Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 24 ~ Part 3||

Happy Easter Y'all!

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Todoroki's eyes widened, and he wavered for a moment before his expression steeled. He knelt down and held out his hand towards the dried grass covering the floor. There was a crackling sound, then amber and titanium tinted magic erupted like embers along Todoroki's skin, sparks jumping and flying out to ignite the grass lining the ground.

Momo turned and hurried towards the next stall. A beautiful chestnut horse kicked at the ground. Its dark iris shook as the smell of smoke caught in the stuffy air. She opened the door.

"This is going to go up fast." Momo heard Todoroki mutter behind her.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the flames squirm across the floor towards a wooden cage of chicken and geese. The birds squeaked and clicked in panic. Momo cut the lock on their cage, and the birds jumped out in a flurry of feathers.

A hand suddenly grabbed Momo's arm and pulled her towards the corner of the barn as the animals scurried out of their cages, fear reflecting in their eyes as the fire continued to grow.

"What next?" Todoroki asked.

"We are going to release them as a distraction."

Todoroki's fingers tightened around her arm. "It may buy us some time, but what about Trumpet and his guards? They are probably watching from above. They'll see us enter."

"Exactly." Momo pressed her mouth into a hard line. The smell of smoke had grown stronger. Embers crawled up the side of the barn like termites feasting on the dry wood. She looked back at Todoroki. "That's why you'll need to create a diversion. We'll need you to draw their attention away. Blind them with your fire. Make it as big as you can. By instinct, they'll look towards the flames, and we'll use that time to sneak in. But, they will only be distracted for a second, so it's going to come down to timing. Are you alright with that?"

Todoroki's jaw tightened as he stared at her. He released her arm, and his fingers returned to the hilt of his sword at his side. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"Okay." Momo's throat was dry as she glanced back towards the closed doors of the barn. "Wait for my signal."

Her pulse rang in her ears, but she didn't have time to compose herself. She pulled out of Todoroki's arms and inched closer to the barn doors.

The barn had filled with dark cloudy smoke, and the animals stamped and cried out in alarm. As soon as she opened the doors, Momo was certain the animals would rush out, charging blindly away from the fire. Momo could only hope that they wouldn't trample the innkeeper and his family in their escape.

Momo pushed up against the door before glancing back across the room to meet Todoroki's gaze. "Ready?" She mouthed.

His silver and turquoise eyes flashed. He gave her a sharp nod.

Momo set her jaw and pulled the door open. The animals squealed and charged forward blindly, pushing through the crack in the barn doors and out into the street.

Behind her, there was a loud boom. Scorching heat and wind pushed at her back, pushing Momo through the door after the animals.

She took off at a run, hoping the distraction would help Bigshot and his comrades, but didn't have a chance to check as she slid through the tavern's door, Todoroki on her heels.

The heat radiating against her back was quickly replaced by a freezing gust. Momo turned around to see that Todoroki had frozen the entrance shut.

"That should keep them out for a while," he whispered in explanation.