Tales of Fire and Ruin - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

"There's a fire?"
I slammed the etiquette book shut and rose to my feet. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as I left Oleander and Ariane in the cabin and marched after Endris, who was already on his way up to the deck again. We climbed the stairs, and I immediately went to the railing and looked up at the cliffs. I didn't see nor smell anything. Around me, Ariane's servants were calmly doing their tasks or standing guard. It appeared Endris had warned no one besides me.
I turned to Endris. "Was that a way to save me from the Wildewall etiquette lessons? Because if that is the case, thank you so much."
"This is no time for jokes." Endris glared at me. "Breathe in deeply! There is smoke coming from the shore."
Oleander stepped beside me, and I nearly jumped. His footsteps were so quiet, I hadn't noticed he had also followed us. "I also smell serpentine powder," Oleander murmured, lowering his tone so only Endris and I could hear him.
I squinted at the shore but saw no fire nor smoke rising. Then I did as Endris suggested and breathed as deeply as I could. The wind gusted into my face, that was when I caught a whiff of what Endris meant, the faintest scent of smoke.
Endris' face darkened. He grabbed my arm. "I don't smell it, but if Oleander is right and there is serpentine powder, this is very dangerous," he said.
I glanced at Endris, then at Oleander, and finally settled my gaze on the Montbow mansion resting on top of the cliffs again. "What is serpentine powder?" I asked quietly. "Why is that dangerous?"
"It's used to blow up buildings, like the mansion, with a single spark," Endris hastily replied. "If you make the mistake of accidentally igniting that powder with your thunder..." Endris trailed off, letting the heavy end of his sentence hang in the air.
"Blow up buildings?" I repeated. A chill ran down my spine.
Endris' and Oleander's faces lit dimly by the sinking sun looked tense but certain. They both seemed convinced we needed to go. Behind Endris, I saw Ariane climbed up, looking annoyed at my and Oleander's sudden departure. It was for a good cause, however, as she would soon see.
I nodded at Oleander and Endris. "Very well," I said. I stepped away from the railing and faced the crew of the ship. "We need to go!" I boomed. "To the shore!"
Nearly all the men and women looked up from their work, but they didn't otherwise react. I stared at a bunch of blank expressions. "What are you waiting for?" I asked. "Do it."
Ariane chuckled and patted my shoulder. "Dear beloved, you have to understand these are my servants, not yours. They answer to me. And so, if you want to go to the shore, you answer to me too." Ariane's eyes travelled to Endris and Oleander. "You're going to tell me what you boys were whispering about in the corner?"
"They smell smoke. And Oleander smelled serpentine powder," I hissed. "Faintly, but surely. I believe them. We have to go."
Ariane looked at the shore, just like I had. "I smell nothing," she said. "And I see nothing either."
"It's there, lady Seydal," Endris insisted.
"If so, if you smell the powder, that means the powder was lit," Ariane replied. "We would have seen and heard the effects of serpentine powder being lit, don't you think?"
"Ytel's men having a weapon like that is already dangerous," I protested.
"It is not fully dark yet. If someone was approaching the mansion, Nele would have seen them move from the crow's nest," Ariane countered, pointing up at the woman sitting in the nest.
"Not if they are climbing the steep side of the cliffs rather than using the paths," Oleander protested quietly.
Ariane raised a brow. "Ytel's men in full armour with heavy weaponry climbing the cliffs? They ride horses, dear, not mountain goats."
"What do we have to lose by going now, Ariane?" I pressed. "I need to be at the mansion to defend it, regardless. Why not now? Why are we waiting out here in the sea in the first place?"
Ariane pressed her lips tightly together. For a moment I thought I wouldn't get answers, but then she reluctantly spoke. "Conrad and I agreed on a sign. He will ensure everyone is inside, give the sign, and once we see it, you are to spark lightning all across the mansion. From the ship, not the shore. Your life would never be in danger that way."
I raised and dropped my arms with an exasperated sigh. "Great, and when were you planning on telling me about this?"
"Since you are expecting Lord Montbow to play a crucial role in this plan, it would have been courteous to tell him what was going on," Oleander agreed.
Ariane narrowed her eyes. Oleander jutted his chin and stared back at her. I felt the thunder crackling already without me ever lifting a finger.
Without breaking eye-contact with Oleander, Ariane addressed me. "Do you let your servants speak to me in this manner, Laurence?"
"No, stop it. Both of you," I said. "My family could be in danger, and it's clear we can't follow the original plan now. What if I try to light up the cliffs with thunder while there's serpentine powder all over it? Ytel's men will die, sure, but there also won't be cliffs anymore for the mansion to stand on."
