The Open Sky: Eternal Forest Saga - Book 3

Chapter 18

 The evacuation rendezvous point was a good distance north of Windsong. Even the larger races would normally have been unable to see the city that far away in the daytime, so for the faeries in the dead of night, Windsong should have been undetectable. But not when it was ablaze. Through the early autumn foliage, the burning faerie city looked like a candle flickering in the darkness. But the faeries could shut their eyes or otherwise look away from the speck of light in the distance. What they couldn't escape was the smell. Smoke from the fire wafted through the trees and past their noses, letting every breath remind them that everything they'd ever known was gone. The flames ignited several trees surrounding the city, but a brief rainshower extinguished the whole scene before sunrise.

At dawn, Sparrow led her Thorns back into the city. She'd had all night to prepare for the horrors of seeing the wreckage in daylight, but it was still too unbearable to comprehend. Half of the platform that encircled the trunk was collapsed while the other half was tilted at a steep angle. The smashed remains of homes amongst the blackened branches still smoldered long after the flames had gone out. And then, of course, there were the bodies. The smell of burned flesh hadn't made its way to the rendezvous point, making it all the more jarring to experience back in the city. Most of the dead had fallen to the ground. Their corpses formed a ring around the base of the tree.

Sparrow landed on a high branch just beneath the palace at the top of the tree. It was somewhat intact, being far too high for many of the goblins to throw their stones, but it was still a wreck. There were gaping holes in the walls and the southeast corner was caved in, having lost the branches holding it up. Fortunately for her, that was the corner where the secret apartment was located. The floor had collapsed, meaning the apartment was destroyed. Had Dewdrop actually been in bed during the attack, that's where she'd have been. The lie that she'd died might be easier to maintain than she'd thought.

"Search for survivors!" she commanded as her soldiers hovered around her. "The High Priestess didn't make it to either evacuation point. See if you can find her. I need three teams of two heading west, south, and east to see where the goblin horde is now. Squad captains, I want regular updates throughout the day." The order of assassins followed her commands and the search through the wreckage began. She scanned the scene for Mantis. Her second in command had been distant ever since they made it out of the burning city, but it was not surprising. Dragonfly, his husband, perished in the attack. She knew she'd be unable to bear it if Dewdrop was taken from her, and they'd only been together for a few days. Mantis and Dragonfly had been married for years. The loss was unthinkable.

With her orders set in motion, Sparrow took off towards the palace. With several large holes blown through the walls, there was no need to go through the door. The great hall was in shambles. Most of the roof was burned away. Decorations that once adorned the walls were smashed to bits and scattered about the floor. The throne was toppled on its side. In the far corner, one of the stones hurled by the goblins sat. A trace of the oil used to ignite it still lingered, and her nose detected it amongst the smells of burning wood and cloth.

The southeast corner of the floor was cracked and sloped. The rug that usually covered the secret door of the apartment was burned up. The door was shut. Knowing full well what she'd see, Sparrow still fluttered over to the door and pulled it open. Everything beneath had been smashed away, and she could see straight down to the ruined city below. Sparrow sighed. What little remained of Dewdrop's personal life had been in that apartment, and now it was all gone.

"Did you see her die?" Mantis asked.

She hadn't heard him approach, and his voice startled her. She stood as he walked to the edge of the floor before the slope began. His eyes were empty and his expression blank. A child's doll would have seemed more alive than he did. "What do you mean?"