Vanya’s heart dropped listening to Taru’s men explaining it all over again to him. He kicked a stone in his way as frustration took over him while he asked them to repeat everything once more. But Vanya had already realized it.

Aren had slipped away from her fingers once again. After riding for almost half a day pretending not to know how to maneuver a horse, her shoulders were sore and she was tired beyond belief.

She turned to sit on the small stone wall behind her while Taru argued with his men asking them to go over Aren’s room again and try to figure out how he’d managed to trick them all and disappear after excusing himself to go to the loo.

She sighed deeply.

All that riding for nothing…

She thought, remembering Rhohaz’s worried face staring back at her while she left Shalom midday. It was almost evening now and her hopes that had been building throughout the journey to Elioth had been destroyed all at once with nothing left to ponder on.

Later that evening Taru asked her to accompany him for dinner at his household. Vanya gladly accepted, wanting some food in her belly. She was too disappointed to even worry about how to get to Aren again.

Chief Han’s home was a much grander sight compared to Rhohaz’s humble dwelling as the leader of Shalom. She stepped through the wellkept garden admiring the quaint household while being painted by the setting sun and reached the wooden front door.

Taru opened it to let her in. She looked around to see servants scurrying past setting the dinner table in a hurry as if they’d missed the mark that a guest would be joining them tonight entirely.

Taru asked Vanya to stay put as he went to find his parents. Vanya sat on one of the large chairs overlooking the garden and let her mind run astray. She was too tired and was glad she’d be spending the night at Chief Han’s guest room and leaving only the next morning. A part of her was already over wanting to get home, for home seemed too far of a reach for her. She felt as if this was her new life, a life away from the castle, a life of an ordinary nobody.

She watched patiently as the sun took the pretty pink and the glowing orange away with it as it bid farewell for tonight. She gazed out the window to watch the stars appear one by one missing Shalom and her little beach which gave a much grander view of the heavens above.

Just then, Taru stormed in panting.

Vanya looked at him puzzled, noticing he was holding a small scroll in between his fingers. He walked to her with his heels making a loud thud with each step he took.

“I’m sorry, Jade. Neither my father nor I will be joining for dinner tonight,” he said solemnly.

Vanya stood up knitting her brows, “What’s the matter?”

He pointed the scroll at her. It read in small writing ‘Code: Red. Need help immediately.

She looked at him even more confused.

“It’s a message from Shalom,” Taru explained. She remembered how Timmie flaunted about his new position as Shalom’s correspondent. Vanya guessed it was probably one of the pigeons Timmie took with him that may have flown to Elioth delivering the news.

“What does it mean?” Vanya pressed on.

Taru thought for a second about how to approach it but shook his head to say it anyway, “They are in grave danger. It could mean anything, a natural disaster or they could be under attack.”

“Under attack?! What…how?—“

“We don’t know but they need help now.”

Taru turned to walk away when Vanya held on to him. Vanya did not know what to make of it.

“Are you leaving for Shalom?” She asked.

“Yes, yes we are. You must stay here—“

“I’m coming with you,” Vanya asserted.

“You can’t. It could be dangerous—“

“I must! My sister, my–everyone I know is there,” she pleaded.

But Taru shook his head, “It’s dangerous. My father thinks it could be the Ravagers. You must stay back.”

“The Ravagers? Do you mean Anton and his men? I thought they were under arrest.”

Taru looked away in shame, “They were let go last night. And it’s pretty clear they’ve found a gold mine of a target with everyone in Shalom related in some way, shape, or form to the Yelhi tribe. The Ravagers would do anything to make their own mark—“

“You can’t tell me all this and not let me join you! I will come with you and your people. You must let me, Taru. I’m begging you.”

***

Vanya thought she’d pass out riding on the back of Rhohaz’s horse whilst tears streamed down her cheeks in the blistering cold from Elioth to Shalom.

Chief Han and Taru led the party of thirty-odd men and Vanya. Taru was surprised, to say the least seeing Vanya so effortlessly striding on her horse compared to the morning but that was the least of his worries.

By the time they rode to the highest point of the mountains overlooking Shalom, their jaws hung open in shock and fear.

Shalom was blazing. Flames of orange smeared through the entire village overtaking the night sky. Vanya gasped as she cried out seeing all the houses she used to pass by every day lit on fire.

“You lot, go around the back,” Chief Han instructed as half of his men parted ways immediately.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“The rest of you, with me,” he continued as Taru approached Vanya on his horse to check in on her.

“Jade, do you happen to know if there’s a place the villagers may have evacuated to?” Taru asked while Vanya watched the rest of the men follow Chief Han and part from them.

Vanya thought hard but she could only think of one.

“I’m not sure but I do have one in mind,” she said wiping her tears away.

“Lead me there, please. My father will scope out the rest of the area and try to get the fire under control,” Taru replied.

Vanya could only think of one place that was hopefully the best place to go to see the entire village, even the school grounds that were separate from where the houses were, being destroyed by the fire that was traveling through faster than they could comprehend.

The smoke created an odd cloud around the path as she fought its odd taste and the need to cough out every second as she rode through it all. She finally stopped to circle the area she and Roza found themselves in when looking for the Ombrah.

There were enough caves to wander into and spend a night sheltered away. She spotted one with a faint light in it and rode head-on at it.

By the time she reached it she heard the loud chatter die down to a whisper. She jumped off of her horse, Taru right beside her as she crept into the cave to find the entire village packed in it.

“Jade! Taru!” Roza shouted recognizing them and pushed through the crowd to run to Vanya for an embrace.

“Tell them, Jade. Tell them I’m capable of stopping it all. They are not letting me. They are not letting me use magic to stop the fire,” Roza was shouting at Vanya while Vanya tried to understand the situation.

