The Girl Born of Smoke (8 page)

The crowd grew louder as the ships finally
began to sail into port. Some cheered, waving blue and silver
flags, while others jeered and angrily shoved the supporters.
Roxanne and Aurora immediately sprang up, sidling away from the
edge of the cliff as the crowd turned ugly. The man who had argued
with Roxanne earlier wasn't so quick and Aurora watched
open-mouthed as the crowd, acting as a whole, shifted toward him.
The man pushed back, but the combined force of the mob shoved him
to the edge. Waving his hands, he yelled and desperately scrambled
for safety, but the loose rocks crumbled out from under him and he
toppled backwards, over the edge of the cliff.

Frozen, Aurora realized no one had even
reached for him. The crowd shifted again and she tripped over
someone's foot. Falling to the ground, she broke her fall with her
hands, which were immediately stepped on. Crying out, she tried to
regain her footing, but someone else unknowingly backed up into
her, kicking her in the ribs. Roxanne quickly scooped her up and
urged her in the direction parallel to the cliff, away from the
docks. “Come on!” she yelled in Aurora's ear.

The two slipped through the crowd, dashing
around the scattered fights and leaping over the unconscious.
Roxanne glanced back and flashed Aurora a grim smile. “Keep up.
We're almost out of here.” Sure enough, the crowd became less dense
and they slowed to a walk. Aurora doubled over, hands on her knees
as she tried to catch her breath. Roxanne leaned on her, breathing
hard. “Well, wasn’t that exciting?”

“That,” Aurora panted, “that was
horrible.”

As they recovered, the sun dipped behind the
low clouds near the horizon and the shadows melded together. A few
other individuals broke loose of the mob and limped down the road.
Finally, Roxanne straightened and pulled Aurora to her feet. “Come
on, let's go get some dinner. I'll buy ya something.” She ran a
hand through Aurora's hair, smoothing it back.

Aurora nodded silently and
the two headed down the road, leaving the roar of the crowd behind
them. By the time they reached the main part of town, the sun had
set and the soft lights of Kain were a welcome sight. The city was
unusually quiet, but the tavern
they ate
was abuzz with rumors. Aurora watched as Roxanne eagerly shared her
experience with the other customers, some of whom had also been in
the crowd. Long after she had finished eating, they finally left
the tavern
and headed home.

“Hmm,” Roxanne pursed her lips as they
approached the house, “I hope Kirian didn't worry too much about
us.”

Aurora wrinkled her forehead in concern. “Do
you think he'll be mad at us?”

Smirking, Roxanne shook her head. “Don't you
worry about a thing. I'll take care of it. You just head to bed,
alright? It's late.” She opened the front door and Aurora bit her
lip nervously, peering around Roxanne into the house. Kirian jumped
up from the chair where he had been sitting and Roxanne strode into
the room. Prodding Aurora toward her room, she turned to face
Kirian. “Hey love, you didn't have to wait up for us.”

Kirian walked wordlessly into the kitchen,
followed by Roxanne. Tiptoeing to her room, Aurora quietly closed
her door and went to lie down on her bed. When the shouting
started, she pulled the blanket over her head, but could still
clearly hear their voices.

“What the hell were you thinking, Roxanne?”
Kirian yelled, slamming something against the counter.

“Oh please, don't give me that,” Roxanne
shot back. “You worry way too much. We were just having a bit of
fun. We're fine.”

“You two could have been killed today! I
spent my day working out in the fields, trying to earn a living,
and you disappear with Aurora. That horror is no place for a little
kid. What’s wrong with you?”

“Why do you even assume that that's where we
went. For all you know, we could have been out touring the
countryside.”

“Don't give me that,” Kirian snarled. “I
know exactly where you were-”

Aurora threw the blanket off her head and
leapt out of bed. Sliding open her window, she clambered out and up
the uneven brick wall, pulling herself onto the roof. Crawling to
the peak, she sat down and pulled her knees to her chest. A breeze
ruffled her hair and she gradually relaxed as she absorbed the
silence, broken only by the crickets chirping off in the
distance.

