From Embers

18 - Come What May Part 1

A quick goodbye passed between the two groups as they split. Cash was less than enthusiastic that they were leaving so soon and bugged the vampire incessantly about it. Sen made a passive excuse that someone expected them in another city, but the child raised an eyebrow at him.

"Which city?" Cash said suspiciously. "What is so important that you can't stay more than a night?"

Sen ruffled his hair, earning an angry stare from the child. Walking away he pointed the boy to Jai-Jai. He had a smug smile on as the human glared at him when Cash hovered around her.

While untying his horse, Sen's mind wandered back to the events of the night before. Finding the mud human hadn't been hard, Cash had pretty accurately described where Sen could find them. Their bodies were still hanging from the trees — the smell of rotting flesh pungent in the air. After examining the corpses and finding nothing identifiable, Sen's hope of discovering new information faded. Whatever the humans had was stolen by Petrie.

His grip tightened on the reigns. Sen's thoughts drifted to the words Jai-Jai had spoken the night before. No matter how much he found out about her, it only raised more questions. A fresh determination to find out her true identity filled him. He found himself almost forgetting what the Historians had sent him to do.

Rhistel waved a hand in front of his face. "Hey, Fangs. Wake up Sunshine. Everyone's ready to go."

Giving her a sideward glare at the nickname that had seemed to stick, he jumped onto his horse. His saddle companion had already been seated and was quieter than usual. Neither spoke a word to each other as they galloped in the direction of the pillar of smoke.

As they neared Balfield, the falling soot only worsened. The foliage was downtrodden by thousands of boots, trees burnt to a crisp.

Kraneia was visibly upset. Her eyes filled with tears as she softly sung prayers for her perished sisters. Her green hair was bound in a tight braid; no more flowers adorned the strands. Fall was here, and no more blossoms grew.

It was late afternoon the following day when the castle walls came into view. Leaving the horses tied down, they ascended a nearby cliff overlooking the city. The six of them lay on their stomachs, each taking a turn with the binoculars. The city was teeming with soldiers and Sen suspected the new wave of humans had arrived.

"We donna need no plan B," Rhistel mocked, "It'll all be good Rhistel. We won't die Rhistel. A hope ye know a plan tae make good of me threat tae haunt ye if a die."

Sen hushed her. "There is a plan B. I was only hoping to avoid it."

"There is nae a point of avoidin' it now. Tell us," said Alanis.

Pulling a scroll out of his satchel, Sen wiggled back on his stomach before crouching behind a boulder. The others soon followed in suit. He unrolled the blueprints and pointed to a faded blue line. "The only other way to get into the city is by underground. There is one opening that leads up almost directly to the section where we need to go."

Everyone scooted in closer, eager to hear his idea. Kraneia noticed what he was pointing to before everyone else. She looked up at him with sad eyes, begging him silently to forget this idea. He stared back with a similar disgust. "It's the sewer line."

Groans escaped the twin's lips.

"If we want to comb the city thoroughly, it must be done during the night. We can't linger for long, with the increased number of soldiers here it'll be all the harder to blend in. For this reason, Kraneia and Twig, you will stay behind with the horses."

Grabbing Sen's hand, Kraneia thanked him profusely. "I am a-okay with that decision. Thank you, thank you."

Twig's eyes shined with glee.