Finding the Fallen

Chapter 21

Merik pulled her hand forward gently until her fingers touched a cold, slimy surface. They had entered the cave. Releasing her, he moved on ahead, allowing her to set her own pace in the dark. She ran her right hand along the tunnel wall as a reference point, making sure to pick up her feet. The passage was fairly level, but that didn't mean something couldn't be blocking their path. The last thing she wanted was an injury before she even faced battle.

Less than a minute later, Kala noticed a light up ahead. It was a lantern carried by the first of the escaping residents. Merik stopped them momentarily, quizzing the leader to find out the status of the camp beyond. Apparently, Tannish's army had chosen to march right down the middle of the dirt road to the quarry gates. The guards had known they were coming for the past 10 minutes, but this was surprisingly only the first group of residents to leave. Last minute preparations had still been underway, and this attack at sundown had taken them all by surprise, despite the advanced warning.

Merik told the leader of the group about Tannish's rear guard and warned them to exit the cave only when they were sure no one was waiting for them in the woods beyond. Assuming the invading Servants had no knowledge of their escape route, Merik figured the residents would be able to make it clear without incident once the Air Servants reached the rim of the quarry to take up their flanking positions from above. After ensuring they knew where to go once they made it to the other end of the tunnel, he urged the group on.

It didn't take long for Kala to hear commotion ahead. Whether from a second group of residents moving through or the battle itself, she was uncertain. Within a couple of minutes, she could see the characteristic orange, yellow and red flashes up ahead that indicated fire had broken out in the camp. This, too, was expected.

Harry had insisted he didn't care one way or the other if Tannish burned the place to the ground. As long as the residents could escape, they would rebuild. In fact, from the way he reacted when Logan told him this would likely be Tannish's first move, one would think he was actually looking forward to it.

Kala stepped to Merik's side as they neared the exit. He held his arm across her midsection in a protective manner to indicate she should wait. She could tell he was deep in thought as he scanned the perimeter. With his free hand, he slowly pulled his shotgun off his shoulder and chambered a shell.

"Do you see Sam?" Kala spoke quietly.

"There...by the old warehouse," Merik answered, pointing to the fiery redhead as she stepped out of the shadows. Flames ignited in one hand as she reared back and hurled the resulting fireball, baseball pitcher style, across the quarry with surprising accuracy. It smashed menacingly against the side of one of the wooden structures, instantly setting the small building ablaze...as well as knocking two unknown assailants to the ground. The backs of their shirts still smoldered from the heat as they lay sprawled in the dirt and rock. Kala watched closely, but neither rose to challenge Sam.

All around them, fire rained down from the sky above, obliterating everything...and nothing...at the same time. Objects were flung left and right across the quarry, dancing along on one invisible breeze after another through a storm of fire and smoke. As Kala and Merik watched from the sidelines, the world erupted in a flash of blue ice and red flame as two Water Servants took on a formidable threesome of enemy Fire Servants in the center of the quarry.

It was mass chaos outside the cave. Shaking his head resolutely, Merik lowered his arm in preparation to step out into the middle of it, but stopped short as a figure dropped down from above, landing gently on the ground directly in front of them. Kala took an involuntary step backward but managed not to make a sound. The Air Servant obviously had no idea where he had landed, and Merik took advantage of his mistake. Raising his shotgun without hesitation, he fired, hitting the man point blank in the center of his back. The Servant stumbled forward a few steps and then dropped to his knees, blood dripping instantly from his gaping lips.