Resting her head on her knees, she closed
her eyes and tried to forget everything she had seen that day. She
sucked in the cool air, savoring the sweet scent. A deep breath and
the fleets turned around and sailed back, away from Kain. A deep
breath and the man who fell was back at home, tucking his children
into bed. A deep breath and Roxanne and Kirian were sitting in the
front room, telling stories to each other and laughing while Aurora
lay in bed. Drifting off, Aurora heard a clunk behind her and
opened her eyes, startled. She jumped up as carefully as possible,
turning to face the noise. Djerr's familiar face popped up over the
edge of the roof. She shook her head, laughing quietly. “How'd you
get up here?” she whispered.

He pulled himself up, grinning
mischievously. “I was just walking by and I saw someone sitting up
here. I figured it was probably you.” He scrambled up the roof and
sat down.

Settling down next to him, Aurora regarded
him curiously. “You took a walk in the middle of the night?”

He smirked at her. “Hey, I didn't ask you
why you're sitting on the roof in the middle of the night.”

“True enough,” she admitted. Leaning back,
she clasped her hands behind her head and looked up at the starry
sky. “But you still didn't answer my question.”

Djerr laughed out loud and leaned back as
well. “That sounds like something Kirian would say. He's really
rubbing off on you.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “I do believe Kirian
would dare to disagree.”

“Oh yeah?” He sounded interested. “How
come?”

“Well, you probably heard
how the Wizard's Army arrived today? Well, Roxanne took me to see
the whole thing
and Kirian didn't
approve.”

Djerr grimaced.

“It was horrible, Djerr. The entire crowd
just started fighting with each other. I don't know what's going
on.”

“The army'll be gone soon enough. Then
everything will be back to normal, just wait.”

Aurora turned to face him and propped her
head up on her hand. “Do you really think it will be that simple?
There were people there, at the docks that said Kain's going to be
destroyed. What if they're right?”

Djerr smiled and shook his head.
“Impossible. That'll never happen. Listen, if you're worried, I
could stay here with you tonight.”

“No. Don't worry about me. You should get
home yourself.”

“Nah, my dad's not going to notice me
missing tonight,” he replied nonchalantly.

Aurora sighed. “Oh.”

The two were silent for a moment. Shuffling
slightly, Djerr cleared his throat. “So Aura, I was wondering...”
he trailed off.

“Mm?” Aurora looked over at him
curiously.

“You kind of like Kalib, right?”

Aurora stared at him for a moment. “Kalib?
That guy from that battle game we played in the woods? Djerr, that
was ages ago. In fact, I saw him just a week or two after that
battle thing with some other girl. What in the world brings that
up?”

He looked puzzled. “I'm sorry, it's just
that I was talking to him earlier today and he asked about you, so
I thought...” he trailed off. “I thought he said that he had been
out of town with his parents all winter though. In fact, I remember
him leaving just a couple days after that day in the forest.” He
looked questioningly at Aurora.

“Maybe he came back for a few days, then,”
Aurora said, sounding disinterested. “Does it matter?”

Djerr laughed. “I'm sorry, I was just
curious. I shouldn't have brought it up. You know, you really
should get to sleep, but drop by my house tomorrow and we'll hang
out or something, alright?”

“Yeah, alright.” Aurora yawned. “You get to
bed yourself.”

He echoed her yawn. “’Kay, will do. G'night
Aura.”

“Goodnight Djerr.” She smiled. They slid
carefully off the roof and dropped off to the ground below. Djerr
helped Aurora back in through the window, then waved goodbye and
headed off. Yawning again, Aurora sleepily curled up in bed and
realized the house had gone silent. Breathing a sigh of relief, she
closed her eyes and instantly felt herself slipping into sleep.

She awoke the next morning with a start,
heart racing. She could hear Kirian and Roxanne arguing loudly
again in another room, but she felt certain that wasn’t what had
woken her. Sitting up, she felt a sense of danger. A warm breeze
drifted in the open window, carrying a murmur of frightened voices
and a strange, but familiar smell. Smoke.

Aurora shivered involuntarily and sprang out
of bed to peer out the window. Throngs of people hurried up and
down the street, some stopping briefly to talk in hushed voices or
gaze up at the sky. Confused, and with a growing sense of dread,
Aurora quickly pulled on her sandals and climbed out the open
window, back onto the roof. Above the bustle on the street, Aurora
found herself with a clear view of the city in all directions. In
the direction of the docks, small plumes of smoke rose into the
sky.

