The Quest

Chapter 3 - Fiery Omen

Getting back was almost as anxiety inducing as the fight itself. It's perfectly to have a fear of the dark right? Anyway, Prix seemed just as nervous as we grew nearer. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw a flicker of orange light from out of the trees. Confused, I made Prix ride toward it. I gasped in disbelief at the sight before me. Ablaze in a roaring fire, one so huge it put the fires we used to have in Temple to shame. Its brilliant yellow light blinded me as I looked at it. My heart clenched in horror as I watched my home burn in the night. Prix trotted back and tried to buck in fear. I hopped off and just stood there frozen, transfixed by the horrible sight. 

"How--" I managed out. Prix's panicked noises were drowned out in the roar of the fire. I took a brave step forward, unable to process everything. Something stuck out of the front yard like a protruding sword in the ground. I walked towards it, a black sign with a blazing red symbol as bright as the fire behind it shone on it's inky surface. I immediately took a step back, my heart pumping out of my chest in terror. 

This was no accident. 

The rugged but undeniable seal meant he was after me. Two crossing swords with two dashes in the middle were the mark of The Masked Killer. I had heard the tales of others receiving such marks or examples and none ended well. 

Every fiber in me told me to turn tail and run as far as I could but a smaller part told me that something was seriously wrong, and not in just the whole house-burned-down-by-the-Masked-Killer but something much much bigger. Pretty much on instinct only, I ran over to Prix and jumped right onto the saddle. I rode west, toward town. I could see the disaster before I even made it to the there. Massive bellows of fire climbed above the treetops and great plumes of ashy smoke rose into the starry sky. Screams pierced the calm of the night as men shouted for help and women and children cried next to burning homes. The town's small population poured out of it and I fought my way through the crowd to reach the center of town. 

Prix was braying in fear at every turn, the heat so intense I was sweating profusely. My lungs got choked up by the smoke as I cried out River's name. Large chunks of buildings fell left and right around me but I carried on. My eyes watered as I looked around desperately for him or his family. 

"RIVER! RIVER WHERE ARE YOU?!" I called out among the chaos. Prix halted to a stop, throwing me from the saddle. I landed flat on my back, kicking the pitiful wind out of my lungs. The unnerving sensation of not being able to breath gripped me tight as I lay there wheezing in the polluted air. 

Suddenly, powerful arms grabbed me by my shoulders and lifted me up from the dusty earth upright again. I spun and faced River's black smudged face, his eyes twinkling in the firelight. He looked me over and signed 'Are you alright?'.

'Fine, just a bit dizzy' I sign back and he visibly relaxes a bit. 

'Good, I'm glad your safe.' He signs and wraps me in his signature bear hug. 'We have to get out of here now.' He signs urgently and I almost rolled my eyes. 

'No duh lets go!' I sign back and he grabs Prix and hops on. I sit in front and coax Prix to move along towards the exit. She lets out a loud cry and gallops down the burning streets towards the clearing. 

CRACK! Goes a large supporting beam that comes crashing down in front of us. Prix threatens to tip again but River balanced us while I tried to settle her down. I searched around for another way out, the world around me burning too brightly to tell other exits. River's long arm points to a narrow alleyway close by. I hesitate, not knowing if we could fit. He urgently signs that it was our only chance. He was right, we couldn't wait here, the air wouldn't last us long before we were suffocating in smoke and ash. If the heat didn't cook us first. I jerked the reins toward the passage and had Prix run for it. Objects fell around us, some too close for comfort, as we sped toward it. It was a tight fit, the edges of my shoes grazing the wall. I held my breath until we came out the other side. I let out a gurgled sigh of relief when we broke free of the town's engulfing grip. Prix was sucking wind, shaking violently from all the strain. I slowly got off with help from River, my own body shaking. He held me there as the three of us watched our hometown and everything we'd known burn into the night sky's dark embrace.