Chapter 27 - The Bell Tolls

Lilly was panicking. What reason did Eolande have to attack her? Was it to wound Lady Selene? Had Eolande been an enemy all this time?

Her heart was pounding, and the dizziness and lack of breath really weren’t helping. ‘Do I attack her with my flames?’ Lilly wondered, still seated on the cobblestone road.

Eolande was posed to attack, and searched the surroundings for some route of escape.

“You’re not getting away!” She roared, and before Lilly could think, she disappeared from view.

‘Huh? But we’re right here, who is she chasing?’

She sat there in silence for a moment trying to make sense of everything. But nothing came to mind that could explain this.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed, shaking the ground under her. Looking towards Lady Selene, from where the noise originated, Lilly saw her hand embedded in the road up to her wrist.

"Gods! How could I be so foolish?" Lady Selene blurted out in frustration, still down on one knee. She glanced back at Lilly and let out a small sigh of relief. “At least you’re fine. Or, maybe not?” She studied Lilly for a second, and could probably see the panic on her face.

“H– how could Elly attack me?” Lilly stammered, looking to the only one she could rely on right now. It was a question from her very core, completely without filter. She needed an answer.

Lady Selene looked puzzled, but then shook her head slightly. “She was protecting you, Lilly. Someone else attacked us from the shadows." Seeing Lilly's lack of response, she added, "I know Eolande. If she wanted us dead, we wouldn't be here."

“Saved us? Elly did?” Still in shock, Lilly struggled to take in the information properly. She had to repeat it in her head a few times before she even understood it. But then, a flood of relief flushed through her, and all the tension in her body disappeared.

‘She was following me to keep me safe?’

Slowly, she managed to get a grip on the situation. They were attacked, at the exact moment Lady Selene said she didn’t have bodyguards. Eolande saved them from the worst of it somehow, and went after the attacker.

But Lady Selene was wounded, Lilly realized. “Your arm, Lady Selene! Will you be fine?”

A grim look crossed Lady Selene's face. “No, this arm is out of commission for the foreseeable future. I think the attacker achieved their goal…” Blood continued to seep from her arm, indicating a rather severe injury. She tried to stand, but she started swaying and had to catch herself so she didn’t fall. “Ooh, even poison, huh?”

“You’re poisoned!? We– we need to get you to the hospital!” Panic surged through Lilly again, now fearing for Lady Selene's life. She hurriedly stood to assist her, almost falling herself due to numb feet, but managed to steady herself and support Lady Selene's shoulders.

“At this point… I think it’s too late, Lilly.” Lady Selene had started sweating, and struggled to speak properly.

'No, this can't be happening!'

Desperation set in as Lilly sat beside her. "You can't die, who will protect the city? Who will stop the ships?"

Tears filled Lady Selene's eyes, her expression one of deep regret. "I know! I've let the city down! I’ve been so, so stupid. Without… antidote, I… I can’t go out… like this...” She cried, while leaning back and laying down on the road.

Lilly heard a couple of guards come running to check on the commotion, but she hardly had time to acknowledge them. “I... I don't have any antidote, but maybe Elly does! If she returns. Or perhaps she can purify it—" Lilly stopped, struck by a sudden realization.

“Lady Selene, my flames can purify! I can try to remove your poison! You just need to let my flame into your body!” Lilly was still panicked, but she felt like this could work, as long as Lady Selene accepted it.

With a face showing her pain, Lady Selene struggled to respond. “Yeah… try..." she whispered, with a hint of hope in her strained voice. Her faith in the flame of legend might have sparked a small flame of its own, in the depths of her core.

Lilly took her hand, gently guiding her flame into Lady Selene's body. It entered effortlessly, revealing astonishing aspects of the Lady's inner being. But Lilly had no time to marvel. ‘Please, flame, cleanse the poison from her body! Purify it, and make her healthy again,’ she silently pleaded.

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The flame quickly surged, almost completely out of Lilly’s control. A wave of flame shot through her arm and into Lady Selene, much more than Lilly had intended to use. But she trusted that the flame knew what to do.

The flame focused around the wounded right arm, and started burning some dark liquid around the area. It continued to the lungs and heart, where it spread out and targeted smaller dark spots. It seemed to work, and the darker parts were much lighter after the flame left those areas.

‘It’s working? Really? Oh, flame, you’re the best!’ Lilly thought to herself, now cautiously optimistic.

