Mechaniker

1.02 Imprisonment

At the priest's words, Lief felt a chill run down his spine. Why had he surrendered himself to such a fate? Being indebted to Valla the god of fire was not something he had aspired to in his short life.

He dropped to his knees next to Treguna and checked her pulse. She was still breathing and had a weak heartbeat. At least she was still alive. She was the only real family he had left in the world. He would stay by her side no matter what the cost.

Lief examined the priest hoping to learn more about the secretive sect of Valla. The priest wore a jet black robe with a hood that mimicked dancing flames. The reds, oranges and whites swirled mystically about his bald head as if it were ablaze. It inspired fear and awe in the crowd and they gave the servants of Valla a wide berth.

The priest of Valla called over some red-clothed men from his entourage and pointed at Treguna's limp form. "Medics, help the girl. She has multiple deep burns on her chest and legs. Check for any other injuries and report back."

"Yes, Burned One!" The men cried in unison. They pulled Lief away from Treguna's body and began to examine and treat her injuries.

Pointing at Lief, the priest smiled crookedly and motioned towards his remaining acolytes dressed in plain black robes. "Watch the boy and make sure he doesn't slip away into the crowd."

"Where are you taking us?" Lief asked watching Treguna's ongoing treatment suspiciously.

The priest ignored Lief and turned towards the remains of the burning neighborhood. He began directing the black giants going in and out of the fire.

"We will go to Valla's temple, of course." One of the acolytes of Valla responded. "The Burned One is directing the suppressors now. It should only be a few more minutes until the fire is quelled," he added indifferently.

"Oh good, just where I want to be. The flaming temple of Valla itself." Lief muttered his mood darkening by the minute.

He turned to the fire and watched the giant black figures the acolyte called suppressors. They were amazingly effective. Everywhere they were destroying buildings with axes and hammers and clearing flammable materials from the path of the blaze. Finally they doused the area with a shiny liquid. The crowd behind Lief was protesting loudly and grimacing with each building wrecked, but the fire was effectively running out of fuel. The suppressors under the Burned One's guidance had prevented the entire poor quarter from becoming ash. After a few minutes the flames had been completely contained into a small area.

As the fire shrunk in size, the crowd became less and less unruly. Now, most citizens were cheering enthusiastically for the suppressors. There were still a few voices that were screaming about missing family members, and charred homes, but their voices were eclipsed by the roars of appreciation.

As the blaze dwindled, the Burned One raised his hands in front of the crowd to draw their attention.

"Citizens of Delemoor!" he shouted, "Valla has blessed your homes and families and protected them from the inferno. Through her power over flames, this raging fire has been quelled." He paused raising a fist into the air. "Praise be to Valla!"

"Praise be to Valla!" The crowd echoed with a sea of fists in the air.

The Burned One turned to his followers and said, "Order the crowd to pour a thousand buckets of water from the river on the last of the fire and coals. We don't need these people burning their homes down a second time tonight with a stray spark." He turned pointing towards Treguna and Lief. "Pack everything up and bring the new initiates. Be careful with the girl."