Enter the Frey

Chapter 7

Selena began to search about the back of the building—the only place that was not completely engulfed by the flames. She used her arm to shield her face from the ashes and smoke as she picked through what looked like farming tools.

“Yes,” she cried, returning to the others with a pile of broomsticks. They stared at her offering with indifference.

“Are we going to clean the fire away?” Adam asked.

“These are charmed, see?” Selena showed them the symbols carved into the wooden handles. “We can levitate on them.”

To demonstrate, she placed the stick between her legs and ran. When she had gathered enough speed behind her, Selena jumped as high as she could. After an initial wobble, the brush straightened out and glided through the air with ease, leaving a trail through the smoke cloud.

She looked down at the elf’s awestruck expression and smiled to herself, thinking what a strange fellow he was.

‘And beautiful, too,’ she thought. 

Ziel and Aim took the other two brooms and joined her in the sky, after a couple of tries in Ziel’s case. For a ‘superior being’ he had little physical prowess, balance, or grace. 

They met above the flames, feeling the heat that rose from below. Selena shifted her legs, feeling them begin to cook.

Squinting into the fire, it was just possible to make out a second figure, hiding underneath a collapsing outhouse. Only the bare bones of the structure remained as flames licked at the blackening wooden skeleton.

“I’m going in,” Selena decided. She made a beeline for the other boy, holding her breath as she passed through the smoke and flames.

Coughing up soot, she bent over, trying to pull herself together. The boy looked up in shock and fear, creeping further back into the corner of the collapsing outhouse. 

“It isn’t safe here,” Selena said, reaching out her hand. She tried to flash her most reassuring smile, hoping he would warm to her and allow her to rescue him. 

“I can’t leave my brother,” the boy said.

“You have to, he’s going to kill you if you stay here,” Selena urged. Explaining to this kid that he was part of a simulation and none of this mattered would only scare and confuse him further. It was never a good idea to upset the flow of narrative within the simulations. Things could go very wrong, very quickly.

"But… he’s my twin brother. I can’t go without him,” the boy insisted.

“Okay,” Selena said. “I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

She flew back up to the others and gave a report on the situation.

“So… the other boy is the one we need to save?” Ziel frowned.

“I would assume so,” Selena said. “But he won’t leave without the human incinerator.”

“Can we not just grab him? He’s just a kid,” Ziel shrugged.

“I feel bad—”

“Don’t be stupid. It’s a sim. Not like he’s a real boy,” Ziel huffed.

“Still, acting like they aren’t real never ends well Ziel,” Aim said, echoing Selena’s thoughts on the matter. They flew back to the ground to see if the others had any insights to offer. 

The elf looked as confused as ever, Anrose agreed with Ziel—which was no real surprise—and Jack was the third to warn against destroying the narrative of the game. 

“Well, Valaar, can you do any sort of magic to extinguish these flames?” Ziel asked. He sighed heavily and tutted. “Adam, I mean Adam. You!”

The elf jumped and began to stutter, “Oh, er—erm, w… well, the thing is…”

“Magic takes time to learn, Ziel,” Aim said, stepping in front of the terrified looking elf. “He just needs a bit of time to practise.”

“What do you mean?” Ziel’s face darkened, eyes narrowing at Adam and Aim. “You mean to tell me every single one of you is useless?”

Selena coughed. “Well… useless is a bit harsh.”

Ziel turned and looked her up and down. “You might come in handy for something,” he jeered.

Selena did not like the look in his eyes. Being forced into fighting for him was bad enough. If he made her do anything untoward, she might have to up her escapee game.

“I don’t see any other options,” Ziel said. “I’m just gonna grab him and scram. Jack, be ready with a water ball in case we take any fire with us.”

Selena followed Ziel back into the flames. She used her cloak to wrap her face, saving her lungs from some of the heat, but planned on using it to cover the boy as they pulled him away.

“This place is about to collapse,” Selena told the boy, bending over to his level. She looked him in the eyes, asking, “Please come with us. We can’t leave you here.”

“What about my brother?” he cried. Tears made clean tracks down his otherwise blackened face. “I can’t leave him.”

“Sure you can,” Ziel said. He took a step toward the boy, going to grab him when the boy burst into flames. His eyes glowed red as he balanced a molten ball of fire in each hand.

“I can control it better than my brother,” the boy warned. “Stay back.”

“Okay, okay, calm down, we’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want,” Selena said. She pulled on Ziel's arm, ushering him away.

“New plan?” she asked.

He nodded, and jumped back on his stick, flying away so fast he blew dust and embers into her eyes. Squinting, she followed dutifully, pressing down the urge to complain.

Back on the ground, away from the blazing heat, Selena still couldn’t think up a solution. If the boy was determined to stay, how could they force him without being burnt to a crisp?

“I have a plan,” Ziel said. “I need all of you to stand back pretty far.”

“What are you planning, Zee?” Aim asked. She looked worried, which in turn caused Selena to worry.

“Come on,” Aim grabbed Selena’s hand and ran at full pelt in the opposite direction, toward the grassy hill. Selena turned her head just enough to get a glimpse of the thing Ziel had turned into. It was enormous, standing almost ten times taller than the barn, with rippling muscles that moved and twisted like dripping oil. She’d seen demonic being before, but this was on a whole different level. Its horns alone had to span thirty feet... and its teeth! They were sharp as any knife she’d seen and splayed outward as it opened its mouth wide, taking a chunk out of the farm.

“No!” Selena cried. Why would he eat the boy?

As Aim slowed and dropped her wrist, Selena turned back to find the demon was gone and Ziel stood n***d in the dust. 

“Why?” the other boy cried, beating Ziel with his fists. “You killed him.”

“Now you are free to leave this place,” Ziel told him. 

“Who said I wanted to?” the boy asked.

Ziel shrugged. “I don’t know. But if you don’t leave right now… I’ll eat you too.”

The boy spat at the floor by Ziel’s feet and walked away.

“Erm, what if we were meant to rescue the other boy?” Jack asked.

“We did,” Ziel said. “He’s not a fiery ball of rage and hatred anymore.”

Selena hated having to admit to herself that he had a point. She didn’t want him to be right. Not about this or anything else. He was negative and cruel and had a skewed perception of the world. She wondered what could have happened in his life to make him this way. 

“So how do know if we passed?” Adam asked.

“The challenge simulation will reappear if you fail,” Jack told them. They all turned as one, staring at what used to be a field of fire. Beneath the stars it smouldered gently, releasing tendrils of smoke and into the sky to join the rain clouds.

“Oh no,” Selena sighed. “It’s about to rain.”

“Yeah,” Ziel said. “Let’s go set up camp.”

"And find some new clothes?" Selena asked, eyeing Ziel's n***d form.

"Oh," Ziel looked down at himself. "Gimme your cloak. You look better without it anyway."

As she peeled off the cloak, revealing the thin layer of leather armour below, she felt the eyes of her companions on her legs and breasts.

Ziel whistled. "I knew there was a reason I chose you."