“You are absolutely not going for a walk!”

Abel stepped up between Clergy and Naki, and looked on his way to throwing a tantrum again.

“I think he already agreed,” Naki said, crossing her arms.

Abel groaned then turned to face Clergy. “Look, you feel guilty,” he said. “I get it, believe me I do, but making a difference means being smart.” He motioned over to Naki. “And this isn’t smart. You’ve got to protect yourself. She’s clearly baiting you.”

Naki scoffed, but Clergy took a breath and met his gaze.

“Weren’t you the one who said we need to, ‘give a damn about the lives we’re putting at stake?’” He asked, then he pointed over toward the beds. “We— I put their lives at risk. I can at least do the same in return. I have to set things right.” Clergy looked over toward Naki. Or at least try. “Of course, that doesn’t mean it needs to be dangero—”

“Where’re you even going?” Leah asked. “Your people are here. You want to help them? Stay and help.”

Naki glared over at her. “Some of them are,” she said, “but most of them are out there.” She pointed out the door to the clinic. “This place only holds a drop of all the problems in the Basin, and I don’t have the luxury of shining one spot then calling it ‘pretty.’”

“That’s not an answer,” Leah said, returning the glare in kind. “Where are you going?”

Naki grabbed Clergy’s arm. “To help the others.” She started towing Clergy away and back towards the front. Then she gave him a curious look. “Clergy?” She asked.

Clergy rolled his eyes. “It’s a long story.”

“I know you’re not talking about the fires,” Leah said as she stalked after them. “I told you to stay away from them. Saadya told you to stay away from them.”

Fires? Clergy thought.

“I don’t stay away from my people when they’re hurting,” Naki said, still facing ahead. “I go to help.” Then suddenly she stopped. Her eyes sunk deep into a glare as she looked over at a man standing in front of them.

He was a couple beds away with a square face, blonde hair cut short, and pale blue eyes. A smile bloomed beneath his slender nose, and was surrounded by the shadow of a beard. His clothes were plain, but clean and bright: a white tunic with a buttoned-up collar, beige pants, and dark brown shoes. Around his neck was a medallion. A simple chain holding a symbol Clergy’d seen before. It was a bird’s skull in front of a dark sun, surrounded by a snake eating its tail. Just like Abel and the warriors, Clergy thought. What could it mean? The same symbol was tattooed on the man’s hand as well.

He was talking with a bedridden Amarian. She was old but seemed sweet, as she and the man shared laughs and some bread. Naki didn’t seem to care.

She looked back at Leah. “You still let Travelers in here?”

“When they help,” Leah said. “And Traveler Roe is always helpful.” Then she stepped in front of her. “Don’t change the subject,” she said. “You cannot go look into the fires. They’re too dangerous. People who get involved with them come back as ash.”

“Kids,” Naki said. “There were kids in some of those fires.”

Leah scowled then looked away. “I know,” she said. “I’ve had to deal with the bodies.”

“Then you know I can’t let this go!”

“I know you won’t,” Leah said. “But you need to. For your own sake.” She waved her hand to the side. “Let the guard handle this. Clearly, they don’t like arson either.”

“But they don’t give a shit about us!” Naki snapped back with fury. Then she stepped in close. “Why can’t you understand that?”

“Fire!” Someone shouted, and the room turned to its source.

An Amarian man with drab clothes and a bandanna came rushing into the room. “There’s a fire a few blocks away! You need to send help! It just started and it’s already looking bad!”

The crowd suddenly sprung into panic and action. Staff raced off and started to gather supplies. Patients and onlookers alike burst into an uproar. Leah quickly stormed off and grabbed a chair. She dragged it to the entrance of the room, slammed it down then stood on the makeshift pedestal.

“If you don’t work here I need you to sit down!”

The crowd murmured and jeered. “But they need help!” Someone shouted.

“And they’ll get it!” Leah said back. “But I think we all see what a riot can cost! Now sit down!”

That jarred the crowd, and a few moments later the room slowly obeyed. All except for Naki, who was already moving to stroll past the door. With Clergy in tow, of course.

“Hey!” Leah said, but Naki ignored her. She sucked her teeth and nodded toward some staffers. “Get the burn kit ready!” She said. They quickly heeded their orders, as Leah stepped down and strode after Clergy and Naki. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“Or I’ll save a kid’s life!” Naki shouted back. She and Leah stopped in their tracks as the crowd flowed by. They were only a few steps apart. “Either way, I’m going to try. We don’t abandon our own.”

Leah scowled then sucked her teeth. “I have work to do.” She strode back into the waning madness.

“Clergy!” It was Abel, but he’d left the others to go after them.

“I’m going, Abel,” Clergy said.

