Aeron followed as the man led him along. Dressed in some kind of uniform vaguely like a butler’s, the man was going too fast. His pace was making Aeron breathe heavy. Which was odd, as they were only at a jog.
They paused at a side hallway, but when the man saw that it was engulfed in flames, he continued on toward the stage. Once there, he stared.
Gesturing to the water everywhere and the burned areas no longer aflame, he said, “Ahh, I see. All this was your water work.”
Aeron paused a moment to catch his breath, then said, “I wanted to give them more time to evacuate everyone through the lobby.”
For some reason, the man glanced back the way they’d come from and grunted.
A rumble came from above and a great deal of the auditorium ceiling gave way. The fiery rubble fell into the seats and the other side of the stage, filling that side with flames.
The man jumped back. “Good gods!”
As the riding mask merely hung loose, Aeron felt the heat from the conflagration across his face. He raised an arm against it.
“Aeron, how are you doing in there? Aeron?”
Ignoring Fillion for the moment, he pointed. “The side hallway!” He then ran for and jumped off the front of the left side of the stage, down to the aisle. When his feet hit the carpeted floor, his legs almost buckled. He had to plant a hand to keep from falling face-first.
The man landed right beside him.
Aeron glanced at him, then up at the exit door. Anaya, I’m going to need Willem and anyone else out there after all. The exit to the side hallway was about ten feet up the aisle. He staggered that way.
I have told them. What is happening?
I think the building is close to collapsing on itself.
Are you safe?
I . . . think so, at least as safe as I can be.
The side hallway was filling with smoke. “At least it’s not burning,” he said.
Of course, the moment the words left his lips, part of the left wall ahead caught fire. He paused in their hasty escape up the inclined hallway.
The man stopped when he did. “What now?”
“More water.” Aeron opened a water sphere and directed the stream onto the fire.
With a hiss and a flash of steam, the flames sputtered out. The scorched wall must have suffered a lot of damage, however, because the stream burst through, revealing a room on the other side and the reason the wall was so weak.
“No wonder it burst into flame.” The man stared through the water-torn hole into a room ablaze.
Aeron pointed the stream forward and moved the sphere ahead. He dragged a hand across his face—so tired!—and continued up the carpeted incline. “We should hurry.”
A creaking came from above.
“Look out!”
Aeron got the barrier up just in time. Burning timbers and supports crashed into the transparent sorcerous wall above them, shedding glowing coals, embers, and ash. Bright shimmers raced along the barrier.
His legs felt weak, so he leaned on the right wall to try to rest a bit, to catch his breath. The smoke, heat, and fumes, however, made breathing a chore.
“Hey, are you alright?” The man grabbed his shoulder.
He had to stare at the man a moment. “I–I’m just a little tired. Using the water sphere on the fires and bringing up barriers is very exhausting. It’s been a very long day and it’s so damn warm in here.” He pulled off the cap, clumsily snapped it to his waist, and wiped the sweat from his face.
“Here.” Lifting Aeron’s arm, the man pulled it behind his neck and over his left shoulder. He then wrapped his right arm around Aeron. “Lean on me. We need to hurry.”
Once they were out from under the barrier, Aeron turned his head to look back and removed it. Embers and smoke flew out when the debris hit the floor.
Think of where you are.
Aeron blinked. What?
Think!
I’m in the exit hallway at the side of the auditorium, heading to the lobby. Why?
I see it in your mind, now. Thank you.
What was Anaya talking about?
“You can forget about putting out fires.” The man continued helping him up the hallway. “We’re more likely to get crushed, so just be ready with barriers.”
Instead of replying, Aeron ended the water sphere spell. It helped. A little.
He had no idea how much time had elapsed before they got to the top of the hallway. One moment they were below, and the next they were here. No matter, at least they were almost to the entry area.
The man—what was his name, anyway?—helped him around the corner and stopped. Aeron turned to see a forest of flames before them.
