The Eternal Blade Saga Book 2, Chapter 32: Red on the Horizon

“Here, you and your flesh heap help me hold this plank,” Clarkus said to Alena who balanced on a stool next to him. She stretched her short arms up as far as she could to hold one end of the large piece of wood up against the window while directing her golem to do the same with the other end. Much like a machine, he simply took the plank in his club-like hands and lifted it above his head without any real exertion.

“He’s not a heap. He is a flesh golem and his name is Gordo,” she said very matter-of-factly.

The charr drove a couple nails into the piece of wood and then tugged on it, making sure it was secured. “My mistake. I forgot you gave it a name.”

“You’re lucky we’re such good friends,” she playfully warned, eying him as she let go of the wood plank. Clarkus snorted and the two of them shared a smirk and a look only they knew the meaning of before going back to work.

While the others all busied themselves with securing doors and windows, Ariella had taken it upon herself to go look for a perch up on the roof and act as a lookout. The heavy bootsteps and creaking of the roof boards above me indicated where she was until the sounds suddenly stopped. She had apparently found her spot. I nervously awaited her signal that danger was upon us. It was inevitable and the only question was when.

After dropping another bundle of planks in the center of the main chamber, I retreated to a chair off in the corner with my new axe on my lap and a whetstone in my hand. The others hurried back and forth as they finished securing the hall and gathering armor and weapons. I began running the whetstone along the edge of one of the axe’s dual blades. However, as I examined the edge after just one swipe of the whetstone, I discovered that despite its age, the weapon did not really need sharpening. I ran a thumb along the edge to check, but pulled it away at the first sign of sharp pain. Blood welled up along the horizontal cut. Sure enough, it was sharp enough to slice through anyone who might stand in my way.

With no immediate task at hand, it was then that I found myself suddenly staring off into space as my thoughts wandered. The sounds of boots against the hard wood floors and tools pounding against wood faded away. A peaceful quiet settled all around me as the whole world faded away. Shadows crept into the edges of my vision, but a faint voice tried to convince me not to be afraid. There was something about the voice though, something familiar and something very deceitful. Despite my growing distrust, it still called to me. It called me by name and beckoned me to come.

Somewhere in the distance, another voice entwined with the first and eventually drowned it out until I was pulled out of my trance. I blinked and looked up to find Seren standing before me. She was fully dressed in chain-link armor with a sword sheathed on her hip and a shield secured to her back. Her long earthen hair was pulled up and back from her worry-stricken face. With arms crossed over her chest, she shifted her wait to one leg, jutting her hip out slightly.

“Can we talk?” she asked, her brow knit heavily with concern. She stepped closer, positioning herself next to the wall with her back to everyone else.

“Now?” I asked. “I don’t know if it’s really a good time.”

“We may not have much of that left,” she pointed out.

I tossed the whetstone to the floor. I didn’t need it anyway. “And what’s left may not be enough to discuss everything.”

Seren narrowed her eyes sharply at me.

“Okay, okay.” I replied, conceding to her request. I rose from my chair and holstered the axe on my hip.

“You and I—,” she paused, leaving her statement unfinished. She didn’t need to finish it for me to know where this conversation was heading.

“You and I,” I echoed and sighed heavily. “Those papers Seren, I—it changes a lot.”

She shifted her weight uncomfortably and bit her bottom lip. “What if it’s wrong though, you know? What if it’s a mistake?”

“What if it is?” I asked. “Do you think that means I won’t care anymore?”

“Well—.”

I shook my head. “Look, those papers-they looked authentic, but even if they aren’t, even if you and I aren’t blood, you’re still family. We are all family,” I said, gesturing to the others now starting to gather near the front door.

“I don’t like this uncertainty. Are we or aren’t we sisters?”

I paused, not knowing what to say. How did I even begin to answer a question I didn’t even know myself? “I-I don’t know, Seren,” I finally replied. “After all of this is said and done, I promise you we will investigate the source of the papers and get a definitive answer.”

My reply seemed to satisfy her, at least for now. She offered me a little smile and nodded. “By the way, where’s Quint? I mean—really— where is he? Something doesn’t feel right.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Alright,” she replied, before glancing over her shoulder at the others. “You think we’re ready for whatever’s coming our way?”

