Flames (Book 3)

Chapter 43: Saralee

Mixed emotions swam through my head as I looked out upon the horrid mass of ash and debris that my city had become. For a moment, I felt relieved. Relieved of the stress of tending to the needs of a spoiled public that knew nothing but its perfect city. Yet, a horrible, aching sorrow quickly replaced my momentary lightheartedness. I had given ten years of my life to the city of Glaisse, drawing every blueprint of every building with my own two hands- and an Aurascreen, of course. I had refused all help, even from the Empire's finest architects. That city had been like my child, my sole source of pride. 

And now, it had been destroyed beyond repair. 

It struck me as ironic that my invincible city that boasted, not wrongly, of being prepared for virtually any kind of attack, had fallen to something as simple as a fire. Eleanna's words echoed through my head, taunting me. 

Oh, Saralee, you're too smart for your own good. 

Eleanna. 

I whipped around, instantly realizing that neither Eleanna nor Viviana was still in the Sanctum. Thorel, too, was nowhere to be seen. The double doors had been left slightly ajar, and several chairs were knocked over, indicating a quick and hasty escape. 

Yet, although all my good sense told me to chase them down before they caused more trouble, I did not go after them. I never thought I would say it, but my daughter, the Warrior Chief, and the leader of the White Hot Flame were now the least of my worries. 

"Saralee!" Selaeyah yelled, storming into the Sanctum as she slammed the door behind her. 

"What are you doing here? The actual wedding doesn't start for another hour." 

"Our city has been annihilated and you're thinking about your missing daughter's wedding!?" the Scientist Chief exclaimed. "Anyway, my mansion has been reduced to a pile of soot! Where else was I supposed to go?" 

"The Ice Guards have surely been called upon to secure the palace," I said. "This will be awfully inconvenient, but we'll survive it." 

"The palace is burning, too," Selaeyah said, a worried look in her eye. "We don't have much time. Listen, I have some properties on Rhena that aren't connected to the Valior name. We can go there and wait this out." 

"Are you crazy? I refuse to hide from a few rebels!" 

"What's more important to you? Your ego or your survival?" 

"I'm immortal!" 

"Yes, but you can still feel pain," Selaeyah sighed. "The Scientist Clan's torture chambers are not at all pleasant. Trust me, I know."

"You're right," I drummed my fingers nervously on the windowsill. "I don't want to be a coward, though. I don't want to be the Queen who ran away at the first sign of danger."

A deafening crash echoed through the room, followed by a sustained vibration beneath our feet, as one of the pillars in the courtyard below us fell to the ground with a massive thud. 

"That's it," Selaeyah walked past me and opened the window. "I'm out of here, whether you're coming or not. I'll be on Rhena, if you ever change your mind." 

"Wait!" I exclaimed, but my friend did not listen. Scanning the chaotic air traffic before her, she leaped out of the window, wrapping her arms around the nearest hovercraft and sailing away, pinned to its sleek, silvery top. 

I sighed in frustration. Where were my advisers when I really needed them? 

Before I could get to figuring out what was to be done about the precarious state of my palace, the doors to the Sanctum inched open once again, only slightly. Black smoke oozed through the gap between them, filling Icicle Hall's most sacred room with a foul stench. However, no sooner than I had made a mental complaint about it, a nearly unrecognizable Viviana stumbled into the Sanctum, before quickly shutting and bolting the door behind her. 

"Back, are you?" I laughed hoarsely, staring at her pathetic form. She was covered in ash from head to toe, and pieces of her gown had been burnt off.

Smirking, I approached the doors, ready to shove her outside, where I could deal with her later. However, before I could do so, she stepped in front of the sealed bolt, her hands clasped together in fervent entreaty. 

"Touch the door- it's hot," she said hoarsely. Judging from the quality of her voice, she had inhaled a considerable amount of smoke. The situation inside Icicle Hall must've been worse than I had thought. "There's a fire just outside. If you open this door, we'll both burn alive. You'll burn longer, since you won't die."

I stopped in my tracks, sighing as I surveyed the room. It had been decorated to a degree that approached gaudiness in preparation for Tara's wedding. The array of streamers, strings of pearls, and other various Iceheart party paraphernalia may have been cute, but it made it next to impossible to find weak spots in the walls, which would indicate potential exits. Seeing as that option was now out of the question, I turned my attention to the Sanctum's sole window. 

Running up to it, I surveyed the area directly below it. The nearest rooftop was fifty feet. Even using an Aural cushion, there was no guarantee that I could perform that jump and end up with all of my bones intact. 

When both of us were certain that there was no safe way out of the Sanctum, Viviana and I turned to look at each other. I displayed a blank expression, but my daughter's face was a mask of pure terror. 

"King Airel and Prince Travais. Cheyenne Soren and Linnaia Valior. You and I," I began, the corners of my lips forming a small smile. I might not have been able to get out of the Sanctum, but I was most certainly capable of putting an end to the existence of the Empire's most famous rebel while I was in there. 

"Throughout the course of history, three pairs of exceptional Aura warriors representing opposite sides of an important battle have been locked in this very room. Two of the three ended up fighting to the death. Shall we continue the tradition?" 

"It's not a fair duel when one of the participants can't die!" Viviana protested. 

"When am I ever fair?" I laughed, raising my arm and watching as she rose into the air, flying backwards onto the windowsill. Using my Aura, I pushed her forward until her entire upper body was hanging out of the window. She shrieked in panic, and I laughed, drawing her back into the Sanctum. 

This was going to be very fun.