Chapter 23

Clearing the city of the fire was a monumental task. Talia had never imagined how long it would take to clear up the green fire. Each pocket required special attention so that it wouldn't grow and spread into a new catastrophe. With each new section of the city her strength flagged more. Despite Reezara's constant encouragement she found herself slowing more and more.

"I... I can't do this... I'm going to pass out!" She wiped the sweat from her brow only to end up smearing more ash and dirt into her good eye. She hissed and tried to clear her vision so she could move on.

"We're nearly done I can feel it." Reezara encouraged lightly. Talia huffed, how could the dragon even see anything outside the satchel?

"You better hope so else I may just turn useless before much longer." The guards of the city had managed to coordinate a much more focused rescue and escape now that Talia and Lotus had managed to put out the flames. Lucky for them most of the city citizens were far too panicked to notice who was helping them.

The sun had started its slow decent by the time Talia had finally managed to chase down the last bits of sputtering green fire. By then she was by the dockyards which, to her horror, were nearly decimated. The explosions originated within the city leaving much of the stonework in shambles. The dockyards being made of wood did not help matters, most of the structure had all burned away or been blasted away.

Standing at the edge of the lapping water where debris met sand she could see that a dozen or so ships had escaped to the deeper waters. Most weren't flying their flags so they were nigh on unrecognizable but Alister's ship was always a sore thumb amongst the others. She could clearly see the reddish hull even from afar.

"I guess I can at least thank the gods for this." She mused as the ship started to disappear across the horizon. She was sure Alister was going to find somewhere safe to drop anchor and wait out the worst of the chaos. He wasn't one to mix in when things got rough.

For a few moments she waited to see if any other ship followed Alister's but to her dismay the other smattering of boats remained mostly still in the choppy waters. Where was Mino? She had searched what little she could of the remaining dockyards but there was very little wreckage when it came to casualties or boats. It was likely the sea had swept up most of the carnage long before she ever arrived.

"They'll be fine." This time Reezara didn't sound as sure as she said it. Instead it felt as if she was trying to be genuinely reassuring.

"I hope so, I don't think I could stand it if Mino died like this... In some senseless idiotic accident. We've faced far worse in the nights long since past. A little explosion couldn't kill him..." Still she was so unsure it left her feeling helpless. There was nothing more she could do. She was at her end when it came to mana and power. It was bad enough her skin was starting to itch and her bones ache. If she didn't leave soon she'd end up growing over forty feet tall and her attempt to leave unnoticed would be ruined.

Turning away from the docks she picked her way back up into the city. The only buildings that remained standing were all connected to the main castle which somehow managed to look even more glorious despite the ruination surrounding it. The carved stone shone in every color of the rainbow as the sun set. The flags still danced in the wind animatedly as if nothing had happened. Was it a good sign? Or was it simply an indication of how the King and those close to him would never truly suffer the consequences of his mistakes?

As she climbed the fragmented streets towards the city center she couldn't help but to watch the fractured city guard work tirelessly to dig out the remaining living. She couldn't see their faces through their full armor but she didn't need to in order to know the desperation clinging to them. Some wept, some were vomiting inside their helms, and a few were so terrified they could barely pull themselves together. Yet all of them continued to diligently dig into the rubble without pause. They were truly the heroes, she couldn't even bring herself to linger on the empty and lifeless faces that were scattered around her.

"I'm a coward aren't I? I don't know most of these people and why should I care? Why do I care..." She kept walking despite the growing hole in her stomach which was slowly eating away at her nerve. With the smoke gone now she could really smell the result of the explosions. Death always did have a distinct taste to it.

"You are no monster, despite your best efforts to convince yourself you are. A loss of life such as this can't be easily brushed aside. These people... They are casualties in an event they had no control over. It's normal to feel sympathy." Reezara's voice was soothing and soft in her mind, yet despite that Talia still felt uneasy and upset. Sympathetic was not a word she had ever heard used to describe her. Cold, unfeeling, monstrous, calculated, ruthless, those were her kinds of descriptors.

Once she reached the center of the city she noted a small crowd had started to gather. The people were just as filthy and roughed up as her, some incapable of even standing. Amongst them Lotus no longer stood out, her bronzed skin had been blackened and her blue eyes dulled by the constant use of mana. She could have bet money that Lotus had never used her mana in such a manner. It was a small wonder she had even managed at all. Perhaps the woman would prove useful after all.

"She just needs a little educating in the ways of magic. Then perhaps she'll blossom into a true warrior." Reezara seemed confident in Lotus and her abilities. Talia had to wonder if the dragon had taken a liking to the woman already despite only being hatched for a few hours at best.

"Perhaps, she certainly has the mettle to be useful in these sorts of situations. If we're going to be facing a lot of demons I'll need magically gifted fighters alongside me. At least until we learn a better way to kill the damned things." Now wasn't the time to think of demons, she coached herself harshly, there was far too much yet to do before she could worry about something else.

"Lotus!" She whispered urgently as she sidled up alongside the woman. Lotus nearly jumped from her skin before wrapping Talia in a tight hug. By now her dusty blond hair was a complete mess and her clothes were all but tatters, most of the fabric long since burned away. Talia made a mental note to help her find some more resilient clothes later.