I looked down at the pale glimmer playing over the dark water. There were no big waves tonight, and I knew the direction of the currents was in my favour. If I wanted to, I could swim to the shore.
"If I can't use my thunder, then I still have Stormbringer, my bow, to fight," I said.
"Don't be ridiculous, Laurence," Ariane warned me. "One person allegedly smelled a trace of this powder. I would have known if Ytel had been smuggling serpentine powder, and Conrad and I have already agreed on a sign. He will warn us if our help is needed."
"If I may ask, what is the sign you agreed on, Lady Seydal?" Endris asked politely.
Ariane didn't reply. She crossed her arms.
"Fine. If you still want to keep me in the dark after all this, I will follow my own plan," I said. I climbed on the railing of the boat. It was slippery, and I almost lost my balance and toppled over the edge. My heart sped up in my throat as I looked down. The water's surface was suddenly quite a distance away when knowing you have to jump down.
"Laurence, stop this!" Ariane hissed, taking a step towards me.
"No, you stop this!" I retorted without turning. "Stop with the secrecy and the scheming behind my back. If you'd rather arrange all your plans with Conrad, why don't you just wed him instead?"
A brief, charged silence fell. "A flare," Ariane finally spoke, quietly. "The sign is a flare."
"A flare," Endris repeated. "One that requires powder to light, by any chance?"
I looked over my shoulder. Ariane's eyes spread wide at the same time Endris' did.
"Yes," Ariane breathed. She regained her composure fast, but the flicker of fear in her eyes had been clear as day.
"You mean Conrad tried to give the sign already?" I cursed and hopped down from the railing. "We need to go to the shore!"
"If our theory is right, they will already know Conrad wanted to alert someone," Endris said. "They will be on the lookout for us."
"So what?" I called out. "We have to help them!"
Endris dipped his head. "Yes, we do. But if they don't see us coming..."
"We gain an advantage back," Ariane finished Endris' sentence. "They think they prevented the flare from going off. They don't expect reinforcements." Ariane placed her hand on the railing. "This boat is too large," she said. "It can't go to the shore unseen fast enough if there are people on the lookout."
"So, we swim," I said, pointing at the dark ocean. "We can reach the shore in a few moments without being seen in the dark."
Ariane still hesitated. Her eyes shifted to Oleander and narrowed. "We would base a lot on a hunch and theories," she said. "And the claim from a servant that he, and he alone, smelled serpentine powder."
"I did smell the powder," Oleander defended himself with an indignant frown. "It's there."
Ariane ignored him and turned to me. "Do we have any reason to doubt his word, Laurence?" she asked. "He is... a relatively fresh addition to your household, is he not? Has he ever been alone with Ytel, or vanishing without an explanation?"
I shook my head. We were wasting time. Oleander was nimble and able to move in and out of my bedroom without getting caught. He was smart and a talented herbalist. But he had never moved against us. I'd doubted Oleander in the beginning, but it wouldn't make sense for him to lie now.
Plus, when I looked into Oleander's soulful, pleading eyes, I found my answer there. He feared for my family as well.
"We have no reason to doubt his word," I said.
Oleander offered me a tiny smile. He had the most beautiful smile, and I couldn't help but hold his gaze a little while longer.
Ariane made a disgusted sound. "Enough. It is time to go then."
Ariane turned to her crew. She didn't speak, but only made a gesture with her hand. A few of the stronger-looking men and women stepped forward and gathered with her, including Nele. She was now dressed in leather armour, thankfully. Swimming with steel or in a dress would not go well.
"Lord Montbow will lead you to the shore," Ariane told her warriors.
I stared at her, flabbergasted. "You're not protesting me swimming there?"
"Would it make a difference?" Ariane shot back.
"No."
"Then go." Ariane spun on her heels and marched away towards the stairs leading below deck. She stopped before climbing down. "Don't die," she said. "Or I will have to dig you up and kill you again."
"Got it."
I grinned, then took a deep breath to steel myself before facing Ariane's warriors on the deck. At least they seemed much more willing to listen to me now. "We're going into the water," I said. "The currents are in our favour. It'll be a short swim. When we reach the shore, we have to be quiet. Endris will be at the front, and we follow."
Endris nodded at me.
"Be prepared for the use of serpentine powder," was my last warning to Ariane's warriors. Then I strapped my quiver closed tightly so I wouldn't lose all my arrows on the way, and made sure my knife was secured.