Fire was so pretty. It moved, throbbed, and danced as if alive. It was very hot though, and suffocating.
The man grunted. “Maybe we’ll need to put some of these out.”
Aeron nodded. To start weaving the water sphere, he thought about the framework that would be used. It was the compression fra—
Stop!
What?
Do not open another portal! You are too tired. If you lose control of the spell and it collapses, the explosion will kill you.
But there is so much fire.
Not for long.
Aeron drew his brows together. Anaya wasn’t making sense again. It was weird, too. He thought he could hear her saying his name even though dragons couldn’t speak aloud.
He blinked. There it was again. Except, no, that wasn’t Anaya, that was—
The man shook him. “Hey. Is your name Aeron?”
He looked over. “Hmm? Yeah.”
“Your . . . cap is calling out your name, and I hear people ahead, too.”
“Aeron!”
“Why hasn’t he answered on the comms?”
“I don’t know!”
Aeron stared through the dancing flames. It sounded like there ware a lot of people out there beyond the doors on the left. Fire was everywhere, though. It licked up the walls, trembled along the ceiling, flickered from small piles of fallen debris, and even rose from the fancy-looking carpeting on the floor. Which was a shame. He’d never seen this much carpeting before. It must be expensive.
He shook his head. Concentrate, Aeron! How were they going to get past all this fire?
Water streams burst out of those doors, filled the entry area before them. A wall of steam and smoke rose to obscure everything. The smokey mist blocked his view, but sounds came out of the hot, swirling haze—the heavy, splashing impact of water, hisses, strange crackling noises, and Willem’s voice.
“Aeron!”
The man stepped forward, arm still supporting him. “Over here!”
Aeron squinted, strained to see. Where was he? There? A shadow was moving.
Willem ran out, trailing smoke.
Happiness filled Aeron and he smiled. “Hey, babe.”
So many emotions played across Willem’s face, but in the end, determination won out. He ran over and supported Aeron’s other side. “Hurry! The building won’t last much longer.”
Oh. Right. Aeron shook his head to try to clear it.
With Willem on his right and the man on the left, they moved off. The steam and smoke were starting to clear, revealing what it had hidden. On the other end of the auditorium entry area, flames still raged.
“I have this one!” Renata looked up, and after a pulse of magic, a barrier covering the fire-free side of the room shimmered momentarily into view just below the ceiling.
Bits of debris, some of it burning, fell onto the barrier, and more shimmers flickered across it.
Gregor was here, too, aiming water onto nearby flames.
Fillion, at Gregor’s side, glanced over and smiled. “You certainly look the worse for wear, Aeron. And Tobin, hi. It’s good to see you made it.”
The man—Tobin, apparently—nodded. “Aye, though if Aeron hadn’t gotten me out of the elevator, I wouldn’t have.”
An ominous rumbling came from above.
<
br /> “We haven’t made it yet,” Gregor said. “Less talk, more walk!”
“Yes,” Willem agreed, “let’s go.”
Everyone hurried toward the lobby, Renata trailing behind.
A few glows suspended in the air lit up the large lobby. Jessip stood just outside the entry area, staring up at the lobby’s ceiling, thirty feet or so above.
He turned when they approached and relief washed over his features. “You found him.”
As Renata joined them, she looked to the rear. “We did, but keep yours up. I’ll end mine now.”
“Don’t stop, keep coming!” Guildmaster Millinith stood on the other side of the lobby, near what Aeron hoped was the front doors.
Master Doronal was there, too, as was Liara.
“Hurry!” Liara frantically waved them over.
Willem and Tobin practically lifted him from his feet and started running. From the sounds of it, the others were right behind. Freedom from this burning, smokey place was just ahead.
Creaks and rumbles came from above, and Willem and Tobin increased their pace.
“Move!” Master Doronal stared above, gaze intense.
Aeron looked up. The entire ceiling of this large room, much of it on fire, was falling towards them. He instinctively threw up a wide barrier two dozen feet up.