“Just think this through!” Abel shot back. “This could be just as dangerous as the archive, maybe more!” He motioned over toward Clergy. “Don’t throw your life away in some fire. You have unfinished business.” He tapped the side of his head. “Try to remember.”

He’s not wrong, Clergy thought. Stopping Gad, the arbiter, whoever’s abducting people, that’d help too. Maybe more. He gnawed on that for a moment. Yeah, he thought. Yeah, that all makes sense. Then he let out a laugh, but, “they’re lives at stake,” he said with a nervous smile. “How could I say no?”

“Then you’ll probably need some help,” Micah said, as he walked up to the entrance, but Abel placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No,” he said. “If they’re people in that fire they’re getting all the help they need.” He looked back toward Clergy. “Even the misguided kind.” He nodded his head. “Besides,” he said, “we have our own work cut out for us.” With a wave he motioned at the bustling crowd before them. “This fire may have already started, but we’re going to stop the next one.”

Micah perked up at that. “You think this is connected to the ar—” then he paused. “To one of our… eccentric friends?”

Naki raised a brow at his stumble but otherwise said nothing.

“I don’t know,” Abel said, though his face betrayed darker thoughts. “But I don’t like coincidences.”

“Looks like I’m going to Saadya’s by myself then,” Daniel said, as he rejoined the group. “I’m sure that’ll go smoothly.”

“We’ll be back there when we’re done,” Naki said. “If you’re still in one piece by then.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Daniel gave her an unamused grin, but then he froze. He was staring straight ahead at the entrance to the clinic. “That’s Ethan Dal.”

Clergy looked over to where he was staring. A young man with wavy brown hair, dark eyes, and a Councilor robe stood by the farmhouse entryway. He was chatting with Hannah, and with great success too, as he got her laughing and made her face turn bright red.

Isn’t he a Councilor? Clergy thought. What’s he doing here? “Why’s he—”

Naki didn’t share his curiosity. She tugged his arm along, as she rolled her eyes and kept walking. Daniel trailed behind them.

“Councilor Dal,” he said. “Quite the surprise to see you here.”

Ethan looked over and chuckled. “You know, I’ve been getting that a lot today.”

Hannah faced them too and smiled. “Oh, Councilor Dal—”

“Ethan,” he cut in. “I insist.”

Hannah blushed as she glanced over at him. “Ethan,” she said, “was one of the votes approving our Council funding.”

“It was a worthy investment,” Ethan said. “I just like to check in every now and again and see all the good happening here. Makes my job worthwhile.”

Ow! Naki’s grip tightened on Clergy’s arm.

“I remember you,” Ethan said. “It took me a moment without your glasses. You’re David—”

“Daniel.” He said his name with a smile. “Then this is just a friendly visit?”

Ethan waved his hand in the air. “I’ve some business with Leah, and of course I always enjoy Hannah’s company.” He gave her a wink and a grin. “But yes, I just like to come out. This is a place that brings people together, and I think that’s the core of my job.”

That stopped Naki in her tracks. She let out a long sigh and kept walking, leaving the rest of the group behind as they hurried down the busy street.

- ~ -

That’s smoke. Clergy could see it rising in the distance, and he didn’t like how much.

Crowds were corralling nearby the scene. Some milled in the neighboring streets. Others fled the chaos and screams, turning back only to cower in the dense plume’s shadow.

“We’ve got to hurry,” Naki said, as she strode ahead of Clergy through the streets. She’d stopped towing him by the arm a little while ago. He figured that was a good sign.

Everything else was not.

The terror grew worse as they got closer to the blaze. People stumbled to get past them. Glass shattered amid horrified screams.

Where are the guards? Clergy thought. Why aren’t any of them trying to stop this— and then he saw it, and his mind cared about nothing else.

The building was completely engulfed. Its wooden frame cracked and splintered from heat. Dense smoke poured out from the windows. It was a powerful sight, but all that Clergy could see was— what… he thought. What the fuck is that?

The flames were violet.

Some of them kept their red-orange hue, but most were bathed in a dark purple sheen. Clergy stood and gawked at the sight, as onlookers did the same. How did this happen?

“Someone help! There’s a kid in there!” A voice from the crowd echoed Clergy’s worst fears. Leah was right, he thought. This is suicide.

“Hey! Where are you going?!”

Clergy snapped out of his trance just in time to watch Naki race ahead and into the blaze.

What? “Wait!” He reached out his hand, running up to catch her, but she was already gone. Clergy stood frozen in the street. Fuck! He gaped at the fiery scene, as he raked his fingers through his hair.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Sweat trickled down his face. What do I do?! What do I do?! His panic overwhelmed him. He felt himself about to scream.