While I checked my equipment, Oleander approached me. "Be careful, Laurence," he mumbled.
I smiled, but didn't speak. I couldn't promise I'd be careful, after all. Going to the shore wasn't being careful.
"Whatever happens, stay on board, Oleander," I said. "If there is fire, hide below deck."
"But Laurence, that's not fair," Oleander protested. He grabbed my hand and tugged on it. "It's also dangerous for you."
"Yes, but you're not a fighter, Oleander," I replied, giving his hand a squeeze before gently prying myself free. "Stay here on the ship."
Oleander eyes glistened. He blinked rapidly. "Alright."
I had to walk away from him. We couldn't embrace here on the deck. I would have to return so we could do so later in the privacy of my chambers.
After taking a few deep breaths, I stepped over the railing and leapt off the deck. As I hit the water, the cold engulfed me and the briny water stung my eyes. I rose back to the surface and started swimming.
Behind me, more shadows plunged into the water, three at a time. I didn't look back after that. I kept my eyes fixated on the cliffs and cleaved my way through the waves as fast as I could. Thankfully, I was right about the currents carrying us to the sand.
I stepped onto solid ground, water dripping off of me. The splashing behind me indicated the others were close behind. Endris was the first to step onto the beach beside me. It had grown dark enough, so he looked like a mere silhouette to me, but I saw how he pressed a finger to his lips.
Endris crouched and stayed low, so I followed his lead. Ariane's warriors did the same. We shuffled forward, somewhat spread out. Once we left the sandy banks, Endris led us onto a path that meandered through the cliffs.
I kept taking deep breaths, but I didn't smell more whiffs of serpentine powder. I didn't see enemies either, but after we'd climbed a few feet further, Endris suddenly held up his hand. We all came to an abrupt halt, pressing our backs to the cliffs or taking cover behind jagged rocks.
A moment later, I found out why Endris told us to hide. Light danced in the dark, coming from a turn up ahead where the path ascended beyond our sight. The flame moved our way. Endris reached for his dagger and snuck forward while the rest of us hid with hammering hearts.
Footsteps drew near and the moment the man turned the corner, Endris jumped him, knocking the man to the ground with an elbow digging into his chest. I couldn't see the man's face, but judging from Endris' reaction, pushing a knife to his throat, he wasn't on our side.
"You stay quiet," Endris hissed, emphasising every syllable. "You scream, you're dead."
A whimper sounded, and the man slowly shifted his hands up in surrender.
"Who is your leader?" Endris demanded first, but I didn't even need that question answered. I recognised the contours of the fur lining of his clothes.
"Ytel," I whispered.
"Y-yes," the man stammered.
"What are your plans?" Endris continued his interrogation.
The man shook his head. Scared as he was, he wasn't betraying his leader that easily.
Endris brought the knife closer to the man's neck. "Do you have serpentine powder?"
"No, no!" he breathed. "We do—"
The man's voice drowned out by an ear-splitting explosion coming from the cliffs. A flare of light burst up into the sky. My ears rang, and it disoriented me for a moment. I had to lean against the cliffs to stay standing.
"Serpentine powder!" Nele yelled behind me.
Endris slit the throat of the man and sprung to his feet. He sheathed his dagger, pulled out his bow, and started running.
"Mom, Dad!" I yelled. I ran after Endris, calling out my siblings' names in a blind panic.
We arrived at the top of the cliffs and the mansion was burning. Several columns had already collapsed at the front. The stench of rotten egg was unbearable, and thick smoke made it hard to see and breathe. I covered my mouth with my sleeve and searched for my family.
Nele dashed past me towards a man. Swords clashing, they disappeared in a blanket of smog that was rapidly swallowing the entire cliffs. Then another man popped up in front of me. He charged me with his weapon raised, and the flash of steel made me react on an instinct. I spread my fingers and lightning erupted from my palm. My enemy fell at my feet, dead. I didn't ignite more powder.
I looked down at my palm, and almost released another thunderbolt when someone yanked on my arm. I was able to refrain at the last moment when I saw it was Endris.
"To the mansion's back door!" he ordered. "We must go inside and climb to the top floor!"
Endris kept a tight grip on my arm as I ran with him. "Why?" I yelled back.
"Because you're going to rain thunder on them from up there!"
I coughed. My lungs felt like they were burning. "I can't see anything. I can't aim with this smoke! I will hit everyone!"
"I have a plan," Endris promised as we reached the back door of the mansion, leading to the kitchens. His dark eyes bore into mine. "Trust me, Laurence."