Savage Rising: Eternal Forest Saga - Book 1

Chapter 21

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There were often times when Firefly would find her small size a hindrance. Like all faeries, her tiny form often left her at a great disadvantage when dealing with the larger tribes of the forest. However, as often as she cursed her size for making her life more difficult, there were those few times when it felt like a blessing from the Lady herself.

This was one of those times.

The moment the balisekts snatched Azalea and dragged her out of the storehouse, Firefly zipped up and hid amongst the thick, wooden rafters that held up the ceiling. It wasn't cowardice that sent her into hiding, even when her new friends were being taken captive; it was cunning. Against the might of the balisekt army, they would have no chance of victory, but if they still had a friend on the outside, working to help them without the enemy knowing, a small bit of hope would remain. As long as Killika's soldiers didn't know about her, they would never think to look.

Once everyone had been captured, Firefly fluttered over to the wall. Clinging to the boards, she watched the events unfold upon the desolated earth from a knot pushed out of the wood. Hidden from sight, she witnessed the summoning of the fire demons, she listened to Killika's plans for poor Azalea, and she heard his shocking reveal of her true identity.

It pained her deeply to stay in hiding as Azalea was dragged away into the forest, but her only hope of saving Sunrise and their new friends was to wait until the bulk of the army was gone. As soon as only the fire demons remained, Firefly raced back through the storehouse and out into the marketplace as fast as her wings would carry her.

With their trap sprung and the army on the march, the marketplace was now truly abandoned. The emptiness cast an eerie silence over the desolation. The high sun had an unnaturally red glow to it, making even the sky seem covered in blood. The dead bodies in the dust seemed even more still, and the smells of blood and smoke in the air were still thick.

Firefly rose higher into the air and rested on the top of a leaning wooden pole. A length of rope hung limp at its side, trailing down to a singed end. A small gust of wind picked up the rope, making it wave gently in the air. She sighed. She and Sunrise had been visiting in Stonemouth for a couple of days now, and she could still vividly remember the long train of colorful flags that hung over the marketplace from this rope. It had brought such a festive, joyous feeling to the marketplace. Now, it was just another ghost of happier times that haunted the chaos.

High up on her perch, she looked off towards the side of the mountain. She could still just barely make out the tall, stone structures of the city. Her heart hurt to think of all the surviving dwarves cowering in the buildings as the massive fire demon patrolled outside. Staying in the city had been a wonderful experience for her, though Sunrise seemed to have more than a few complaints. The dwarves were very hospitable, and their accommodations in the cliff-side metropolis had been excellent.

Of course, the dwarves were hosting creatures from every tribe in the Lands of Order. Travelers had come many miles to the city of Stonemouth to take of the bounty and bring it back to their home territories. Even though she and Firefly had been sent for another purpose, she had enjoyed taking part in the festivities.

A small gust of wind forced her to grip tightly to the poll. She took another quick look around at her surroundings. Confident she was truly alone, she leaped off the top of the pole and raced through the air towards the city. Her tiny body zipped quickly passed overturned carts, over bloody bodies, and under partially collapsed awnings.

The closer she flew to the city, the more sounds began to rise from the silence. She could hear the soldiers in the distance, hissing and clicking as they conversed between each other in this calm between battles. There was a low grumble, too. A deep, powerful rumbling rolled through the air and crawled eerily across her skin.