Lost (Part 9 of the Ignaius-Saga)

The Fires of Hell

In the moment that the chalice hit the floor, hell broke loose. Armed men who had obviously been waiting for a signal stormed into the room and tried to reach Variel, Tanier and Vis. The crowd, that had been stunned by the announcemnet, came to life and in seconds the room was filled with noise and turmoil.

Chaos swirled before the group standing on the platform, and from that group, arrows began to fly. Not a single person could have guessed from where Visorro-Kior had acquired a bow and arrows, but three of the attackers lay dying before anyone even knew from where the arrows themselves had flown.

As Vis was pulling the string to his cheek for the fourth time, he became aware of something. The air was cold. Only in the dead of night at the apex of winter was Aurora ever cold, but the air was cooling and becoming frigid. The fire in the pit was growing smaller, but the smaller it got, the brighter it glowed. It was condensing, as if drawing in all the heat from the air.

Variel was standing perfectly still, when he should have been panicking, trying to run or hide or seek protection.

Vis looked at the other three standing on the platform and bellowed "RUN! GET AWAY FROM HIM, NOW! RUN!"

All of the air was being drawn out of his lungs, his chest frozen, his hand cramping on the bowstring. Vaguely, he noticed he'd let the arrow fly, but he didn't see where it went. He was backing away much too slowly, fighting for breath.

As Tanier's eyes were scanning his surroundings to look for the best way to get a weapon and the best escape route, he heard Vis yell. He looked at Variel and immediately knew what was going on, he started to run. He didn't see, how Variel flung his arms wide, but the fireball that exploded knocked him off his feet and down the stairs.

Heat returned to the air like a firestorm blasting out in all directions. The sound deafened Vis and he had a vague notion of sailing through the air. He collided with a column and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, head spinning and vision blurred. It was still several seconds before the ringing in his ears faded back into true hearing, and what he heard was people screaming. They had been before, but this was worse. Screams of terror were mixed with shrieks that could only belong those in the worst of agony.

Vis did not have to even see them to know they were burning.

Almost numb to the chaos, Vis looked down at himself in a daze. He and his clothing were untouched, but the bow he'd held was gone, only a smear of ash on his hands telling he'd held anything at all. He stared at them in wonderment. The explosion had thrown him, but it had not burned him. Still dazed, he began to struggle to his feet, eyes scanning to try and find Tanier and Variel.

Variel still stood where he'd been, still with his arms held out, head back, and eyes shut. The temple around them burned, and people fled before the wrath of Ignaius.

Not far away, Tanier was stumbling to his feet. Inhumane cries filled his ears. He immediately saw the danger. He may be immune to the flames, but he would not be immune to being buried alive in this temple, once the roof started to come down - and with the heat growing quickly this was to be expected soon. He ran up the stairs, took Variel's hand and started pulling him away, out of the building as quickly as possible.

It was about halfway out of the building that Tanier would hear a gasp from behind him and the grip on his hand tightened as Variel stumbled and clutched at it.

He had just awakened, and as he looked around him, terror gripped him. "Oh... Oh Gods no...."

"Panic later, boy!" Vis had joined them, panting. "Keep moving or this place is coming down on our heads!" As if to punctuate his words, a nearby beam cracked.

They came out of the building into a milling mass of terrified people. Some were checking around to find friends or loved ones, while most were staring up in utter shock at the temple. Some people's attention turned to the three men emerging.

"Do you now see?!" one man shouted from the within the crowd, shaking a fist at Variel. "For all his talk of peace, he has decimated this most holy place! He is no better than his ancestor or the worthless barbarians who follow him!"

"You fools tried to kill him!" a woman shot back, just as viciously. "What would you expect Ignaius to do!? YOU brought this on us!"

Shouts and curses came from everywhere and suddenly there was fighting again. Vis snatched Variel's free hand and yanked him off to the side, expecting Tanier would follow. He led them toward a side alley, hoping to go around those fighting and try to outrun anyone who might break free and come after them.

When Vis changed direction, Tanier tried to follow, but almost lost his footing. By now his chest was burning, not from the fire, but from breathing too hard, as they were running to escape the fire and the mob. The armor, that was meant to protect them, became a more heavy burden with every step that he took and his legs were close to give out. He started to tear at his clothes, trying to pull off the heavy fabric as he ran without loosing balance.

After sprinting their way through alleyway after alleyway, they emerged out onto the main road leading up the palace. The grand building was in sight, but they had to skid to a halt.

People were barring their way. They weren't soldiers or guards, just ordinary townspeople or even some priests. Many of them did carry weapons, but Vis noted that they weren't standing as if they knew how to use them.

"There they are!" one shouted. "Do not let them pass! If they reach the palace steps, they will escape!"

Vis had a knife in his hand, and anyone could only wonder where he'd gotten it from. "Stand aside or die, rabble!" he snapped, panting and furious, energy flooding through him. There were no more alleyways between them and the palace, and even if their had been, trying that route would simply make the group fall back and block them there as well.

As they came to an abrupt halt, Tanier almost collapsed. He was panting violently and was about to faint, so he leaned against a wall and tried to catch his breath and clear his vision. There was the palace in front of them, but between them and the building was an agitated mob. Said mob hesitated to attack Vis, but it would only take minutes, maybe seconds, until they understood that one man - no matter how skilled and dedicated - had no chance against them. He had to stop them right now, no matter how. He still fought with the pain in his lunges, but finally managed to yell over the noise, his voice hoarse and barely carrying: "We will surrender to the Lord Magistrate, but no one else. Get him and we will surrender - or this will end in blood shed."

It was the first thing that came to his mind. Anything to buy them time, anything to stop the crowd from simply attacking and lynching them. Even if it took them just five minutes to deliberate about his words, he had won five minutes to recover and think about his next move.

Vis spun on his heel to check behind, to see if they could simply run the other way and find somewhere to lie low for a time until they could reach the palace. To his dismay, more people were coming in from behind, cutting off their escape. "Fuck!" he growled, turning back around.

The people before them looked momentarily unsure, but one of the men spoke up. "So the Grand Council can argue for months over what to do with you?! So you can use your political games to get away with what you've done!? Bah!"

At that moment, the bellowing of a horse drew their attention. Vis and Variel both turned to the group behind them... and the men charging them on horseback. When faced with being trampled, their resolve broke and they fell to either side shouting. The mounted warriors rode straight up to them with sabres in hand, and they would soon recognice the man riding in the center as the leader: Lekal-Kayla.

"Come!" he barked. Before anyone could do anything, he snatched Variel by the arm and pulled him up onto the horse. Two other men stepped to Tanier and Vis, ready to do the same to them. Vis growled at the man who reached for him and then leaped onto the back of the animal on his own.

"Get them!" one in the mob shouted. "Don't let the defilers escape!"

Tanier didn't hesitate and accepted the offered arm. Anything to get them away from here was good. He held onto the man in front of him, as the rider turned his horse. He was aware that falling off the horse equalled death.