Yesterday's Hero
by Aris Merquoni
o/~ Take a look at me, I'm yesterday's hero /
Yesterday's hero / That's all I bee... o/~
A speck of light appeared on the horizon, growing larger
and larger until finally dawn burst across the sky. I waited
until Selvane looked like he was going to wake up before saying
anything.
"Good morning, Mr. Vladiva! Sleep well?" I asked in the
most cheery voice I could muster at the smash of dawn. I managed
to come out as a cross between an MCI helpline worker and
Tanasha when she's feeling like annoying people, which is a
pretty good job.
Selvane opened his eyes, groaned, and managed to work his
way into a sitting position. "Any more problems?" he asked.
I shook my head in the negative. "I buried our unwelcome
visitor about a hectometer yonder," I said, jerking my head in he
direction I had gone. "Nothing else decided to drop in, so I
finished my book." Selvane had managed to grab his pack and
holster his weapon by this time, and was digging protein rations
out to fix breakfast.
"I thought about it last night," I continued, "and I
couldn't figure out why that thing was warded." That was still
bugging me. "Bothers the hell out of me," I said, in case he had
missed it. "It means someone could be out there, stalking us. It
means that someone could be selling wards to every baddie out
here. It could mean nothing at all. But I'd just like to know
who- or what- that thing was!"
Selvane shrugged and poked at the protein rations.
"Doesn't matter who it was. We're supposed to be watching our
backs anyway, Worrying about who might be out there isn't going
to help. It doesn't change our situation. Just watch your back."
He stood up. "I'll be back."
"Is that a threat?" I muttered to myself as he left. Gods
above and below, why was he so oblivious? An unknown enemy is
your worst enemy, because you don't know what he'll do. She'll
do. Whatever.
I glanced outside and was rewarded with a glance of
Selvane capping a flask of something. I frowned slightly. What
the...
As he came back in, I called him on it. "What was that
you were drinking out there?"
He shrugged, sat down, and dug out eating utensils.
"Vodka," he replied.
"Gaah," I said involuntarily. "Unprofessional. You can't
get drunk on assignment, in the field. It's just plain stupid!
Firefoot's fe'thra, last thing I need is a wasted Russian with a
gun!" He was startled a bit, then grinned.
"I could not get drunk if I wanted too. Not nearly enough
vodka." He picked up the bowl of protein mash and held it up
invitingly. "Have you got a bowl?"
I sighed. Couldn't this dolt see? "Look," I said, "If you
wanna get plastered on your own time it's none of my concern. But
we're in the field, here, and it's not just your tail riding on
this, it's mine. So: nothing that can make you woozy, got it? I
don't care how fast you process alcohol, I don't want to take the
chance."
He shrugged and tossed over the flask. "Smihrnoff. Good
Vodka. Here's yours." He scraped about half of the unappetizing
protein gunk into my bowl.
Ignoring the 'breakfast,' I unscrewed the cap of the
flask and poured the entire thing into the fire. The embers
flared, releasing a streak of flame, and I almost dropped the
flask in surprise. I raised an eyebrow at him. "What proof was
that?"
"190."
We finished breakfast quickly and struck camp, finally
standing in a clearing that looked somewhat natural. "Okay," I
said, "I think we should head for that city yonder." I pointed.
"If it's not Rhye, we can at least get directions, and maybe find
a road or something, transportation maybe."
My erstwhile companion nodded and shouldered his pack.
"There is a plain just to the south of here that looks as if it
gives a relatively direct path to that city," he suggested. "It
is... perhaps 35 kilometers away. We should hurry. We don't know
how long the daylight lasts here."
I nodded, shouldered my own pack, and we trudged onward.