The Mythos Trials

Chapter Twenty-Eight, Part One

It had taken two days, but once they'd reached the base of Caelum Plateau, the dragons had returned, flying them back to where Zephyrus's sanctuary sat nestled beneath the Elven Mountains.

What euphoria Gwen had experienced—between gathering the last portion of pure ether and the dragons' flight—was quickly extinguished by the sight they were met with upon landing. Smoke curled up in thick, black clouds from the top of Zephyrus's manse into the surrounding brush. Between the tightly-knit conifers were great tongues of orange flame, birds and other forest creatures fleeing down the mountainside toward the eastern shore.

Phenex swore viciously before staggering off the back of the dragon that had carried him, his nostrils flaring as he swept his gaze from the smouldering treeline to the crumbling building in front of them. Instructing Gwen to stay back, Forneus wasted little time in making use of the fountain's water, summoning it into his hands and calling forth the moisture in the surrounding air to douse as many of the flames as he could. In spite of how much he had at his disposal, Gwen knew it wasn't nearly enough, and from his strained expression, it was clear Forneus knew the same.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen shouted, ducking her head against the stinging smoke assaulting her eyes. The air was choked with it, making it nearly impossible to see or breathe. Frustration welled in her chest, the realization that none of her gifts would be of any help making it burn all the more.

"Help evacuate the denizens," Phenex called from a short distance to her left, his hands held out in front of him. His eyebrows were drawn together in concentration, arms trembling as if holding up a heavy barrier.

Gwen hazarded a glance toward the flames and instantly understood. The fire that had seemed out of control from the air was retreating back toward Zephyrus's mansion, Phenex keeping the flames from spreading further than they already had through sheer will alone.

As she moved to do as instructed, summoning the ethereal armour with barely a thought, it occurred to her just how hard it must be for him to control. She had seen Phenex quell angrier flames than these before, flames he'd unleashed in the throes of battle. Whatever had caused this fire, it must have been powerful.

But what could—?

"Stay here with Forneus," Phenex shouted, interrupting her musings. When Gwen turned to ask him what he was doing, it was to see the hem of his jacket disappear through the fire, the slap of his shoes over the stone path drowned out by the roaring flames.

Gwen bit her lip, then continued with the job she'd been tasked with. Her gaze skimmed toward the dozen or so dragons trying to push back the flames by beating their wings, then toward where Forneus continued dousing the fires as they spread. Birds burst forth from beneath the smoke, letting out shrill, piercing cries as they banked down toward the seashore, the thunder of hooves and claws following in their wake. Jackalope and cartazonon, elves and cambion... There seemed no end to the entities pouring from Zephyrus's mansion and the woodlands, household staff and feral beasts blending together in mutual distress.

"Keep going!" Gwen shouted, directing them with a wave of her hands. "Make for the shore!"

More than once, she found herself making use of the armour's offensive capabilities, though she only made contact with the victims briefly whenever they stumbled, fearing that the ethereal tendrils would otherwise drain them of their urgency to flee. A few of the dragons joined her, carting the injured beasts on their backs and carrying them down the precarious slope toward the ocean waves.

If Gwen looked hard enough, she could see the framework of the Lady Matrona, surrounded by scaffolding where the crew had left off in building it. Little black dots scurried around the beach, the ship's crew rushing to assist those fleeing from the raging fires, flickers of light dousing out the stray flames that had made it as far down as the beach.