Borne of Fire

Chapter 35

Nothing happened.

Four huge lungfuls of air exploded from the chests they had been held in as Braxter, Ja'aris, L'non and Randyl relaxed as one. McSween turned to face them, pointing the pulsar at each of them in turn while his finger bounced lightly on the trigger. He chuckled to himself all the while, taking no small amount of amusement at the trick he had fooled them with and coming across as being even more crazed than he had done previously.

"Hahah! You thought I was going to kill my friend! Hahah! As if! No, no chance at all. No danger and no way!" He laughed. "It's quite safe, won't work at all no matter what I do when I hold it like this. I don't know how the Ulrogg get it to work, but if I lay it on its side like so and do this...and this...then this..." McSween put the weapon back on the table and pressed and pulled and twisted at different parts of it until it lay in four pieces next to one another. Then he stood back as if admiring his work. His lips moved wordlessly as if reciting something to himself, chewing a nail thoughtfully. The others watched him in silence, not knowing what to do next.

"Yes. Yes, that's it." He leaned forwards and made a final adjustment to it before picking it up once more. "Now I see..." McSween pulled the trigger again and this time a gout of brilliant light blue flame erupted from its end and flew across the yard. It hit a wooden cart square on its flank and completely destroyed it in an explosion of light, sound and wooden splinters which rained down on them all for several seconds afterwards.

"Wh-wh-wh-" Braxter tried to speak but found that words were too much for his shocked tongue to manage.

"Nice, nice, nice." Ja'aris threw his arm around his friend once again, his admiring approval obvious in his tone and gesture.

L'non was more reserved as he walked to where the cart had been stood and looked down on the broken and charred wheels which were all that remained. "Gods preserve" he breathed quietly.

"Haha! It'll take more than gods to preserve them now that McSweens evened things out a bit." Ja'aris laughed and rubbed his friend's shoulders, though if he was intending to massage them he was failing - McSweens face contorted in pained discomfort under the attentions.

"It's only one weapon. Just one and it can't even be fired correctly." He wriggled himself free of Ja'aris and gently placed the pulsar back on the table once more. "So to say that I've evened things up is...well...is..." His words ran out and as they did his arms and hands became more and more agitated until eventually he threw them upwards in an expression of hopelessness.

Braxter hadn't moved during the display and from where he perched - half on and half behind a wooden table on which lay an assortment of tools, all of which looked as well used as they were maintained - he became aware of Randyl beginning to move once again.

He had risen from where he had been seated and walked quietly to stand behind the others looking down on the Ulrogg weapon. He stood a good deal taller even than L'non but for all his large size he made not a sound when he walked. It was only when he spoke that they became aware of him.

"You have done a great thing this night McSween Drossan." McSween gave a yelp of surprise in response and turned to face Randyl, his face flushed with embarrassment either at the compliment or the noise he had just made. "A very great thing. But there is still more for you to do and it is clear now what path we must follow and what part you must play. Though I fear it may be one which you are loathe to take." He lay his hands on McSween's shoulders then, his mouth fixed in an unfeeling, unemotional, hard line as if resigned to some unavoidable task of which he'd rather have no part. His eyes flicked briefly to Ja'aris and the smallest wince crossed his face before he returned his gaze to McSween whose own nervous smile faltered and then disappeared altogether. His lip trembled slightly as he ran a hand through his still unkempt hair.