UKKO

‘’You are both fools to leave by yourselves’’ Ukko said, looking at Hephaestus and Mara, trying to drive the car, with Lucifer by his side.

He had the same idea as them and Lucifer agreed with him. After all, Aztlan was his home once and it was also Lucifer’s kingdom.

They were relieved to see from underneath the curtains, Hepheastus and Mara getting outside with the key cars, while the others had fallen asleep again.

Hephaestus’s lips made a smile and tried not to laugh from relief, showing their teeth.

‘’Do you know even how to drive?’’ Lucifer asked Hpeheastus.

‘’I could try’’ Mara raised her hand. Hephaestus agreed, pointing at her with their head nodding.

Ukko rushed to the car so he could drive instead of the others so everyone would make it to the train station safely.

‘’I can’t believe we are stealing the car’’ Lucifer sighed shakily.

‘’Borrowing’’ Mara corrected her, sitting right next to her.

With fabrics covering their mouths, they finally arrived at their destination, hiding behind the woods.

Ukko could see around the moonlight twenty soldiers clacking as wine was

The containers were right behind them. There were four carriages filled with boxes big enough for the entire area.

‘’Well, now we know where the taxes go,’’ Hephaestus whispered.

Ukko agreed with them, feeling a monster of rage tingling his body.

Lucifer was breathing loudly while she broke her ring finger with her remaining strength. But it healed quickly.

His eyes noticed twenty soldiers, guarding each ground. They had now cannons that could throw nets. Ukko remembered a draft in Thoth’s binder. It looked exactly like the one who was seeing.

That bastard made it. He was impressed.

Hephaestus gave Mara their bag. She took out of it a sphere made of gold and silver that had a bump, exposing itself.

‘’It can turn,’’ Hephaestus explained. Mara touched it and she tried to turn it.

‘’No’’ They warned her nervously. ‘’Not here’’ They sounded terrified. The sphere was smaller than the others that he had seen them make. What could it do?

‘’Place all of them around this area in each part and as fast as you can’’ They explained to her, breathing heavily.

‘’When you are placing them, turn the circle one round. One by one’’ They said, patting her shoulder.

‘’Make a signal when you are done’’They took another deep breath.

‘’Can you do it?’’ They asked, whispering.

Mara shook her head and got out of the car with fast but also silent steps, vanishing like a shadow.

Lucifer seemed unpleasant about that decision.

‘’We have almost one minute’’ Hephaestus told them and turned to Lucifer. They were tapping their fingers on the seat, counting as their heads were making another scheme.

‘’When I tell you, light everything up'' Hephaestus said to her.

Lucifer shook her head.

‘’And you will hit the cars with thunder when the time is right,'' they said.

‘’Alright?’’ They looked at both of them.

‘’Are you sure about this?’’ Ukko asked them.

‘’No’’They replied fast with a calm smile.

‘’Found a thief’’ A soldier growled, dragging Mara. To the rest of them by the root of her hair, pushing her to her knees. But she was resisting.

‘’This is the signal’’ Hephaestus whispered and they got slowly out of the car, walking to their side.

‘’She cannot be alone,'' one of them said in disgust.

‘’Such a hideous thing’’ The man mumbled.

Another one, moved her finger circling her covered face.‘’Show us her face.’’She said after that with excitement as if she was a little girl, ready to open her present. Mara forced herself to get free and covered her ears, waiting for the distraction.

‘’Now’’ Hephaestus mumbled.

Lucifer spread her hands wide, succeeding to make the entire place bright like the sun.

The sound of an explosion broke on the left as well as the right. Then there was one on the right. In the end, it broke all around.

His vision returned as he could see the cars close to them. He pointed his hand at them, hitting the cars with lightning, and causing more of an explosion.

THEY ARE INSANE Ukko thought about Hephaestus. They made explosives that chaos could hit at a specific time. They scattered it all around to make a diversion.

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If someone tried to explain everything that happened was not four warlocks attacking the nobles but four thieves who had explosives. The soldiers saw everything bright because of the explosion, the cars exploded because of it.

‘’Here’’ Mara yelled and the others followed her crying voice.

Ukko could see now better as fifteen soldiers got hit by the attack. Wounded or dead? The other five fled away but what she wanted to show was the burned bodies of the nobles. Ukko could see their bright teeth and dark burned flesh in crisp. Their clothes were fine except for the iron sigil of a fish close to their clothes. There was a symbol of the house. He could not remember which one. He never had the time or the will to remember every house.

‘’We have to take them’’ Hephaestus said shakily and Ukko found their lips and hands shaking, with their eyes not leaving the dancing red flames.

Mara took the sigil pins out of their burned ruined clothes and headed toward the wagons. Lucifer followed her but Ukko stayed with Hephaestus with the fire becoming stronger.

‘’I made this,’’ Hephaestus whispered.

‘’And you did fantastically'' Ukko complimented them and dragged them to the carriage so the fire would not hit their side.

Ukko jumped inside the wagon, with his back smacking the cold iron. His eyes looked at the dark ceiling and tried to find the energy to breathe.

‘’We…’’ Ukko breathed heavily and looked at Lucifer who was helping Hephaestus to get inside the wagon of the carriage.

‘’We made it,'' he shouted.

‘’It has food and medicine here’’ Mara yelled with joy. ‘’And metal’’She kept saying as she started laughing.

Hephaestus started laughing hysterically as Lucifer was letting out small snorts.