In large, burning chunks, the falling ceiling hit a barrier above his. That barrier immediately collapsed in a bright flash and the stone and timbers continued down.
“Run!” Liara’s voice was filled with fear.
A pulse of magic came from ahead. Millinith was also staring above them, now.
Aeron looked back up in time to see—and feel—his barrier destroyed.
Willem was breathing hard now, as was Tobin. The sound of feet pounding on the floor all around increased in tempo. Almost there!
Another groaning rumble drew his gaze upward.
You must hurry, the walls are falling in!
Aeron couldn’t see them. The ceiling debris had been stopped on a barrier above, blocking his view of anything else. That barrier was holding for now. But when the falling walls hit it . . .
“Steps!”
Willem’s warning made Aeron look ahead. Ah, there was a low rise of steps, two, just before the entryway. He, they, ran up them, down the short walkway to the front doors, and then outside. They didn’t stop until they got into the plaza.
The cool night air felt glorious.
A loud rumbling crash reminded him that he had no time at the moment to enjoy anything.
Thick clouds of warm smoke, ash, and embers suddenly billowed around them, making it impossible to see anything. Letting go of Tobin and Willem, he turned around. Had they all made it?
Coughing, Aeron called out. “Fillion! Gregor! Everyone!”
He wasn’t the only one coughing, he heard others, too. But which others?
The happy roar of dragons and the pounding of their wings beating came from all around. The wind they kicked up cleared the air enough to see, though barely.
Aeron lowered his goggles against the dusty, gritty smoke, then pulled up his undershirt and held it over his nose. You and the other dragons should get clear of this dust. I don’t know what breathing it will do.
And what of you breathing it?
I’m using my undershirt as a kind of mask.
Alright, I have told them. The sounds of dragons lifting off confirmed her words.
Now, their roars had sounded happy, but he wanted to see for himself that everyone had made it out of the—
Aeron stared. Silhouetted and lit red by fires that still burned within, the theater, or rather, what remained of it, only stood one story tall.
“Roll call!” Guildmaster Millinith, she held her undershirt over nose and mouth, too, looked around.
“Doronal is present.” The magic craft master coughed and grimaced, wiping ash from his face.
“Renata is present.”
“As am I, Jessip.”
“Liara is present.”
“Thank the gods!” Polandra started running over from the other end of the plaza.
“Fillion and Gregor are present.”
An arm snugged around his waist. “Willem and Aeron are present, too.”
Aeron put an arm around Willem.
“Excellent,” Guildmaster Millinith said. “All are present and accounted for.” She frowned. “At least those who haven’t already left.”
Aeron let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding and sagged a bit. Good thing he was holding onto Willem.
He lifted the goggles and looked back at the ruins of the theater. Flames licked up here and there from within a hollow shell of soot-stained stone—the remaining walls. A few leaning supports rose up above it all, reached to the sky as if in feeble defiance of the destructive fire, but the truth of the matter was that the theater had been utterly destroyed.
Tears filled Aeron’s eyes, fell from them, and ran down his cheeks. He started shaking, trembling, quietly crying, as the enormity of what could have happened filled him.
“T–Thank you g–guys.” He could barely get the words out between sobs. “We would not”—he took a sobbing breath—“have made it”—he breathed again—“if you hadn’t—”
“Hey, now.” Jessip smiled at him, a pink curve in his gray, ash-stained face. “Of course we would go to save a brother.”
Aeron took a slow, sobbing breath and let it out slowly. He wiped a hand across his face. It came away smeared in dark, wet ash.
Feeling a little more in control of himself, he looked at Anaya, at Balam and the other dragons, and at his friends. They were all his brothers and sisters in purpose. “I love you guys.” He sniffled. “I really do.”
“Yes, well, though Jessip didn’t use those exact words,” Renata looked up at the red-head, “we all love you, too.”
“My lady, just take care. Please!” Master Gella turned from a woman and approached.
