Physical Magic: An LGBTQ+ Friendly Progression Fantasy by William C. Tracy

Author:William C. Tracy [Tracy, William C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Space Wizard Science Fantasy
Published: 2024-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Desert

Earthquakes and tremors followed them as Ichu helped guide the sleds. In the last day as they fled the eruptions at the coast, teams cut trees by the river—old growths that were at least twenty years old—and fashioned them into side slats for the sleds like the newcomers had made. It kept the water out, and they found they could fit even more on the sleds before they took on water. The jakuas did not need to pull as hard, and they could use poles to keep the sleds from the riverbanks. It made them go faster, and they needed all the speed they could muster.

His sister had found a similar spirit in Cosquella. The big girl was strange, but polite. Her father and cousin continued to worsen, despite repeated performances of Flower Sends Out Pollen to remove the ash from their lungs. Elder Sinchi, who led the healers, said the dust might have caused permanent damage from the length of time inside the body. They could only wait and see what would happen at this point. Even if they didn’t worsen, they would likely be weakened the rest of their lives, unable to do any strenuous activity.

The strong survived in the Huaca.

The day after that, the winds came. They could see the eruptions of magma even from here, but now the hot winds brought tiny particles of ash, just like those that had harmed Cosquella’s family. Everyone on the sleds wore cloth masks devised by the Allwiya, and the elders prayed to Tiyu Pacha to clear the air.

Uncle Sky must have had his eye on them, because after only three repetitions of the sign of the sky—fingertips touching, hands changing to view the clouds from different configurations—a wind rose in the other direction. Ichu saw a barrier form, the air clearing above them. He hadn’t realized the air had been so clouded. It held as they traveled, following with them, flakes of ash collecting on top of the transparent dome. Did so much attention from a god mean the storm warriors from the wall of storms were defeated? Or had they moved to a different place?

“I hope the storms will stop any of the Eztli Mecatl following after us,” Ichu told his sister on the next day.

“They are very strong, they are, and resistant to heat,” Cosquella warned from Silluka’s other side, where she was a constant presence. “They will still follow.”

She and Silluka were fast becoming firm friends, and perhaps something more. The two young citizens who had practiced with them in the Huaca, Waskar and Tamaya, sometimes accompanied them, when they were not busy clearing the river of fallen trees and silt. He wished the best for his little sister, now she had found companions. She had not had an easy time in the Huaca, with her missing forearm.

Ichu stared across the four great sleds, holding everyone he had ever known. He’d had relationships with some of the bodycasters here, male and female, but none of them ever lasted.

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