I followed her gaze and shrugged. “I don’t know. But we’ll sure as hell give them a fight.”

Seren and I left our little corner and joined the others who were waiting near the front windows, peering between the planks they had secured over the windows. The air was thick with anticipation and the others shifted uncomfortably as we all waited to see what was coming our way.

“Do you smell that?” Alena asked, sniffing the air. “Did we leave something on the stove in the kitchen?”

I inhaled deeply and the bitter scent of something burning invaded my nostrils. I wrinkled my nose at the unpleasant smell, but then broke into a cold sweat as I realized that wasn’t food burning. “Something’s on fire.” I pointed out, not wanting to believe my own words. “Something in the hall is on fire!”

“By the Pale Tree!” Tuborg exclaimed. He spun around and sprinted down the west hall in search of the source.

Seren grabbed Clarkus’ thick forearm and practically pulled him down the east hall. “Come on, let’s check down here!”

I remained behind, staring out between the space in the planks and keeping watch over the courtyard while the others were busy searching for the source of the fire. There was something bothering me. The timing of the smoke was all too suspicious with the impending assault about to show up on our doorstep. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the smoke had been a distraction so Torx and his krewe or the Byrnes’ could simply walk right through the front door.

“What is it?” Alena asked as she got up on her tip-toes to look between a couple planks covering the window. Behind us, her flesh golem stood waiting for instruction, its lifeless eyes fixed on nothing in particular.

I balled my fists, noting the sudden cold overcoming them. “You should help the others with the source of the smoke,” I suggested.

Alena arched her brow. “What about you?”

“There isn’t just one way to start a fight,” I replied, never taking my eyes off the courtyard. A shift in the shadows caught my attention along the western edge and I focused my attention there, straining through the dimming light as the sun began to set. “I’m keeping watch in case something comes our way while our attention is elsewhere.”

Seren’s voice bellowed down the hallway, warning of fire. A moment later, Tuborg joined in on the warning and the hall flew into a flurry of activity as the others scrambled to find buckets to fill with water. Alena pulled herself away from the window to help, giving Gordo orders to follow her into the kitchen and help her fill a couple soup pots with water.

The smoke became more prevalent in the air and I found the back of my throat growing irritated. I cleared it, hoping that would help, and it did for a moment before the irritation came back. Despite all the yelling and activity going on behind me, I kept my eyes on the courtyard. Something moved again on the edge of the perimeter, something broad and largely rounded on top. I coughed again to clear my throat. Something was definitely coming our way and as the piercing red glow cut its way through the growing dark, I knew Torx and his krewe were upon us.

A heavy pounding came from the roof and I took that as our signal that Ariella had seen enemies closing in.

I left my post at the window and called down the eastern hall for an update.

“We’ve got flames down here and they’re growin’!” Clarkus bellowed back just as Seren came running toward me on her way to the kitchen to fill her bucket with water again.

I turned around to check on Tuborg just as he came sprinting down the western hall with a large bowl in his arms. Beads of sweat rolled down his celadon brow and the thorns adorning his upper lip flexed as he frowned deeply. “There are flames spreading down near your quarters. I honestly don’t know if we can put them out like this. They’re growing too fast.”

I spat a curse that made Tuborg’s eyes go wide. Both sides of the hall were on fire and spreading fast and we didn’t have the ability to deal with it. We were being smoked out of our own home.

Seren came back from the east hall again, coughing as she lugged her empty bucket back to the kitchen to fill it again. Strands of hair were stuck to her sweat-covered forehead and cheeks. She stopped next to us and took a moment to catch her breath.

“It’s not lookin’ good down there,” she said as she shook her head. “Flames are spreading fast. They’re getting close to Quint’s room now.”

“Torx and his krewe want us out of our hall and out in the open,” I said as I cleared my throat again. “I think I saw signs of them on the perimeter a moment ago and they’re closing in. We can’t stay in here much longer.”

“What do we do?” Seren asked as she looked to me. The others followed her gaze and I immediately grew uneasy being on the spot.

My head swirled with plans and ideas. Most of them involving running, but all of them risked exposing the blade and never really resolved the situation at hand. I clenched my jaw, knowing that our choices were severely limited. As I considered the few options we had, I rest my hand on the pommel of my axe, gripping it so tight it ached.

“We take the fight to them,” I said.