New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 7: First Glimpse

The weekend passed peacefully enough. Nohano sang with the group, and Killian worked for Phil, cleaning up and doing various odd jobs around the fairegrounds. The guys wouldn't let him pay rent, but Killian insisted on helping to pay for the food, which Robert relented to.

During the weekdays, a couple of the members of No Quarter had part-time jobs for their "extracurricular activities", such as bar-hopping or other various entertainments. Nohano once wondered if they'd go to a brothel, if it were legal, just like the people they sang about in their songs.

Killian and Nohano were often left alone in the apartment, giving them time to practice with their mystical gear. Once Nohano realized the gear appeared by will, not anger, he stopped screaming at it. It worked much better and saved him from a sore throat.

Killian told Nohano about some of the dreams he'd had, of the other people he was supposed to seek out, and of an old Japanese man with a strange, round, pointed hat, telling him he would have to fight.

"Fight?" said Nohano, frowning, in the middle of an odd contortion on the floor. He'd been seeing just how flexible the "riot gear" as he'd come to call it was, and looked pretty foolish as a result. "You mean like a war?"

"I think so," said Killian grimly, sitting on the floor. He had his own gear on, and Nohano had the sudden, strange thought that they could be twins from the future, dressed in some kind of weird spacesuits. "Not a war like back home, something...I dunno. Darker. Something more ancient. More like...more like the crusades, than civil wars or world wars." He shook his head worriedly. "I think we're supposed to be...not really soldiers, more like...champions. Or...I dunno. I don't even know who the blazes we're supposed to be fighting."

Nohano was silent for a moment, thinking of his nightmare, and bit his lip. He'd already met one person that he had dreamt of; he didn't know what he would do if he ever met the terrifying specter from that particular dream. "I think I know," he finally said. Taking a big breath, he described his nightmare to Killian, trying to convey why it was so horrifying, and the unnatural terror that had sunk into his spirit.

He must have done an extraordinary job of explaining, because Killian's expression was horrified. "You think this is what we have to fight?"

"I-I think so. Why else would I dream of it? Where could something like that come from? Hell, you're from one of my dreams, the idea of meeting someone else from them isn't so crazy."

"No," said Killian unhappily. "I suppose not. But...but why us? We're kids, I mean, we should both be in school! Why should we be chosen to fight this war?"

Nohano sat up normally, taking a big breath. "I don't know why us," he said at last. "Maybe it's something to do with these spheres. I mean...you said yours might be linked to water...and you survived that tsunami. You shoulda been dead, and you didn't even have your riot gear yet. Maybe we have, I dunno, powers or something."

"Powers..." Killian was silent for a moment, before looking to Nohano. "Your gear's red, so's the orb...what power could be linked to it?"

They both looked at each other for several moments, and as if they were sharing a brain, both looked at the bright, fiery shirt Nohano had bought over the weekend. The boys looked back at each other, and Nohano stood, jogging into the kitchen and wincing at the clattering his boots made on the hardwood floor. He hoped the downstairs neighbors didn't get mad. A rapid clanking told him that Killian had followed, both boys squeezing into the tiny kitchen.

The stove was gas, since gas was far cheaper than electricity, and Nohano turned one of the burners on. He looked at the blue flame for a moment, then slowly put his hand into it, turning the burner up all the way. He bit his lip, waiting for the metal to begin to get hot, and it did—but astonishingly, it never burned his skin. He held it in the flame for a good minute and a half, and felt nothing but pleasant warmth, and the sort of buzz he felt when he'd drunk a lot of Mountain Dew Ultra.

He turned to Killian, feeling his eyes bug out; Killian's eyes were wide, too. "You try it," said Nohano urgently.

Killian nodded and stuck his gauntleted hand into the fire, but jerked it away not ten seconds later with a hiss of pain, splashing his hand into the half-filled sink and sending dishwater flying everywhere. "Bloody hell!"

Nohano stared in shock, and then burst into laughter at the scene; himself with his hand over the fire, his friend with his hand in the sink, both of them looking like they came from a science-fiction movie. "This is unreal," Nohano laughed, his laughter finally winding down. He looked back to the fire, sticking his hand in again. Once again, the warmth, the tingle of energy, but no pain, and when he stuck his finger in the dishwater, it hissed from the heat. "Ho-ly shit."

A click at the door cut the experiment short; the others were returning. A chill of alarm going through him, Nohano jerked his hand out of the fire and turned it off, closing his eyes for a moment to concentrate the riot gear off his body. When he opened his eyes again, Killian had also banished his gear, and both of them were putting the orbs in their pockets when the door opened.

"So!" Robert said as he spied them in the kitchen, looking startled. "Snitching food, eh?"

"Aw, ya caught us!" Nohano exclaimed, laughing a little nervously. "Hey, you guys took so long, I thought I was gonna starve to death. You're the one who says I need to gain weight."

