Rising Moon

~Chapter Twenty~

Not another second was wasted. Hector pulled himself away from his shock and horror; there were innocent people, his innocent people, who needed his help, and he couldn't help them if he just stood there and did nothing.

"Captain Valisson, Captain Moonbend!" the warrior commanded, turning to face his forces. "Take your men and put out the fires in the city. Captain Riverheart, take your men and checks the bodies. Dispatch small groups to take those still living back to camp and to the healers. Captain Malenkov, you and your soldiers go with her. Captain Ringstad, you and your magic-users are to search for the mildly injured and heal them. The rest of you besides Captain Ormsson and Captain Hunbogidottir are with General Ulysses. You will find and fight the remaining Insurrectionist soldiers, with limited casualties. We do not need more death today. Ormsson, Hunbogidottir, we search the homes and temples. Move out!"

As each group of Hector's forces sprinted towards Storolfshvall, the screaming in the city grew louder and louder. Those remaining on the edge of Storolfshvall near the now destroyed wall ran and hid.

They think it's another attack, Hector observed regretfully as he advanced with his own soldiers. He took a deep breath. Then it's my job to assure them that it's not and to make things right.

By the time Hector and those with him had passed the demolished walls of the city, no one was left in the area; all of the people had fled, and now it was Hector's duty to find them. Nearby, some under the command of Captain Moonbend had formed a bucket brigade from a large city well to the burning buildings. Hector breathed a deep sigh of relief when the water started to actually put the raging fires out. The warrior had feared that the fires were burning off of the Greek-fire-like oil that Apaiz Alfketill and Varian had developed. Thankfully, that was not the case. However, that did mean that the reason the fires were still burning was not because the forces originally sent to Storolfshvall had simply run out of the chemical used to put out Apaiz Alfketill's oil fires. Instead, the city was in flames because it had simply been left to burn. The pit in Hector's stomach grew, but he pushed down the feeling for the time being. He had a job to do.

Hector and his soldiers made quick work of each home and temple. Several men and women went in, and they came back out in less than three or four minutes. For the first fifteen searches, not one of the Storolfshvall people had been found. Hector had begun to wonder darkly if that was because there simply were not enough people left alive for any to be found. But he forced himself to push such feelings aside and to use his logic instead. They were people on the edge of the city when he and General Ulysses had first arrived with Hector's forces. At the very least, those people had to be around somewhere, and it was his duty to find them and to help them in any way possible.

Hector sent one of Ormsson's lieutenants and the twenty-five Loyalists with them to begin searching markets and storefronts for remaining citizens. And it was in one of those storefronts, a half-demolished tailors', that the first of the terrified Storolfshvall people were found. It was a young father with his four sons. He had a large burn along his right arm and several other cuts and bruises. The apparent youngest of the children with him was unconscious and missing a leg. The other three were all trying to stop the bleeding.

Hector had been outside when the man and the four young boys were found, but he had heard the children scream. There was a crashing sound from inside the store, and the father shouted something with great effort. A few seconds later, the three boys came running out of the door carrying the fourth. They ran straight into Tekakwitha.

Hector immediately jumped down from his rhinoceros's back to stop the children from running away again. Several of Hector's men came forward and blocked the children's way. They were trapped and they gripped the unconscious boy tighter, beginning to cry.