Aeron blinked. That woman was the High Lady. She appeared to be assisting in tending to those wounded in the escape from the theater.
“Tobin,” Master Gella said, “I’d like a word with you about Lord Koen.”
“Yes.” Fillion turned to the man. “I think it’s high time you explained why your wife and Preeti were being held hostage by him.”
Tobin looked to Master Gella. “I will be glad to, but I’d like a concession first.”
“A concession?” The special investigator narrowed her eyes.
“Neither my wife nor Preeti knew what my brother and I were involved with, so I’d like your promise that they will be exempt from any punishments I may be subject to.”
Master Gella tilted her head. “If I can confirm that to be true, then sure. If it means putting the man who plotted to kill High Lady Hasana in prison, the very same man behind all those fires, I think immunity for your family will be an easy thing to do.”
“Put him in prison?” Tobin glanced back at the theater. “I’m not sure that’s going to be possible.”
“And why not?” Master Gella stared at him.
“I locked him and Cadoc in one of the storage rooms in the cellars.”
“Good gods.” Master Gella turned to what was left of the theater.
“Once I led the High Lady and her people down to the storm tunnels,” Tobin said, “I returned inside and replaced the padlock on the exit hatch. I then hid and waited for Lord Koen. I suspected that he might use the storm tunnels as his escape route. And sure enough, Koen and Cadoc came into the room not too long after. I hurried out and locked the other door behind them.”
“You understand that if they died in the fire, you’ll be brought before a judge on charges of murder.” Master Gella was scribbling on a ’writer.
Tobin stared at her and shrugged. “Koen kidnapped my wife and Preeti, and I’d wager any amount of money that he planned to have us killed later tonight.” He let out a tired-sounding breath. “I don’t know how it all ended up like this. I just
wanted to be able to provide for my family.”
Master Gella tucked the ether writer away. “Fillion, could you and Coatl assist us? Once we determine what’s become of those two men, Tobin and I will need a lift to police headquarters. I want to transcribe his testimony before a witness.”
“Of course.” Fillion’s gaze went flat as he summoned his bond-mate.
Tobin turned to her. “Wait. We’re going in there?” He pointed to the theater.
“No, we’re going under there.”
Tobin blinked.
“What of the crowds that had everyone trapped inside?” Guildmaster Millinith eyed those still standing about the theater grounds and those floating in the air, still levitated.
Master Gella handed her a ratty sheet of paper. “There are several of these about the plaza. Most of the crowd was lured here, it seems.”
The Guildmaster looked it over. “A free performance for the first fifty to arrive?”
Now that he looked, Aeron saw those same sheets everywhere. The people must have gotten them somewhere and brought them along. He glanced down at one of the advertisements next to his feet.
“That offer is a complete fabrication.” Master Gella turned and stared at the levitating people. “But those who were egging the crowd on, I’d like them taken into custody for questioning. If they weren’t part of the plot against High Lady Hasana, they are still guilty of attempted murder for barring the doors.”
Guildmaster Millinith nodded. “I’ll coordinate with the police.”
Once Coatl flew in, it didn’t take them long to mount up.
Eyes heavy, Aeron watched them fly off and yawned. Exhaustion seemed to be catching up to him. He leaned closer to Willem. “I see Renny and Hunter, but what ever happened with Chanté and Quillan?”
“Chanté flew Quillan to a hospital somewhere in Stronghold to see if they could save his arm. That’s who Guildmaster Millinith was talking about already having left.”
“Save his arm?” Aeron turned to him. “The injury was that bad?”
“It seems so. There was a lot of blood.” Willem drew his brows together. “He also wouldn’t wake up. That, I think, is more worrying.”
Aeron glanced over to where he remembered the two had been in the plaza. The light was fairly bad, but even so, he could see a dark patch on the flagstones. Was that blood?
Of Gods, Trees, and a Sapling: Dragonlinked Chronicles Volume 4 Page 97