“Clergy!” It was Naki. Her voice was so faint behind the flames. “They’re here!” She shouted. “They—” then she screamed.

Clergy’s eyes went wide. I-I have to go, but his legs felt like jelly and his knees were trembling. He brought down his hands. Are you really going to get killed for a stranger and some kid? He thought to himself. Then he looked back at the blaze. Am I really going to let them die? A knot formed in his stomach that drove his next step. No… he thought. I-I couldn’t live with that. He took one more. I couldn’t. But this was happening anyway, which means he had a choice. He could live with the regret of standing over charred corpses, or maybe die regretting he was in over his head. I’ve felt that way since the beginning, Clergy thought. I already feel that way now. He sucked his teeth. And I can’t handle more regrets. I won’t let anyone else die!

He let his fears out with a roar, and raced into the flames.

The inside was an inferno. Only the bones of the house remained. To his left a staircase once lead to the upper floor, but fire had claimed it and would let none pass. The ceiling churned with smoke and violet heat. Clergy brought his hands up and head down, as he traversed through the burning terrain.

Naki screamed again and Clergy snapped to the noise. That came from the right. There was a door frame there, just down the hall. He started to move. “I’m com—”

“Stay down girl.” It was a grating, metallic voice, like iron scratched together to make noise.

Clergy froze at the sound. What— Then he pushed the thought down. She needs help. Stay focused! The ceiling burst ahead with fire and flaming wood. Shit! Clergy jumped back as debris thundered to the ground. Move! Move! He reached the doorway now. “Naki! I—”

Then his face went pale.

If the space had once been a room, it was not anymore. Every wall was ablaze. Fire claimed two beds, a bookshelf, and a table beside that. There was one other doorway opposite Clergy that led to another burning abyss, but the greater danger was here.

Naki was on the floor to the left, her cheek red and nose bloody. Clergy would’ve gone to her straight away, but before him was a harrowing sight.

A tall man shrouded in black stood in the center of the room. His calm poise seemed callous amongst the flames and peril, but Clergy already knew he was the enemy here.

His face was an iron mask, charred yet unmarred by heat. The dead surface had two large slits where the eyes should be, while beneath that was a nose and smaller holes in place of a mouth. Looming in the shadow of the larger slits, violet eyes pulsed with a wicked light, gleaming beneath the iron helm.

Only one man had eyes like those.

The arbiter.

He had a bloody knife in one of his gloved hands, and in the other… he held up a boy, or at least the corpse of one. The body was untouched by heat; but blood stains ran down its drab clothes, and more caked the nappy hair on his head.

What the fuck. This was a nightmare. I— his legs were shaking. Fear churned his insides. Get Naki and go. The words spurred no movement. Clergy could barely breathe. Get Naki and go. He just had to do it. His legs still wouldn’t move. Get Naki and go! Get Naki and go! He tried to take a step.

“And another,” the man said. He looked at Clergy and dropped the boy.

The end snapped through Clergy’s mind.

The man started to stride over, but then cocked his head and stopped. “You…” he started to turn away. “The boy is dead. Take the girl and leave.” He glanced back at Clergy one last time.

“This is beyond you, boy.”

Without another word, the man drifted toward the other doorway, and disappeared amidst the flames.

What? Clergy could barely stand. His legs nearly gave out, as his life extended a second beyond what he knew should’ve been the end. What the fuck. He had to hold back tears. Get… get Naki and go. Flames erupted as he heard wood creak. Get Naki and go! He found enough of his legs to take his first step, then another, until he was stumbling over to her.

“Naki!” He kneeled down and leaned over her. Please wake up. “Naki!”

She coughed, then gagged, then groaned awake. “Cler—gy?”

Clergy could’ve cried with relief, but he knew he had to keep it together. “We have to go Naki! Right now!”

She shook her head as she reached up and grabbed it. “What?” She started to sit up. “What happ—” then she immediately snapped back to the moment. She shot up and looked around.

“The kid!” She cried, but then she saw him, and nothing in the world could’ve made that moment right. She scowled and looked away.

“Naki, we have to go!” She let Clergy take her by the arm and waist to help her stand, and together they stumbled out the blaze and back onto the street.

Onlookers raced to their aid. They took Naki, and tried to take him, but he shook them off, stumbling back toward the fiery scene. He sank to his knees. Ash and embers fell away as heat cracked more wood indoors. A few came and kissed Clergy’s skin. A child’s final embrace. He started to cry.

Naki too, had come back over to the blaze, and knelt down beside him. Her face filled with fury and a loss nothing would ever mend.

Clergy stared back into the blaze as her anger brewed in him. “We’re gonna find who did this,” he said after a moment. Then he looked toward her. “Whatever it takes.”

Naki met his gaze and nodded. “Whatever it takes.”