Firebrand

Chapter 459: Fading Red Light

Fading Red Light

The women threw away the torches, and Martel extinguished the light on his staff. Still, the arrows continued, showering the small area they were trapped inside. One by one, the women of the Pearl died. Martel grabbed Ruby, still by his side, and pulled her with him towards the nearest building.

He raised his staff and used it as a club with empowered strength. It broke through the earthen wall, collapsing part of it; enough that he could squeeze through. Ruby followed.

Inside, it was pitch-black, but Martel risked a small flame. Sufficient light to see the opening that led from this room to another. Grabbing Ruby by the hand, he went through. Ahead was another empty doorway, leading to the back alley and the empty city beyond. They could escape into the darkness and find their way back later.

A lightstone was thrown, illuminating the back street. With their escape route now bathed in light, Martel sank down on the floor, trying to think while hiding himself inside the building.

"How could this happen?" The words burst from Ruby. "All my sisters dead! Lady Pearl!"

"Those arrows went through their enchanted clothing," Martel considered. He pulled Ruby down next to him. "They must have been tipped with gold." Which also meant his own magical shield was useless.

"They knew our route, they planned this trap – how could we have been so blind?"

Martel gave her a look. "Only a skilled earthmage could raise that wall." He had seen it a few times before; the first time down here in the Undercroft, though she had refined the trap since then, also blocking off the buildings and adjacent paths. "The Night Knives. They betrayed you."

"Flora," Ruby hissed. "I'll kill that bitch!"

"I agree, but first we need to get out. We're trapped in here. There'll be archers with arrows ready, either side we go."

Ruby took a few deep breaths. "Anything you can do? Make it dark again?"

Martel reached out with his magic, trying to grab the lightstone lying in the alley and remove it, but it resisted. Already magical in itself, it did not allow him to take hold of it. "I can't kill the light outside. But I can still hit them, even if I can't see them," he realised. Although they hid in the dark, their heat would let him know where to aim. "How many do you think she's got with her?"

"She can't have brought them all, we would have noticed. She has some twenty Knives under her command, but I know some are still topside. A handful of them guard the Pearl even now. There's maybe ten at most with her."

In itself, not a daunting task for Martel to fight except for the addition of another mage. Even if not trained for combat like him, Flora had plenty of experience. But if they stuck to the shadows, his sense of heat might give him the deciding advantage. "Alright. I can sense where they are, even in the dark. I'll run out and attack. You follow, run past the light, get into the dark and fight them."

"Bad idea. They got their eyes trained on this place. They'll shoot you before you get them." Ruby exhaled. "I'll go first as bait." Martel opened his mouth to protest, but she placed a finger against his lips. "No. I can't fight them under these circumstances. Only you can. It has to be this way."

He wanted to object, but he knew she was right. And they had to act now, before all the Night Knives converged on their position. It was a terrible feeling, but he nodded in agreement. They both got on their feet. Martel shifted his staff to his left hand, leaving his right hand empty. "Go."

Ruby broke into a sprint, running through the empty doorway to enter the illuminated back alley. Hearing the whistling of arrows, Martel followed outside. He immediately closed his eyes and reached out with his magic. Four sources of heat met him on the rooftops some twenty or thirty yards down.

A ray of flames sprung from his hand, striking one archer, and another afterwards. Both their surcoats caught on fire, and they jumped or fell down while screaming. A third mercenary appeared between the houses further down, having apparently moved from another position. Martel released a fire bolt that made him regret this decision. With his clothing also engulfed in flames, he ran back the way he came.

"Ruby?" Martel ran over to where the lightstone lay on the ground, picking it up only to fling it far away. "Ruby?"

The area plunged back into darkness, Martel used his magic to find her on the ground, flickering heat amidst the cold buildings. Dropping his staff, he ran over to her and knelt down. She lay on her side, and he gently raised her head towards him. He could faintly see her red lips, but they did not move or speak; no breath passed between them.

"Ruby," he spoke with rising dread. His fingers touched her neck, but felt no pulse. His other hand searched down her back and found the shafts of two arrows, deeply embedded into her.

He pressed a kiss against her forehead; he felt the residual warmth of her skin, but it would not last much longer. The Undercroft would be her tomb, just as he had feared. He had tried to warn her, but she thought she knew better. Trusted in her information about the dangers. Trusted the mage and mercenaries hired by her mistress.

Gently placing Ruby back on the ground, Martel turned his head to look over his shoulder. He could barely make out faint light from the torches on the main road and elsewhere, partly blocked by the surrounding buildings to create strange shadows and shapes; it made the eerie city seem less solid, like the background of a stage play. Not a real place, but simply the frame for the story about to unfold.

Rising to his feet, Martel knew exactly what manner of tale this would be as fire and fury flared inside of him. A tale of revenge.