A Tale of Shadows - THE OUTDATED VERSION

Chapter 24 - The Day of the Fire

Two weeks had passed in sun and rain, in warmth and cold, and in concerned passing of letters between Melinda and Maria as well. The others weren't there to read them most of the time, and even when they were, Melinda always wrote the responses without letting anyone else see them. Not much had changed, for that period of time consisted mostly of the two friends' attempts to reassure themselves and each other that everything would indeed go well. Melinda woke up the same as evermore one day, ruminating on her current situation, and then Amanda showed up, her eyes and mouth wide open. That prompted her to jump from the floor and loudly ask what was happening. 

"My boss is going to set the royal palace on fire today," Amanda said, breathing heavily.

Melinda gasped. "Today? I was right, and I don't want to have been. Why couldn't have this happened later? Perhaps we would have been prepared that way."

Amanda sighed. "Sometimes life isn't fair."

"I see that, Amanda, but I expect a break once in a while," Melinda remarked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I understand, and I will make you able to leave this place so you can see the duel for yourself, and maybe intervene as well. We need to do whatever it takes to stop this peril," Amanda said with a sigh.

"Yes, of course, and thank you," Melinda breathed heavily. "But first, we shall gather the others."

Amanda smiled brightly. "You're welcome. I will go gather them."

Melinda pulled her hand as she was about to leave. "Wait. I am going with you."

"If you insist," Amanda said with a nod.

***

Once they remembered that Wendy and Frank were supposed to go with them as well, they closed the door behind them and began to walk towards the room where Melinda's parents were being kept. They reached it before they could blink, opening the door, and Imelda and John were stunned, due to which Melinda assumed that they had heard everything through the walls that were separating them. 

"So, today is the day?" Imelda asked.

"Yes, today is the day, and we will help Jeffrey any way we can," Amanda informed.

Imelda's eyes became wide open. "We are going there? That is impossible."

"Do not have concerns. Everyone else is away because of my boss' plan. They left me and only me to take care of you, so no one will see us as we get out of the house," she explained.

Imelda smiled. "Perhaps this day will truly bring something better than the norms of new and return us to the peaceful times of before."

John smiled with her. "I am glad to see you smile, even though I wasn't expecting that at such a moment."

"There is no time to waste. We need to leave now," Amanda said hastily, being in the lead once they started rushing towards the stairs, which was merely seconds later.

***

The fire was already there when they came. Jeffrey looked constipated as he attempted to deflect Patrick's attacks, seemingly even more irritated thanks to his enemy smiling as if he were simply walking through a meadow on a sunny day. The royal palace, just like everything near it, was already burning. Before her employer could see her, Amanda had already hidden behind the castle, trying to stifle the fire as much as possible. 

All of the rest of them were staring unblinkingly at the battle, wondering what the outcome would be, especially Melinda. She was also the first one to notice that Patrick had vanished right when Jeffrey formed a fireball after several failed attempts. What surprised her way more was that, instead of gasping or anything similar, Jeffrey turned over to her, walked as close as he could to her and breathed in. She was standing there while he was preparing to talk, imagining everything that he could say.

"Maria has told me much that I need to share," he confessed.

Melinda raised an eyebrow. "What is it that you need to share?"

Just as Jeffrey was about to answer, Douglas rode from the opposite direction his palace was at on his horse. She always thought his timing peculiar and oddly coincidental. She also thought about how it was strange that he rode up from that direction. Scolding herself for thinking about things that weren't nearly as important as what was going on at the moment, she smiled, walking over to him once he walked off his horse.

"Hello, dear friend! Why did you ride towards us in this direction?" she inquired, still smiling.

"I was looking for you inside the house!" he shouted, waving his hands in the air.

"I apologize most earnestly. We have failed to inform you that Amanda helped us leave the house," she told him, staring at the ground.

He smiled at her. "I forgive you. None of you bears the blame."

"Thank you for being so kind," she answered him, looking him right in the eyes and smiling once again.

"It wasn't hard at all," he responded with a shrug.

"Thank you for your care and all that, friend, but I hope to be left alone with Melinda," Jeffrey spoke once he was done.

"Of course, we shall do that," Douglas said with a nod, and they all moved far enough from them as to be unable to hear the conversation, but still close enough to observe everything, unaware of when Patrick would come back, especially because they had no clue as to why he left in the first place. 

"I am very grateful for that. We shall begin now," Jeffrey said with a sigh.

Melinda smiled. "Alright, and do not worry. You know you can tell me anything."

Can I? Jeffrey thought, wondering what was the best way to formulate his sentences.