Chapter 22:
Fiery Ambush
Trevus stops walking, raising his hand to signal us to do the same. Marcellus grabs the axe from his belt. I freeze. They both sense danger, and they’re both experienced warriors. I don’t know why they’re so cautious, and that makes the situation even more frightening.
“The air,” Trevus says.
“Yes,” Marcellus says.
I take a sniff. There’s a hint of smoke. “Someone’s campfire?” I ask.
“If we are fortunate,” Trevus says.
“Fortunate?” If it’s a campfire, it could be the Versillian army, and encountering them seems far from fortunate.
“I suspect a flame sweep,” Trevus says.
“Salts,” Marcellus says. “We are only two.”
“Hence they wish to force an encounter.”
“What’s happening?” I ask. Their military phrases mean nothing to me.
“We are dead men, that is what is happening,” Marcellus says.
Trevus kneels and places a small white pebble on the dirt. “This is us three,” he says. I move in closer. He arranges a pile of dark pebbles nearby. “These are our hunters, ten, twenty or even fifty. They have not yet spotted us.” He draws a big circle around the white pebble. “They know we are within the forest. How do they find us?”
“They surround us and move in.” I put the dark pebbles around the circumference, encircling the white one.
Trevus moves the white pebble between a gap and out. “Even with fifty men, none would be able to spot the other, let alone us as we slip between them.”
He arranges the dark pebbles in a single line and separates two from the rest. “They light a deliberate burn on two fronts.” He places two sticks in the shape of a V, with our white pebble trapped inside. “The flames creep forward, and the fronts close in.” He moves the sticks together. “We are forced to flee from the flame.” My eyes follow the only way out – right into the line of dark pebbles – the men waiting for us.
“’Tis as I summarized – we are dead men,” Marcellus says.
The smoke is thick enough to see now, and the smell is impossible to ignore. Soon we’ll be running from it.
“Our venture shall not end today,” Trevus says.
Marcellus adjusts his grip on his axe. “Do not mishear my words, Captain. I shall fight when the time is upon us, but I am not worth ten men.”
Trevus flicks the white pebble over the sticks. “We traverse the burn.”
My stomach twists. His plan is to run through open flames?
He unbuttons my shirt. “Do not fear.” My old wet shirt is dropped in my hands. “I shall be your guide, and your damp garments shall be your shield.”
I turn around and put my wet shirt back on. A few hours ago, I was wishing that it was dry, but now the icy touch is welcome.
Trevus pours out half the waterskin over his and Marcellus’s shirts, thoroughly soaking them before dressing again.
The three of us rush in the direction of the smoke, and it begins to irritate my eyes.
In minutes, we reach a line of orange flames running across the dry ground. The smoke is thick, scratching my throat and making me squint. I can’t see past the fire, and there’s no indication of how deep the flames go.
I think back to the black pebbles that Trevus laid out. Two pebbles were separated from the rest, and we’re heading right to them. “What about the ones who started the fire?” I ask.
Trevus looks back at me. “No victory is without risk.” He takes my hand and puts it on his belt. “Seal your eyes, shield your nose, step with haste, do not trip, and do not release your hold.”
I cover my face with my damp sleeve and nod. My grip tightens around his belt.
Trevus heads forward, and his belt tugs me along. The wood crackles from the fire, and the air heats up. I hold my breath.
We cross the fire’s threshold, rushing into the burning woods. I take tall steps with long strides, touching the hot ash as little as possible.
The heat is intense, like lying bare on sun scorched stone. With my eyes shut tight, my grip on Trevus is my only sense of direction. All my focus is on my steps, making sure not to trip over fallen branches. Landing on the ash would burn my arms, as they don’t have the protection of thick boots.
Unable to hold my breath any longer, I open my mouth and gulp in air. The pain in my chest makes me regret it. My lungs force out strained cough after cough. I grip my chest as I struggle for breath.
Salts. I’ve lost Trevus’s belt.
My eyes squint open. I’m alone. The smoke obscures everything but the dreadful orange glow around my feet.
“Tre-” I try call out but break into a cough, choking again. I could die in here.
Rough fingers snare my shirt, and it tightens around my frame. I’m yanked forward. He didn’t leave me. His grip is so tight it hurts, but I don’t care. I latch onto his arm with one hand and cover my face with the other.
After a hurried rush through the smoke and flame, Trevus slows his pace and takes my hand instead. I open my eyes. We’re still on ash, but the smoke is thinner and the flames are subdued. I check my clothes to make sure nothing is on fire and sigh in relief. We got through the worst of it, and I wasn’t burned.
Floating ash covers us like rain, turning our black uniforms gray. Fire still crackles in the cores of thick tree trunks, and burned leaves and sticks crunch under our boots. The howling wind could be mistaken for distant distorted cries. This feels like a place where life goes to die. I can’t leave soon enough.
Marcellus lets out a pained shout. He twists to face us. There’s an arrow in his shoulder.
Trevus’s eyes jump to me. His face creases in worry. “Run.”
The three of us take off into a sprint. I struggle to keep up with my shorter legs, but Trevus’s grip on my arm jerks me forward. I don’t dare look back for the ones who shot the arrow.
There’s green forest up ahead. A thin stream prevented the fire from spreading any further. We leap over the ditch and out of scorched ground.
I keep glancing up at the arrow in Marcellus’s shoulder. I don’t know how deep it goes, but it looks incredibly painful. He hasn’t made a sound after his initial shout. Perhaps that means he can handle it, but a part deep inside me fears that his silence is the first sign of death. That’s what Mehlia was like when she died from my connection. Silent.
Trevus leaps down a steep ridge, and I skid down after him. He jerks me to a sudden stop at the bottom and presses my body flat against the wall of dirt. Marcellus flattens himself against the ridge too, drawing his axe with his uninjured arm. Trevus is hidden just a foot away from the part we skid down, with his sword drawn and pointed upwards. If someone were to follow us, he’d drive his blade through their legs.
I stay still and quiet. My eyes jump between Marcellus’s shoulder and Trevus’s sword.
Marcellus’s breathing becomes heavy. I fear for his life.
No, we won’t!
😟🥺😣
True
I appreciate his honesty
The lads in pain, my boy, my baby
I will not lose best man Marcellus 😭
My boy!
why did they not use their wet shirts to cover their mouths and noses?
as the saying goes, the smoke will kill you before the flames do, it’s easier to dodge fire and go through it than smoke
how is she talking in the thick smoke, girl would be having a major coughing fit, even with wet cloth over her mouth and nose
Ah yes, don’t be afraid, we’re just running through flames lol
So do they have a way of controlling it? fire once it starts spreading, becomes wild and extremely fast in movement
straight to the point, love it
How fast do you think the army is girl lol
Damn that was intense😮💨😰
me too I love this book so far. 🥰
I’ve been waiting all week for the update 🤭🤭🤭