Lyam didn't wait for the Lances to join him. He saw the smoke and took off running right away. He escaped the castle and retraced the dirt path they’d taken on their way over. The herd of lambs he'd seen outside the woods now lay slaughtered on the ground.

The sight of blood brought a dozen terrifying visions to his mind. Mamie Alda, tripping over something in a hurry, trying to rescue little Emma while the house burnt. Mamie Alda, hitting the floor while Emma cried in her room, trapped in the flames, the fire eating away the foundation, weakening the walls before the roof collapsed, trapping Mamie and Emma under the rubble.

Lyam flinched and pushed those thoughts away. “They are going to be fine,” he told himself as he ran past the dead sheep. “Mamie is strong. And Emma is quick. They'll be alright. They’ll be alright. They'll be…”

The other Lances caught up to him outside the forest. They made their way back into the village. Or what they used to call their village until that evening. The fire had engulfed every house, business, shed and shelter. The air was rotten with the smell of smoke and there was screaming. A lot of screaming.

Lyam had never seen such destruction before. And now that he was seeing it, his brain refused to form any thoughts and his limbs had turned to lead. He stood completely still, just watching the mayhem unfold.

His friends kept arguing around him, frantically trying to decide where to head first. Their voices had grown as distant as the screams that were coming from the fire. He didn't even notice that Benoit had broken away from the group and taken off running, heading in the direction of the smithy that his family owned.

Lyam's eyes were captivated by something else in that instance. A silhouette of a woman, standing in front of a building that the fire hadn't found yet. She held a long leather whip in her hand and she cracked it fiercely at the building. The next thing he saw was the structure drowning in flames.

Lyam finally noticed Ben rushing away from them. The woman with the whip noticed him too. She raised her weapon, ready to strike the boy. Lyam's instincts kicked in and he found himself running in the woman's direction, whipping out his slingshot from under his shirt. He loaded it with a steel marble and pulled the band. He stopped at a distance of about six feet from her–the distance at which he couldn't have missed his aim. Then he took his shot.

The steel marble pierced through the air and struck the woman right at the corner of her eye. She snapped in pain and turned to Lyam. “Son of a–”

He shot another marble at her face. And another. And another. “You're going to pay for that, you runt!” she yelled and raised her whip and struck at Lyam before he could take another shot. The boy gasped and dove out of the way.

The whip only managed to strike at the thin air. But it had also managed to leave a trail of fire suspended in its wake. Lyam also noticed that the handle of the whip seemed to be made of some shiny crystal. And the woman wielding the whip had tattoos on her arm; they glowed when she cracked her weapon.

Shapecrafter, he thought in shock and fear as he rolled away from her. The woman cracked her whip again. He took the snap of its tip as it struck his shoulder. His shirt caught a small flame on contact. The boy quickly patted it out. He scrambled back to his feet and took off running the other way, leaving the burning church behind.

The lances joined him as he ran. He could tell the shapecrafter was also hot on their pursuit. They passed Goddess Fahn’s statue in the town square. “There, into that alley!” Lyam beelined for the dark and narrow space. His friends followed.

They all took cover behind a pile of chopped firewood, holding their breaths as they waited for the lady with the whip to pass by the alley. She did. Theo leaned back against the wall and let out a ragged sigh.

“What are we going to do now?” Ben said, his voice trembling. “I want to go home.”

“The count should be sending someone,” Hugo whimpered. “Maybe the enforcers, maybe even wielders. Right?”

“We should just run back to the forest.” Julie said. “Wait until the morning. If that woman sees us again we'll be dead for sure.”

“What about our parents?” Ben said. “What if that woman finds them?”

“You are our leader.” Hugo grabbed Theo by his shoulders. “What should we do? Say something!”

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“I'm trying to think!” Theo yelled back at the boy.

“Stop it!” Lyam snapped, getting everyone's attention. He glared at them and looked out at the opening of the alley. “Bickering among ourselves won't help. I won't tell you what to do. But if you want to survive against that whip lady, then better disperse around. Don't let her corner you. There might be others like her. So be fast and don't let anyone else slow you down. Just focus on saving yourself and your family. That's what I am going to do.” He got up and walked over to the opening of the alley. He peered out into the street. The woman was nowhere to be seen.

