| |
I arrived at the main road to find a flood of people racing out of the city. Many had burn wounds and other injuries. The ground shook again as another explosion sounded from within the walls. Screams filled the air, and people dropped to the ground to wait for it to pass. A home just inside started to crumble, causing more panic.
The city was going to collapse if this continued.
I maneuvered my way toward the gate. A man slammed into me and I stumbled off the side of the road into a ditch. I felt the mud seep into my clothes.
“Damn idiots,” I said under my breath. What was Zoran thinking? The god had lost it.
A high-pitched rush of air sounded and the city wall was hit. Stones were blasted away as the fireball flew off into fleeing people. I covered my head as debris splashed into the murky pond where I sat.
The area fell still. People were screaming, but I couldn’t hear anything. I could feel Zoran’s warmth, though. I could feel the god’s heat coming from the fires burning nearby. Wiping my face, I lifted myself to my feet and climbed back onto the road. I needed to find Zoran.
The crowd had thinned since large rocks now blocked the way. The other exits down the wall still had people spilling out of them.
Voices came from behind me.
“The baby bird.”
I clasped the back of my neck and looked over my shoulder. My tattoos were showing.
The people backed away.
“It’s him.”
“It’s a creature of fire.”
“Zoran’s bird.”
Swallowing hard, I climbed up the rocks and skidded down the other side. I hit the ground and lost my balance. I sat back on my heels and just stared. It was all on fire. Zoran was destroying the entire city.
A fireball flew overhead and slammed into the wall. Sparks fell onto my head. I hissed at the pain they caused. Aedus.
Had it been Aedus that had hurt Uther? Climbing to my feet, I ran down the street toward the palace. A building to my side was hit. I saw it start to crumble and immediately the energy was released from my core. The rubble was blasted away. I picked myself up off the ground and continued on.
The further I went into the city, the more buildings had been destroyed. I found myself standing at the base of the tower used in the festival. The houses around it were burning and the docks had been completely destroyed. The ground started to shake. Multiple balls of fire flew out over the city. One was heading straight toward the tower.
I blocked my face when it hit and heard the rocks start to crumble. “Holy shit.”
The shadow of the tower followed me as I ran down the street. I darted into a side alley and was knocked down as the ground shook from the tower collapsing.
“They’re insane. Everyone has gone insane.” Climbing to my feet, I didn’t even bother to turn and look. I needed to find Zoran and get out of there.
I slowed to a jog when I arrived at the palace gates. Aedus’ home had a hole straight through the middle of it, along with an entire wing missing. A large portion of the palace was on fire.
“I will find a way to kill you,” said a voice on the other side of the half-demolished wall.
“Zoran,” I breathed. I clambered up the fallen stones and saw the brothers. The flames around them had left the ground scarred black, and the stone glowed a bright red.
“Zora—” I was struck from behind and thrown through the air. I skidded across the ground covered with a thick layer of ash.
The brothers were gone. I turned around and stared up at Amber.
She landed and glared at me. “So the little bird came out to play.” She smiled. “Are you going to blow up now? You can’t really do anything else.”
“I came for Zoran,” I stated. “I didn’t want to fight. I want to leave.”
“Well, the gods are busy at the moment.” She picked at the dirt under her nails and flicked her eyes above our head.
I spun around and saw Zoran send Ashleen flying through the air. She slammed into the corner of the palace. Aedus threw a ball of fire at his brother. It hit Zoran in the middle of the chest and hurled him out into the city.
“Zoran!” I clambered to my feet.
Amber grabbed me and wrapped an arm around my throat. She boiled with fire. It hurt just like Aedus’ fire.
“Let them figure it out,” she whispered in my ear. “Then when Aedus puts his little brother back in his place and banishes him to the farthest corner of the world, he can put you in an ice block for the rest of eternity. You’d like that, right, Fin?”
“You’re hurting me,” I gasped. “Stop it, Amber.” My eyes started to water from the pain.
“Maybe Aedus will let you unthaw in a couple centuries. You can be our errand boy instead of Zoran’s.” She placed her hand on my back and hit me with another wave. “Better yet, I heard a secret that you have the same aura as Zoran.”
I fell to my knees. Closing my eyes, I felt the pressure in my chest build. I fought to hold it in, giving it time to grow.
“Look at you,” she laughed softly. “You really are a pathetic little sparrow. You can’t even defend yourself.”
Peering back at her, I gave her a smirk. “I know how to explode pretty good.” I released the energy.
The bitch screamed and blocked her face as the explosion blasted her away from me. The fire returned to my center, and I glanced over my shoulder. Amber appeared dazed and was lodged in the side of the palace. Smiling to myself, I ran off to find Zoran. For once, my destructive nature had come in very handy.
“Zoran!” I spun in a circle. “Zoran!”
A building shifted nearby. I jogged over and dipped under a beam. The god was hunched over in the corner. Flames were still rising from his body. They looked weaker, though.
“Zoran!” I knelt down at his side and moved a piece of wood off his leg.
“What are you doing here?” he groaned. “I left you for a reason.”
“I heard the blast.” I grabbed his arm and help him up. “I had Yuki bring me. Why are you doing this? People are dying.”
“He did it.” Zoran wiped his face. “He killed my dragons. My home is gone. Uther is all that’s left.” His hand pressed against the charm under his shirt.
“Why?” I said, confused. “Why would he do that? The dragons weren’t hurting anything.”
A small rock rolled down the pile and came to a stop at our feet. Aedus lifted a charred piece of fabric hanging onto a ceiling beam.
“Why not?” Aedus replied with a smirk.