Well, that might not be for me to decide. We’ll get the official MOD out here to guard you while you stay in Sraff. We might have you live in the heart of the city, in a temporary house provided by Zirea’s protection law. At least, that’s what I expect they’ll do. This was some valuable information, and it seems we’re in for some tough times.”

“Seems so.” Vince said.

“You must be tired,’ Said the officer, “We don’t have a place for you to sleep in here other than the few cells in the back. You can sleep there until we have a plan if you want. No one’ll see you, and you aren’t in trouble, that’s just all I can think of.”

Vince nodded, and we all hurried to the back, where the cells were. This wasn’t a prison; it was a place where people are held for very short periods of time I guess. Vince and I went into one cell that only had two beds.

I got under the thin light green sheets on the firm bed, and lay my head on the one, flat pillow, all of which I vaguely remembered the officer assuring me had been washed.