Fire Weaver (Fall of the Fey #1)

Chapter 31

Mel considered her manacles. She slowly began to heat the metal until it turned bright orange and melted down her arms in thick dribbles. They warped and collapsed in on themselves until she could move her hands out of the bands, thick globs stuck to her skin. It made her glad that she was impervious to heat or else she knew it would have hurt.

As soon as she was free, she sagged, her arms tired from the stressed position she had been standing in. She took her first full breaths of air, which were musky and thick with the acidic smell of her vomit. Mel held in the groan as she reached up and heated Lucius's manacles with her hands. Usually she would have been able to do it from a distance but she couldn't concentrate.

He pulled his hands down as soon as possible and she noticed that, although he didn't sag as she had done, he was breathing as deeply. Mel had to melt the chain of Dresden's manacle because he wasn't resistant to heat. He didn't try to get free but the wait of his body on the chain made it snap and there was a thump as he hit the ground completely.

Mel held her breath, gazing at the roof. She couldn't hear anything. Lucius knelt down and helped Dresden up as Mel cooked the chains on Mira. Lucius frowned at her as if he wasn't sure what she was doing. He sat Dresden against the wall and started searching for something it was her turn to throw him a look as she caught Mira's still form before she could slump to the floor. Mel dragged Mira to Dresden who reached out and took her from Mel. He brushed her hair and held her tight to him, shaking, crying into her hair.

'What are you looking for?' Mel mouthed when she grabbed Lucius's attention. He blinked at her as though the answer would be obvious.

'Sword,' he mouthed back. She helped him search and they found Lucius's and Dresden's swords in a discarded pile of other weapons. Mel grabbed her knives, which looked to be in mint condition compared to the other nicked and dulled knives and swords in the pile. He gestured for her to stay but she followed as he creeped up the stairs, she winced every time the stairs creaked under their weight but still she heard nothing upstairs.

There was no door at the landing but the broken hinges suggested that there had been at once. They were in the house they had walked into before. She stayed in the doorway as Lucius walked over to the man who was sobbing, cradling the burnt arm in his.

'They were good kids.' He told them without looking up. 'They were the spitting image of their mother.'

Lucius slid his sword through the back of his neck. Blood instantly crawled down the man's shirt and pooled on the floor. As Lucius pulled his sword out the man's body slumped forward and his head whacked the table. The charred arm he had been cradling fell to the floor.

They searched the small house and found no sign of the mother before they went to get Dresden. His eyes were glazed, he was patting Mira's hair, skirting around her head wound to do so. He looked up at them, Mel could see it from the vacant look on his face that he didn't really know who they were.

'We have to go Dresden.' She told him keeping her voice calm but firm like an order given by a mother figure.

'Wh,' his throat clicked and he swallowed. 'What?'

'We have to go.' She repeated.

Lucius looked at Dresden, 'if you want Mira out of here, you need to get your ass off the ground and help Mel carry her.'

Their words sparked something in Dresden and his mouth tightened. He stood and Mel grabbed Mira's arm, sliding it across her shoulders. Dresden did the same on the other side.

'I'll go first, you follow.' Lucius told them. He walked up the stairs, less concerned with being quiet now he knew there was only one. Mel and Dresden had to walk up the stairs sideways to fit. Mel almost tripped several times but she didn't say anything, she could see Dresden's face lined with grim determination every time she turned her head to check on him.

The wife was nowhere in the house. She was not outside the house either.

They ran for the closest cluster of trees and to the next. It seemed like they ran for hours . Lucius scouting ahead, sword clutched in both hands, point down and to the right. Mel couldn't hide that she was struggling under Mira's weight, she stumbled and grunted. Dresden was no better, but his fatigue was silently expressed. Every now and again he would lose rhythm and stagger, sweat poured off of him, his breath sawing out of him.

Now they were free, Mel wondered how much time was lost in that house. How long had they been out? It had been afternoon when they were in there but now it was early afternoon again, had they only lost a night?

Lucius stopped at the next cluster of trees, his body tense and alert. When he was convinced they were alone he sheathed his sword and helped put Mira on the ground.

'We can't keep carrying her, it's slowing us down.' Lucius said and tensed as though he was expecting Dresden to hit him.

'I know.' He said quietly, he wiped the salty sweat off his face. He looked older, his shoulders were slightly curled, his head was bent down, his lips were turned down. Mel looked at him and wished she could cry. She wished she could express her emotions, her empathy for losing a loved one. Mel watched as he shifted Mira into a more comfortable looking position and crossed her arms over her chest, he smoothed down her hair once more before he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

Mel looked away to give them privacy. Lucius watched their surroundings, looking for any sign that they might not be alone.

'Let's go.' Dresden said, wiping his face once more.

***

From inside the caravan Faux could hear the approach of a group of wagons. Dazzen and Revard whooped with joy. They were more then. Faux could hear them talk to the other people before Dazzen and Revard pulled them out of the broken down cage. Faux squinted at the light as it stabbed his eyes for the first time in days.

Without any explanation they threw them in an open cage. Faux was glad they wouldn't be shut in anymore. Toby squealed in delight and Faux watched as the kid clung to an older girl who looked almost exactly like him. There were another two boys in the cage that huddled near the girl they stared at him, more frightened than curious.

'So, they got you too.' A familiar rumbling voice said, Faux looked at Gregor who was staring at the gathering of wagons as they began to once again move forward. Faux saw the corpses of the horses, they were already buzzing with flies.

'Is Carmel okay?' He asked instead of answering. Gregor shrugged in response.

'She isn't in any of these cages so I wouldn't know.' Gregor told him after a pause. 'Honestly, I doubt it. No one can survive this.'

'How pessimistic of you,' Faux responded in a flat voice. 'I almost expected better.'

Gregor grabbed Faux by the lapels of his torn, stained white shirt and slammed him into the cage wall. Faux felt the cage tip slightly from the force and the three boys whimpered. Gregor's eyes glowed and Faux could see the animal beneath the human skin.

'Stop,' Ferra said her voice hard. 'You are meant to be adults.'

'Yes, Gregor, show us how adults act.' Faux smiled sardonically, his teeth showed in a silent threat. Gregor narrowed his eyes at Faux but let go.

'You'll get what's coming to you.' He told Faux.

Faux straightened his shirt. He looked at Ferra, 'glad to see you're alive kid.'

'If this is your rescue, you really suck.' She told him.

He laughed, the sound rich and warm, it attracted the attention of people in the other cages who couldn't help but smile at him, not knowing who he was or what he was, only that he had managed to find something to make him happy in that one moment of laughter. If only they really knew how bitter the sound really was.