"Not me!" said Robert cheerfully. "That's Manny. So anyway, what've you guys been doing? Haven't seen much of ya lately."

He winked, which meant he wasn't upset, but Nohano still felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had been spending nearly all of his free time with Killian, just glad to have a friend my own age, but he hadn't thought about the fact that he was damn near ignoring his other friends.

Something of this must have shown on his face. "Hey," said Robert, sprawling on his bedroll and grinning at him. "I'm glad to see ya enjoying yourself. I know you've mentioned being sick of us irritating adults a few times before."

Nohano had to laugh; he'd never said it quite so rudely, but he had mentioned missing being around other kids. The other faire workers and the groups that performed there were all at least eighteen, and most were in their twenties and thirties. "Thanks," he finally said. "Guess you're glad to not have me tagging along all the time, too."

"Nah," said Gregory, smirking. "We kinda miss having a punching bag."

"Hey!" Indignation replaced the guilt, and Nohano lunged at him, and it all degenerated from there into a roughhousing brawl. Even Killian joined the fray on Nohano's behalf, and the whole thing ended with everyone sprawled on the floor in undignified heaps, laughing or trying to get their breath back.

"I saw you guys ganging up on him," Killian accused good-naturedly. "Had to intervene."

Nohano shot Killian a smile. Killian had done two things with that statement; he had shown he was no longer just a friendly stranger they were helping out with lodging, and letting Nohano know he was willing to stick up for him, even in play. Killian grinned back, understanding Nohano's expression of thanks.

The next day, No Quarter rehearsed outside in the compound after breakfast, right up until lunch. They gathered a small audience as usual; people seemed to enjoy watching them rehearse, even though they often stopped in the middle of songs to work out notes or the drum parts, or the like. They had never gotten any complaints about their rehearsals, and the off-duty apartment managers would even come to watch.

That morning, Robert had invited Killian to rehearse with them if he wanted, and he agreeably took the offer, saying he had been in choir in school, and knew enough to be able to read music. Nohano handed him a few sheets of the music Gregory had arranged for the group (he was their composer), and Killian said he'd take the tenor part. He was pretty good, too! His voice wasn't as high as Nohano's, but it was clear and pleasant.

"You know," said Robert seriously, "you could actually join us if you wanted. We've been thinking of adding a sixth member to the group."

Killian blinked, obviously caught wrongfooted. "You're joking, mate."

Robert laughed. "Not at all," he said. "You sing well with us, and you can read music. Not to mention it would even up the sides in No Quarter Badminton."

Confusion clouded Killian's face, and Nohano had to explain just what No Quarter Badminton was. Of course then, they had to plan to play a match or two that afternoon, after Robert told Killian to think on the offer for a while. After a quick lunch and a round of badminton that Killian, Nohano, and Aaron spectacularly lost, Nohano asked Robert what time it was.

"About one-thirty," he said. "Why?"

"Well, Killian and I were thinking about going into town and into the library. Something different to do, and I've read my own books about a million times."

Killian shot Nohano a surprised look, but said nothing; this was the first Nohano had mentioned of it. Robert only shrugged agreeably. "Sounds like a plan. You gonna be back in time for supper?"

"We should be—what're we having, and who's cooking? That might just influence my decision."

"You—you are getting way too big for your britches, kid!" said Robert with a surprised laugh, taking a swipe at Nohano's head. Nohano ducked this time, avoiding the hand. "Just for that, you get to eat that package of Brussels sprouts Aaron got by mistake the others day."

"Bleh!" Of its own accord, Nohano's mouth twisted into a snarl of disgust. "I think I'll skip supper after all."

Once he had gotten Robert's assurance that he would not be forced to eat Brussels sprouts, Nohano said they should be back in time, and Robert headed up after the others. When he was gone, Killian gave Nohano a curious look. "You really that desperate for reading material?"

Nohano laughed a little bit. "No. I thought we'd go there and see if we could find mention of these damned things in some book...legends, or occult, or even some kind of weird...technology, or...I dunno. It's the only thing I can think of."

"That's not too bad an idea!"

"Every once in a while I came up with a decent plan,' said Nohano with a chuckle. "The library's only four blocks away, too."

"Convenient."

---

Normally, the trip to the library would have been quite unremarkable; the only thing on the way from the apartment complex to the library was a large group of other apartment complexes and a couple of convenience marts. That day, however, things got far more interesting than Nohano would have liked.

To begin with, not two blocks from home, Killian and Nohano were badly startled by a sudden snarling off to their left. A dog stood there, the hair on his back bristled up, his snout set in an angry snarl. After a moment, Nohano recognized the dog; it was a friendly mutt he'd encountered around the general area before, and he had never seen the beast so much as growl. Had he somehow gone rabid, or was he hurt?

"Hey," said Nohano softly, kneeling and extending a hand towards him. "Hey, you know me, boy."