"By the gods! I was worried you had collapsed somewhere. I was almost sure I'd have to come looking for you. Is the city safe then?" Her blue eyes looked to Talia desperately for any good news at all. Talia slowly pushed the woman back and brushed off her clothes despite the fact that there was no getting the ash and dirt out of the fabric now.

"As safe as it can be for now. I've put out every fire I saw and as far as I can tell no new hotspots have opened up. That spell sort of ate away at the energy of the fire so if there was any more I'm sure I'd feel it. We should get out of here before people start asking too many questions." Her eye darted around the glum faces surrounding them. No one was watching, it was the perfect time to make their exit.

Grabbing Lotus's hand she quickly guided them both back out towards the gates. She was sure the dwarves and Nico were still waiting at the stables. Surely by now they were starting to worry, especially with the smoke dissipating. Would they think she had burned up with the city? Would they come looking? She didn't want them all to end up in the city with the guards buzzing about like hornets. There were already going to be questions, accusations, and probably a lot of misguided hate. When things went wrong they always blamed the halflings.

Making their way outside the city proved to be far easier with the roads visible. Lotus was able to move any larger piles of debris blocking their path which was a relief to Talia. She was still cradling her broken arm to her chest. She was sure once they were safe she could muster up the strength to heal it with magic but she wasn't going to waste the time doing it yet.

Once they finally managed to reach the gates they were met with chaos, anyone who had survived with the help of Talia's intervention were now clogging up the road out. The guards alive on that end of the city were struggling valiantly to control the flow of terrified humans desperate for any semblance of escape. Their harsh voices carried over the air like the mad cawing of rabid birds. Talia forced her way through the crowd tilting her head down as not to draw as much attention. Lotus followed suit without having to be told.

"Nico!" She tried to reach out and find him but with so little mana it was nigh on impossible. Instead of wasting more time or mana on finding him she continued to press forward towards the stables. To her surprise most of the people weren't crowding in that direction. If she had to guess the majority of them didn't own horses.

"Talia, you're alive!" Nico's voice was distant but clear in her mind. Her heart jumped at the sound of him. She couldn't have been happier to hear his voice.

"I suppose I am after all. Are the horses ready? Were there any horses available for the dwarves?" She shoved a particularly large human out of her way and ducked when the guards looked to see what the commotion was.

"There were a few, a band of white horses. I can't remember what the guy called them but they've got your brand. I told him you'd settle up when you got here and showed him your crest. I don't think he believed you were in town." She chuckled under her breath, of course the stable master didn't believe she was in town. Hell he didn't even know what she looked like, no one did. Her servants were the ones who delivered shipments of horses to buyers after all.

"They're saddled and ready?" It was a stupid question knowing Nico. He probably had everything packed neatly and ready to go for when she arrived. She was sure he was chomping at the bit to get away from the cursed city. She was just as ready, if she never saw the amethyst waters again it would be too soon.

"Of course, though the dwarves are still acquainting themselves with their steeds. They're not used to such big animals I suppose. Are you nearly here?" He sounded tired. She wondered how hard it had been to get the tack and the horses from the stable master. If he had given Nico a hard time maybe she could muster the energy to teach him a lesson...

"We aren't going to kill some dude because he was a little stiff with your friend." Reezara snipped. Talia rolled her eye, was having a dragon like having a conscience? She'd killed hers off long ago and she was so not ready to have to deal with it again.

"I can see the stables!" Lotus trumpeted eagerly. Talia looked up to see the aged wood of the main building and the corrals just behind it. She had never been quite so relieved to see a ruddy old building.

"Bless Hephatus. Let's hurry up." She pushed forward with a renewed burst of energy. The crowd by then had started to thin out, most of the people had taken the main road out of the city and started to head inland. They'd have to push through them later but that was not her concern just yet.

Reaching the stables only took a few more minutes as they passed a few broken down looking upper-class citizens. Now they could have horses, Talia thought dryly, as she shoved them aside. No one offered protest, in fact most of them remained silent and shell shocked. Was it better that way? It wasn't something she was used to but that would have to be a late night contemplation for later. For now she had more important things to deal with.

"Lotus," She turned to face the woman with a slight look of regret, "I think you should find somewhere else to go. I really appreciate all you've done to aid me, especially today but... This isn't a journey where I can keep you safe. I can't promise you'll live through the journey." She also couldn't promise that she could keep any of their bellies full but that was a problem for another time.

"What do you mean? After all this.... You're just going to kick me to the curb like you've grown a conscience? I know you're a murderer, an assassin... Why do you want to try and preserve my feelings and life now?" Talia couldn't deny that it was a valid argument but she also couldn't ignore the feelings of uneasiness inside her. While having a mageling would prove useful on the road Lotus was still entirely too unexperienced. She'd likely end up dead on the road somewhere. After going through the effort of freeing her it would be like a slap in the face if she died so uselessly.

"I'm going to saddle up and get ready." She didn't want to keep fighting the woman. On this Reezara was mysteriously silent, if she had an opinion either way she wasn't voicing it. Talia pushed her way through the stable doors and looked for the stablemaster to finish settling things up before the sun started to set behind the mountains.