The other children watched him in bewilderment. “You are going out alone?” Theo asked. “Have you lost your mind?”

Lyam eyes were focused on the street outside. His Mamie was sixty years old, Emma was just four. His mother had passed away giving birth to Emma and father had passed away when Lyam was five. No one was coming to save what was left of his family. There was no option other than going by himself. So without another word, he left the alley and stepped out into the road flanked by flames.

###

His neighborhood was nothing but a burning wreckage. Every house and building had become a funeral pyre. Why had the crafters attacked his village out of all the others in Brismont? What were they even going to prove by burning a bunch of commoners? Lyam tried to find a reason for this chaos but there wasn't any that he could think of. This was just a mindless inferno. Someone with power thought they could torch entire houses and they did it.

The fire burned brighter, the smoke grew thicker as he kept running. He tried to manoeuvre around the mayhem where he could, keeping an eye out for the whip lady or some other crafter who might've been with her. Fortunately, he didn't run into any of them.

He finally arrived in his neighborhood and regretted it right away. Everything that stood soundly in the morning was now going down in flames.

But all his hope only shattered when he found a pile of burning rubble where his home once used to be. Mamie…Emma…he tried calling out for them but his voice had abandoned him and his knees threatened to buckle.

Tears were still welling up in his eyes when he heard someone calling out for him. “Lyam, over here!”

It was Mamie Alda. The boy gasped when he saw her beckoning him from a toppled over horse wagon. He rushed towards her. She dragged him into the cart. Emma was huddled in a corner inside. She put her arms around her big brother the moment she saw him. Lyam almost collapsed in relief after seeing them amidst the chaos.

It was stuffy and dark inside the wagon because of the canvas sheet that covered the vehicle. And there was the oppressive smell of smoke heavy in the air, almost suffocating. Mamie Alda pulled the sheet over the opening from which she had dragged him in. Then she turned to him.

The sleeves of her dress were folded up and her apron was stained with oil, flour and animal blood as usual. Her grey hair were pulled back in a tight bun and covered with a handkerchief. Emma was just in a simple dress and a cloak.

Before he could ask Mamie if they were okay, she snapped. “Where in god's name were you?! I went to find you in your room when the fire began and you weren't there.”

“I'm sorry,” he said timidly.

It took another minute for Mamie’s groan to soften. “It's okay. At least you're fine.” She sighed tiredly and leaned back against the upturned bench of the wagon. Perspiration dotted her forehead from the heat inside the vehicle.

“What are you two doing in here?” he asked.

“What does it look like?” Mamie said.

Emma pulled her knees close to her chest and hugged them. “We are hiding from the scary fire people.”

Lyam patted her shoulder and asked, “How many of them are there?”

“At least two who keep circling around this damn neighborhood,” Mamie said. “I'd been looking for an opening to run off with Emma but one of those bastards keeps coming back. I feel like someone will ambush us if we make a run for it.”

“What if I distract them?” Lyam said. “I'll make a window for you both to escape from.”

“No.” Mamie glared at him. “Those scum crafters are here especially for the children. If they find you running around they won't stop until they catch you.”

“Then how do we get out of here?” Emma said and gave a rattling cough.

Mamie looked at the boy gravely. “I'll do it. I'll lead them away while you and Emma run off.”

The boy swallowed hard. “Would you be safe?”

“Don’t worry about me.” She pulled out her meat cleaver from under the shawl next to her. Dried blood gleamed on its serrated edge.

“Where will we meet you after we all escape?” he asked.

“The next city–Eisdel,” Mamie said. “Just focus on getting out of Vermeil. Once you do, start on your way to the city. Sooner or later, we'll meet anyway. Just keep yourself and your sister safe.” She peered out of the canvas again and nodded. “I see them coming this way. When I run, make sure to run the other way, alright?”

Lyam nodded, he wanted to say something more but fear and anxiety had stolen his words. And before he knew it Mamie had left the wagon.

Emma crawled closer to him and latched onto his arm. “I-I'm scared, brother.”