But the dog set his ears back and his tail low, backing away as if Nohano were advancing on him with a baseball bat. Puzzled and a little unnerved, Nohano stood and backed off. Killian tried to calm the animal, too, but only succeeded on chasing it off. He looked at Nohano, plainly bothered. "That's never happened," he said. "I'm usually really good with animals."

Nohano shook his head, suddenly very uneasy. "Something weird's going on," he said. "Come on...let's get to the library. The sooner we're with other people, the better I'll feel."

That was a huge understatement; a panic that Nohano couldn't explain was growing in his chest, and he was fighting a primal urge to run. Killian apparently felt the same way, breaking into a jog down the street. A little startled, Nohano ran after him.

When the boys stopped to catch their breath, they were a block away from the library. "What the hell is going on?" Killian demanded, his tone plaintive, looking around with half wary, half angry eyes.

"I-I don't know," Nohano panted, standing up and taking a big breath. He glanced upwards and was badly scared to realize the clouds had again turned that threatening shade of green, but before he could say anything, Killian grabbed his arm.

Nohano turned, following Killian's fearful gaze until his eyes fell on two figures a few meters away. One of them, a boy maybe four year his senior, was not much to look at; his hair and eyes were brown and his face nondescript. The man standing next to him, however, was difficult to miss. He reminded Nohano of a spider, though whether because of his long, spindly fingers or his soft, white, web-like hair, Nohano didn't know. He had a patch over one eye, and the other eye shone a stark blue. He was dressed in street clothing that for some reason did not seem to suit him.

The terror Nohano felt on seeing him was the same fear he had experienced in his nightmare. The man looked directly at Killian. "Torrent," he hissed cryptically, his eye narrowing and his mouth stretching into a delighted smile. Without thinking, Nohano stepped in front of Killian and began urging him slowly backwards. The man's unsettling gaze settled on Nohano, and his grin seemed to widen. "And Wildfire."

"Let's get out of here!" Nohano whispered urgently, not taking his gaze off of the two men.

The man's laughter set Nohano's teeth on edge. "Run, little boy," the man said with a laugh, looking altogether amused. His speech was archaic, his voice low and harsh. Nohano understood his words, even though they were not in English. "You must have stolen that orb you have--Wildfire would never choose such a coward on its own!"

Nohano stopped dead, his eyes widening in sudden anger at the contemptuous insult, his hands balling into fists. "Coward! Why you," he snarled, taking a furious step forward, his wariness forgotten.

He didn't get too much father than that. Fear and astonishment in his voice, Killian sprinted in front of him and pushed him back with both hands, glancing back once at the two men, who had not moved. "Are you mad?" demanded Killian, grabbing Nohano and yanking him away from the two men. "Damn it, run!"

Nohano let Killian drag him around the corner, a second voice drifting to him. "We'll meet again, moke!" It was not the older man; it must have been the boy.

Killian had to keep Nohano from rushing back once more at the racial slur, a particularly nasty little word for Hawaiians that had survived the decades. Shaking now from fury, not fear, Nohano stood still for several moments, heat pounding behind his eyes and in his temples. He was not angry with Killian for holding him back; the two strangers terrified Nohano, too, but he was also furious at their insults, and wished he could have decked the both of them!

He turned to Killian, whose face was an alarming shade of white, and Nohano felt his anger ebb, as he grasped the other boy's arm. "Easy," he said, glancing back at where the strangers had stood. Peering around the building he and Killian had taken cover behind, he was at once alarmed and relieved to see the men were gone. He didn't like not knowing where they were, but it didn't particularly seem as if they were coming after the two boys. "They're gone."

"Who were they?" asked Killian, shaking.

Nohano shook his head, not quite able to organize his thoughts into words. "I'm not...sure. Those words he said--torrent, and wildfire--what did it mean? It was like--and he said--he said 'wildfire' would never choose a coward like--the orbs!" He looked as Killian in horror. "He knew about them!"

"Nohano," said Killian slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought. The fear seemed to be leaving his face, his color beginning to return. "Would you say a tsunami is a 'torrent'?"

"Yes," said Nohano slowly, cocking his head. "But what does that have to do with--" He cut himself off, looking to Killian's pocket, where he knew the blue sphere rested. He put a hand in his own pocket, taking the sphere out, feeling its warmth and looking at the red swirls. He thought about holding his hand in the fire on the stove, and suddenly felt as if someone had knocked all of the breath out of him. "They know about us," he whispered.

"Should we go home?"

It was tempting, so tempting. But Nohano did not think that it would matter where they were if things began happening. He looked up again at the sky, which was suddenly, frighteningly clear. "No," he said, urgency now in every cell in his body. "No, let's get to the library, quick. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen soon, and we need information."

Killian nodded, and the two boys broke into a run.

A sketch of the encounter with Dais and Moral:
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