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Ferremor could feel the power of dawn pressing down on him, pushing through the fog of numbness in his mind. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have. His back was pressed against a tree, and all five surviving children were huddled around him. He reached out and touched tiny Yester's forehead, relief washing over him when the boy coughed and opened his eyes. The others stirred at the noise and began to cry. He took a deep breath. The sun was rising, Yester needed a healer, and their home was gone. They needed somewhere to go. "Headmaster Doland," he whispered to himself.
Ferremor pushed himself up, blinking back tears at the searing pain that lanced through his wings. He reached down and helped the children to their feet before lifting Yester into his arms. He nestled the boy against his shoulder, hoping his cool skin would soothe the feverish child. "Everyone hold onto me and onto each other," he said, his voice low and rasping. He was relieved when the others obeyed and reached down for little Mary's hand. He drew the children into the shadows, and carried them the many leagues to the kingdom of Cibsel.
It took him several tries to find the other orphanage his friend David had often described, but he did finally step out of the shadows in front of the gates. A young man holding a spear was leaning against the rough stone wall, and he jumped up to bar their way. He stared at Ferremor and the children with wide eyes for only a moment before bolting down the long drive toward a large building in the center of the grounds.
It was the largest orphanage in Cibsel. Some noble had abandoned the estate years ago, and Headmaster Doland had repaired most of the damage with the help of the older children and nearby townsfolk. Ferremor didn't know how much food or money they had, but he was sure that there would be space for five more homeless children. He didn't think they would be turned away.
Though the children seemed wary of the strange place and still a little disorientated from their first journey through the shadows, they let him lead them toward the building. He was exhausted, hurting, devastated, and the ever increasing pressure of the rising sun threatened to overwhelm him. He almost collapsed with relief when a wiry older man opened the door and stood to meet them. He recognized Headmaster Doland instantly from David's description. The man had closely cropped graying hair, and was dressed in plain slacks, a tunic, and a vest; his clothes were simple, but free of patches. That was a good sign.
"By the gods, Ferremor! What happened?" the headmaster cried, pushing the door open wider to let them in. He reached down and lifted Mary into his arms and gestured for the rest of them to follow. Several older children were standing in the entryway, and Doland began calling out to them, ordering them to start preparing rooms and to wake the herb worker and prepare the infirmary.
Doland handed Mary to an older girl who wrapped her in a blanket, then he reached out to take Yester. For a moment, Ferremor hesitated, inexplicably terrified of giving up the sick child. At Doland's kind insistence, Ferremor allowed the boy to be taken from him.
"You're going to be okay," Ferremor promised Yester, feeling as if the last few shards of his world were being torn away. "Trent, stay with your brother," he instructed gently. Trent nodded somberly, though he had already moved to follow his kid brother.
"Take them to the infirmary," Doland instructed, handing Yester to the boy who'd been guarding the gates. The boy nodded and turned down a long hallway, motioning with his head for Trent to follow. Another older girl reached for Freddy and Belise, gently taking their hands. She followed the guard, leading the two children, and the girl holding Mary trailed after them.
Ferremor's vision began to blur as he watched the only other survivors of the fire that had destroyed their home disappear down the hall. "Stay together!" he called after them, swallowing back the lump in his throat.
"You did the right thing, bringing them here," Doland said quietly as he reached out to take Ferremor's arm. He drew the shadow master down another hall, to a staircase that led downward. "I'll show you to the cellar. Come, quickly, before the sun is fully up," he urged. "We need to see to your burns, and you can tell me what happened."
His need to protect the children had given Ferremor the strength to hold back from the horrors of the night's events. With no pleading eyes looking to him for safety and answers, the numbness melted away and Ferremor awakened to grief and pain unlike any he'd known before. Tears sprang from his eyes and down his cheeks as he stumbled down the staircase after Doland, and he raised his hand to muffle his sobs.
"Don't worry," Doland soothed. "You're all safe now. We'll see to the young ones, don't you worry about that."