Suddenly, Ukko heard a small spark coming from the car. The fire was surrounding them, leaving naked trays to follow, but the cars were.

There was another explosion. Quite larger than the others. There was a strong fire that attacked them like a wild beast, opening its jaws to swallow them whole and make them see the deep darkness.

He saw darkness. There was a beautiful man with pale hair waiting for him to sit next to his place. To talk for eternity. As Ukko’s steps were moving towards him, the man let out a sweet chuckle.

‘’It is not your time yet, friend’’ His voice sounded young, around his early twenties. Calm and beautifully smooth to the ears like a stream of the river.

But also, dangerous like a beautiful candlelight. Get close enough and you will burn your fingers.

‘’Who are you?’’ Ukko asked calmly.

‘’You do not remember me, friend?’’ The man asked.

‘’No’’ Ukko shrugged as he kept studying the man’s face, still becoming blind to his unrevealing eyes.

Friend? Do I know him? And then he remembered. Remembering that he once worked with him. He did not understand how recognized him once.

The man let out a sweet laugh again.

‘’The little firebird will be either your friend or your enemy’’ He said before he snapped his fingers.

Ukko snapped from his dream, only to see that he was alive and well as Mara and Lucifer were staring outside, frightened, and surprised, while Hephaestus was missing from the wagon.

He moved his head outside, only to find them with hands spread like wings, canes to the ground, left leg melting with the fire close enough to them, ready to kiss them. It tried to attack them but Hephaestus was pulling it back.

‘’They are like ’’Lucifer mumbled, frightened her eyes fell to Ukko as his gaze was not surprised by the image his eyes were looking at.

Of course, they were. Ukko thought. He was not the smartest, he was not the fastest but he was not blind. He had heard stories, he had witnessed how the skin becomes when fire touches someone. He had seen their fingers and every vision of them gazing at the fire. He had seen everything and preferred to keep it silence

‘’Everyone has secrets'' Ukko yelled at her as there was a loud sound coming from the explosion, trees getting driven back by the hot wind.

Her eyes widened and returned to Hephaestus. Her rough expression became softer as she was looking at the flames.

They screamed, they yelled, they growled, they hissed. They bled as the fire was getting further away. But it was the fire of an explosion. It fought back.

Horses were screaming too. Ukko had to help them before they caused more trouble but they could not stop looking at Hephaestus' open arms. They were just like a pair of wings, being a shield for Ukko for the rest, for the supplies for everything they had to protect from the flames that the body was slowly getting conquered by. Another cry from them, reflecting like a bird's song.

My friend or my enemy.

They finally managed to push the fire back, making the cars burn and explode for good as the entire forest burned slowly. The fire was growing like a flower, decaying everything around it.

Hephaestus was standing for a few seconds before they fell into Mordred’s arms like an autumn leaf.

Ukko expected that he would be furious to rush to the others and glare at them with eyes that had lost their sanity.

Instead, he held their burned hand and pushed their body close to his as his free hand wrapped their hips and stood up with them around his arms.

Ukko was ready to jump outside the wagon but Mordred’s eyes looked at him calmly, almost like he was feeling concerned.

‘’Drive’’ His voice broke into a loud scream and looked back at Hephaestus but his eyes were slightly different. Ukko could not describe it and yet...

Mara cut the rope that was holding the carriage and Ukko hit the horse to start, as his hands were now holding the leashes.

‘’I need light’’Mordred looked at Lucifer, speaking surprised with a small shake around his words.

Lucifer created a small orb and Ukko could try to see what was happening behind him. The rest of the supplies were destroyed by the fire. The horse was crying as it left its brothers and sisters behind.

Hephaestus’ left hand was burnt to their forearm as their prosthetic and a part of their blouse had melted from the heat.

Mordred looked silent as their hand was moved to Hephaestus’ arm, trying to heal their crisped flesh. A drop of sweat fell from their frowned brow.

Ukko's eyes opened slightly more as he turned to Mara who nodded too. They both figured it out.

Not blind trust. His weakness. Ukko thought about it. How Mordred did not want to help the mortals. Hephaestus and the rest of them did not listen to him. And yet…instead of cursing them, yell at them and attack them. Mordred was trying everything he could to spare their lives.

Ukko wondered if the healer could see the way he was looking at them. How broken his expression was being glanced from the moonlight.

Minutes passed and Hephaestus was still down in the carriage, lying unconscious. Ukko could see their face was dirty, with smudges from the smoke of the fire.

Mordred let out a heavy breath and leaned against the wagon, looking up, waiting for them to wake up

‘’Wake up,’’ They panted.

Wake up, please. Ukko prayed to the ones who thought that did not exist or forgot this world for a person that they hated to stay alive, to live another day to cause chaos.

He noticed Mara sitting right next to his side, crossing her arms together, letting a small prayer. Lucifer was next to Hephaestus, placing the light closer to their face. She seemed concerned too but most of all she was angry. Angry about what she found out.

A small sound of pain let out Hephaestus' mouth, Their blue eyes opened vividly and their lips curved into a smile.

‘’How sweet of you to beg for me'' They said slowly with a stutter.

Mordred scoffed and moved their hand back to their side. He shook his head and wiped the sweat from his jaw.

Lucifer let out a laugh, letting her anger fade for just a second.

Ukko’s smile grew wide from the relief as he was now cheering loudly. Mara started clicking too and kept thanking the Spirits for everything, lifting her hands, breaking her prayer.

If Spirits exist…Ukko was glad that tonight was by their side.