She spotted Joan next to Tilly in a corner unscathed. She spotted Timmie, Cecil, and all of the fishing crew, some council members, and even some she met at the school grounds packed in here. But she could not spot Rhohaz.

“You are not allowed to use magic—“ Timmie’s father grunted from a corner.

“And you’d rather watch our entire village burn to the ground?!” Roza argued.

“So many of you possess the ability to end it all now. And you choose not to use it to protect your own family?!” Roza bellowed in anger.

“What happened?” Vanya asked quietly, realizing she had no idea except for the fact that Shalom was suddenly up in flames.

Just then, Garin appeared from within the crowd, disheveled and holding onto his arm tightly. He slithered by everyone to finally stand in front of Vanya. Seeing Roza not answering her and going on scolding the villagers, she turned to Garin to ask.

But before she could speak, he raised his hand and slapped her across her face. The sound of the slap echoed between the walls of the cave. Roza along with the crowd fell silent at once. Vanya took a second to realize what had happened.

She looked back at Garin gritting his teeth before spitting on her to yell, “You fool, you are the reason our village is burning to the ground. You shouted out to the world that we were the Yelhi tribe while glavanting about Elioth and look what you’ve done! You’ve brought them right into the heart of Shalom…”

“Garin,” Roza whispered while too shocked by Garin’s actions and words. He was always quiet, always thoughtful. But tonight he was vile.

“…Did you know they came to the very steps of Rhohaz’s home to warn us that they’d burn our bodies alive? They were so pleased to find all of Yelhi in one place. They told us to run and hide so when they were done burning our houses they’d come for our throats one by one. You worthless piece of—“ Garin was about to slap Vanya across her face once more when Roza caught his arm and pulled him away.

“She didn’t know,” Roza said, finally finding her voice while everyone stared back in shock.

Vanya held her cheek still red from Garin’s slap. She watched as Timmie approached them to try and help Roza calm Garin who was cursing Vanya at the top of his lungs. She felt the depth of her mistake down to her bones. She was the reason Shalom was burning. She was the reason everyone was stranded in a cold cave hiding from people who were still out there to take their lives.

“…She’s the reason we’d be dead by the morning. She’s the reason Rhohaz is not here!” Garin went on as Vanya looked up alerted and pulled Timmie to ask, “Where’s Rhohaz?”

Timmie shook his head, “We haven’t seen him since he guided everyone to the caves.”

Vanya felt her body shake, she felt her heart race in fear and her head started to feel light. Taru pulled her aside to say, “I will go look for him. You stay here.”

“No! No, I will come with you. I…I don’t want to stay here merely hoping he’s alive.”

***

Vanya rode hoping she’d spot Rhohaz sooner rather than later. The fields were empty and so were the rest of the caves. She and Taru scoured everywhere hoping he was either slow, injured, or passed out with nothing severe in sight.

But they did not see the faintest sign of a person wherever they searched. Vanya spotted a few Ombrah just as Timmie had warned them before they took off. Timmie said the Ombrah had begun to crawl out as the night grew but were not heading out into the fire.

When we need them the most…

Vanya thought, stalking an Ombrah that scurried off hiding seeing the fire approach it.

Just then, one of Chief Han’s men appeared from the smoke riding towards Taru and Vanya. “We’ve caught them! Your father has asked you to join him.”

Taru nodded and followed him immediately. Vanya too rode behind him in the hopes that Rhohaz was with Chief Han. They rode past some of Taru’s men busy extinguishing the fires. Then they went past more houses still up in flames before spotting a crowd gathered at a deserted hill away from sight.

But by the time she got off her horse, she realized Rhohaz was not among the gathered. She walked to the area where Chief Han and his men had about ten others kneeling and hands cuffed around their backs. Observing the sight, she faltered, not finding the face of the man who had a knife to her throat in Elioth’s dark alleys, among the men.

She pulled Taru and quickly whispered, “Anton is not here.”

But Taru had already noticed it earlier.

“There’s probably more hiding in the upper side. I heard a lot walking off to the infirmary.” It was Carmin’s voice. She appeared next to Chief Han with her arms crossed and her brows knit. She spotted Vanya approach her but did not care to even look in her direction.

“What about Rhohaz? We haven’t seen him on our way here,” Taru asked making Carmin who appeared to have the right side of her arm scorched as if she had grazed past the flames, cock her brow at him.

“He was with me till about an hour ago. We’ve accounted for everyone except for him. If you could assist in looking for him that would be much appreciated,” she said turning back to continue her conversation with Chief Han.

Taru gave a fervent nod and turned to leave making Vanya keep up with him.

“I know you want to help but I’d much rather have you here. I don’t want you getting hurt,” he said once they were a little farther away from the crowd.

Vanya felt herself being a burden to Taru and nodded in agreement, “I will stay.”

Taru stopped on his heels. He felt her disappointment and pulled out his sword from his belt to hand it over to her.

“I’d be worried handing this to anyone who has never held a sword before. But I’m certain you’d come across a few of these from the way you kept up with all of us on the way here…” Taru said making Vanya bite her lip realizing her cover was blown, “...Perhaps, it's a story for another time. Here, have this to protect yourself if it ever comes to it. There are still a few of them out there. They have probably spotted my men and are hiding to take us out one by one.”

Vanya took the sword to her hands. She felt its heavy metal and the familiarity of its balance on her hand instantly. She looked to Taru who seemed satisfied seeing her with it and turned to leave.

“Taru, I hope you find him. I hope both of you make it back safe,” she said, her voice shaking.

Taru pursed his lips watching worry etched across her forehead and replied, “We will.”