Weight of the World

Chapter Sixteen

—Tregaar, Valdornne—

They were on their way back to Light Tower when the explosion rumbled through the western portion of the city. Hadrius caught sight of it out through the window of the car, the fire reflecting off the passing buildings. Regis had muttered a quiet curse before ordering the driver to turn around. For his part, Hadrius had attempted to keep his expression neutral as the car sped back toward the warehouse, though he doubted he succeeded. He knew well who was responsible for the explosion. He had sensed his sister's presence there before he left, and he had chosen to remain quiet on that fact.

By the time they returned to the factory, it was clear there was nothing left to save. The force of the explosion had not only leveled the entire warehouse, only bits of burning metal remaining, but half the block as well. First responders were just arriving, their focus turned toward the nearby buildings that were now also on fire. All around them, Hadrius could hear the screams of the innocents trapped in the blaze. He craned his neck upward. One of the nearby buildings was nearly engulfed in flames, a man hanging out the window, crying out for help. Hadrius took a step forward, only to be stopped in the same moment by Regis.

"You're not going anywhere," Regis shook his head, one arm held out to block his path. "Eclipse is responsible for this, meaning there could be others waiting nearby in ambush. You're to remain at my side, understood?"

Hadrius hesitated, but ultimately, he had no choice in the matter. So instead, he nodded and readied his bow. This wouldn't be the first time Eclipse used a tragedy to try and assassinate his boss.

A terrified scream. Hadrius turned. The man from the building. He had jumped. The man hit the ground somewhere beyond his line of sight, but Hadrius felt the impact all the same. Even if he had ignored Regis' command, he wouldn't have been able to save the man. There was no reason to blame his boss for this. Regis hadn't ordered the attack. This was Eclipse.

And his sister.

Hadrius felt his heart sting at the realization. Did Rhenna know what she was doing? Had she agreed to it? Once, he would have been certain of those answers. Once, he had known who Rhenna was. But now? Now, she was as much a stranger as those trapped in the burning buildings above them.

A desperate, guttural scream that pierced the air. Hadrius turned. A young woman fell to her knees, hands clamped over her mouth as tears streaked through the dirt and soot on her face. Her eyes were trained upward. Hadrius followed her gaze. Above, a little boy, no older than five, clung to the fire escape, tiny fingers turning white as his little body shook with terror. Fire was licking the windowsill behind him. It wouldn't be long before the fire touched him. Hadrius knew his orders, and he heard the subsequent command for him to return, but he ignored both, racing forward before it was too late.

Kicking off the wall, he gripped the low-hanging ladder and pulled himself up to reach the lowest level of the fire escape. A window burst apart behind him, but he paid it no mind, continuing to ignore Regis' command for him to stop. He pushed himself harder, knowing there were only minutes left to save the boy.

He made it to the right level, racing forward without hesitation. His feet were inches from the boy when a secondary explosion came from within the building, throwing them both off the fire escape as the building began to collapse. Hadrius reached out at the last moment, his hand gripping the boy's arm so tightly he knew it would bruise. He tugged him close, hugging him to his chest as he tried to roll his body so that he would hit the ground first.

He felt something crack when his back hit the metal ground, blood escaping him as he coughed violently, but then the building was raining down upon them. Hadrius wrapped his arms around the boy and rolled them both to cover him from the debris. Glass and metal pummeled his back, but Hadrius remained firm, refusing to uncover the little boy. He heard more explosions join the others. He kept the boy covered as his eyes darted up to assess the situation. Another building next to them exploded as a group rushed out from a nearby alleyway, weapons aimed directly at Regis and his other guards.

Hadrius leapt up at the sight, his bow aimed at the nearest attacker. The arrow struck the attacker directly in the eye, another arrow loaded before he even dropped dead. Twenty or so attackers, all Eclipse, he would guess, emerged from nearby, their goal to kill Regis then and there. Yet, despite their numbers, they were of little match to the elite guard and Regis himself. The guard took care of most, but a few were able to reach Regis. They came at him with swords and axes. Yet, Regis maintained his ever-cool expression, seeming unconcerned that he was unarmed.

He dodged each blow, even managing to disarm the nearest Eclipse with barely any effort. Hadrius shot one, the arrow through his neck as he dove toward another. He wrapped his bow around the agent's neck and yanked him backward. It was a short struggle, but soon enough, all attackers were dead by one hand or another.

When the last fell, Hadrius turned back toward his boss, knowing that he was in for a dressing down then and there. Regis didn't abide disobedience. He might even kill him. But before Regis could offer a single word of reprimand, the sound of crunching glass was heard behind them. Hadrius whirled around, his arrow leaving his bow as soon as he saw the threat. Another bowman had been waiting in the shadows, his own arrow sailing just past Hadrius' ear. The would-be attacker sank to his knees and fell over dead a split second before he heard another scream. Turning around, Hadrius felt his heart sink. The little boy he saved now dead in his mother's arms, an arrow lodged in his chest.

"Guess your disobedience was for nothing," Regis said evenly as he stepped pass him. Hadrius said nothing in return, instead falling in line behind his boss, trying not to look at the dead little boy as they passed. "Sweep the area," Regis ordered. "Kill any Eclipse you find. And I want a bounty on them. Khalid and anyone who was responsible here tonight. Tell the mercs, ten million sovereigns to anyone who brings me their heads."