Fear shot through Aurora and she hastily
slid off the roof, dropping to the ground below. Landing in a
crouch, she scrambled to her feet and began running, leaving the
small house behind. Her hair whipping behind her, Aurora slipped
into the crowd, dodging people running the other way.

The streets were full of people scurrying
away from the city. Aurora hurried toward it, one thought on her
mind: she had to find Djerr. The crowd was stifling and Aurora
sighed with relief as she finally reached his house and broke free
of the throng. Her face damp with sweat, she knocked on the old
wooden door and anxiously waited. If no one was home, she didn’t
know what she would do.

Hopping from foot to foot, Aurora jumped
back when Djerr’s father whipped open the door, a knife in hand.
When he saw who it was, he lowered the knife. “You're Djerr's
friend aren't you? What are you doing here? Get inside!” He grabbed
her by the arm and yanked her inside the house, slamming the door
shut behind them. “Come on, come on.”

He hustled her down the hall to Djerr’s
room. All the doors and windows in the house were closed, and the
house sounded eerily quiet opposed to the roar of the crowd
outside. As Djerr’s father opened the door to the room, Aurora
peered inside and found Djerr huddled on his bed. When he saw
Aurora, he jumped up and the two embraced. “You two stay here.”
Djerr’s father ordered, closing the bedroom door.

“Aura! What are you doing here?” Djerr sat
back down on his bed, running a hand through his curly hair, his
face creased with worry.

Aurora sat down next to him. “Do you know
what’s going on?” She ignored his question, not knowing the
answer.

Djerr shrugged. “Well, I guess I was wrong.
Dad said the war’s started. The Wizard’s Army is attacking the
city.”

Aurora opened her mouth to ask another
question, but froze when she heard someone pounding on the front
door. Loud voices came from outside, infiltrating the silence of
the house. The two sat silently, listening as Djerr’s father opened
the front door, gruffly asking what the strangers wanted.

“Put down the knife, old man,” came the
muffled reply. “Either join us or die. This is your only
chance.”

Djerr and Aurora held their breath as the
clash of metal rang out through the house, then a grunt followed by
a thud. Djerr stiffened as the soldiers began laughing. Heavy
footsteps grew louder and Aurora slid off the bed, pulling him with
her. He offered no resistance and the two clambered underneath the
bed. Huddled together in the dark, they silently kept watch on the
closed bedroom door. The stale air under the bed tickled Aurora’s
throat, but she ignored the discomfort as she concentrated solely
on the door.

Shadows passed by, blocking out the dim
light coming in underneath the door. Her breath quickened as she
heard the loud footsteps echoing throughout the house, opening and
slamming the other doors. The shadows finally stopped in front of
the bedroom and she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Djerr’s hand
close around hers.

She heard the door slam open and she
resisted the urge to cry out in fear. Opening her eyes a sliver,
and saw a pair of boots stomping purposefully around the room.
Djerr’s books, a bowl of brightly colored stones, and several other
possessions came crashing to the ground, covering up the noise as
Aurora squirmed farther back into the dark recess.

Djerr’s hand tightened around hers. The
boots paused in front of the bed and Aurora froze, not even daring
to breathe. The black leather boots were close enough to reach out
and touch. Speckled with brown mud, they looked creased and
well-worn.

She held her breath as boots stood,
unmoving. She could hear the man breathing noisily and wondered
desperately what was taking him so long. The floorboards creaked as
the man shifted his weight, bending his knees. Knowing what was
coming and unable to do anything to stop it, Aurora could only
watch as the man’s beefy hands pressed solidly onto the floor and
his face lowered to ground-level. He grinned when he saw Aurora and
Djerr pressed against the wall.

“Well, lookit what I found!” he boomed,
grinning. He reached under the bed and grabbed Aurora and Djerr by
the hair. Clawing desperately at the man’s arm, Aurora yelped as
the man dragged her out from underneath the bed. In pain, she
released Djerr’s hand and swung wildly at the man, who looked
amused.