“Agh, burns!” Lady Selene exclaimed, clearly in a lot of pain. She seemed to restrain herself so she didn’t move too much, but was clearly struggling.

“I think it’s working! Please try to stay still, Lady Selene!” Lilly was also sweating a lot now, trying her best to stay calm. “You guards, can you hold her down please? I need her to be as still as possible.” Lilly asked, hoping they would comply.

The two guards just looked nervously at each other at first, but then moved quickly after Lady Selene gave them a nod.

Lilly focused on her insides again, and found a lot of improvement. The flames were still working on her arm and heart, but now most of it was floating around her body, maybe looking for other areas to heal.

Now, Lilly could allow herself to notice some peculiar parts of her body. She could see threads in her eyes, showing the enchantment that had been used on her as a child. But there were other places as well. Her core, although Lilly stayed away from its center, also had some system around it. What it could be used for, Lilly had no idea, but it was clearly strong judging by the width of the threads.

Lilly also noticed some mana floating around in the Lady’s body, although it might be heavily restrained due to the poison and her own effort. She was clearly well trained.

All the flames were just floating around in her body now, so Lilly pulled them back, hoping she would be fine now. Nothing was done to the wound itself other than stopping the bleeding, so her arm would still be pretty useless in any case.

"Lady Selene, I think you're alright now," Lilly said, signaling the guards to release her. She wiped away the sweat trickling near her eyes.

“I feel much better, Lilly… I think you’ve saved my life.” She still seemed weak, but she got up in a sitting position at least. The colors of her face were a bit better, but her expression soured again. “It still doesn’t help the city much though, I’m afraid. This could only be a planned attack from Dortfell... You!” She addressed a guard sharply. "Alert the garrison immediately. High alert. We could have a fleet approaching the city."

The guard quickly got up and started running. His nervousness was apparent, but it seemed to be overridden by his readiness for emergency situations. ‘I wish I was like that,’ Lilly mused.

"Lilly," Lady Selene began, her tone serious as if about to issue an order. "How much of your flame do you think you used on me, roughly?"

“Oh, uhh, maybe a tenth?” Lilly was trying to be conservative, hoping to hide a little bit of her destructive potential. She hadn't been conservative enough.

Lady Selene's eyes widened in disbelief. "That little? It felt overwhelming!" She seemed to stop to think for a while, before showing a hesitating look. “Lilly, could you protect the city in my stead? Could your flames sink a fleet from far away?” There was a pleading tone in her voice, one looking for a solution to this potential disaster.

Lilly hesitated. She had never attempted such long-range use of her flame, nor did she know the extent of power needed to sink a fleet. Additionally, she would have to reveal her powers to the entire city. It would make her as big of a target as Lady Selene was, forcing her to look over her shoulders every day.

On the other hand, what choice did she have? She could never let the city fall without at least trying to do something, could she?

But then, as Lilly contemplated the enormity of Lady Selene's request, a deep, resonant tolling of a bell shattered the quiet of the city. It rang through the streets of Thundrel, silencing any activity that could still be heard. The entire city took a collective breath, just listening to the first three gongs of the bell.

Lilly's heart raced. She had heard that sound once before as a young child, when a pack of beasts had broken into the city. It had been a disaster, but she feared this one would be worse.

Lady Selene’s face paled further, even in her weakened state. "The warning bell..." she gasped, "The scouts must have seen something. The fleet..."

Around them, the city stirred into action. This was no longer just about her or Lady Selene; it was about the fate of the entire city.

A shimmering barrier started to surround the walls of the city, covering it from every direction. That was the city’s last line of defense, and prevented anything from entering or leaving.

Lady Selene looked pleadingly at Lilly now, truly realizing the consequences of her own carelessness. “Please, Lilly! I could never live with this guilt if the city falls!”

It felt unreal, seeing the protector of the city like this. Such a respected figure and warrior, asking desperately for her help.

Fortunately, Lilly had already made the decision when she heard the bell. As a young child she didn’t understand what the sound of the bell meant, but she experienced the aftermath. The city had been so quiet, and some people had cried in the streets for several weeks in the aftermath.

She never wanted to see the city like that again.

Resolutely, she nodded to Lady Selene. "I'll do everything I can. I just hope it's enough."

Relief washed over Lady Selene's face. “Thank you, Lilly. Guard, take her to the platform overseeing the port.” She commanded the remaining guard, and he obeyed without a word.

Lilly hesitated a bit, thinking of the health of Lady Selene. But she understood the priorities here. She got up, and followed the guard on the road towards the port.