The Book of Terrus: A Land of Sunlight

Chapter 31 - Scorched Earth

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When Vinie awoke in the dead of night, at first she supposed it was because of the pain. She was lying alone in bed, the pillows which had previously propped up her bandaged hands and arms knocked down onto the floor. Her limbs throbbed with heat, her seared hands most of all. The pain-dulling effects of the tea she had been given must have worn off.

Gingerly, wincing every inch of the way, Vinie turned herself sideways and upward until she sat with her feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Thin and made of soft linen though they were, it still sent a stinging shock up Vinie's leg when the bedsheets brushed against the bandages wrapping her shins. She sat there for several moments, recovering, before making any attempt to stand.

The emptiness of the bed briefly unsettled Vinie before she remembered that Gideo was in the next room. On advice from the State Hall's healer, they had slept separately, so as not to risk bumping or crushing each other's injuries during the night. Vinie listened for any tell-tale sounds that Gideo was still asleep; his soft, steady snores, or perhaps a dream-laden mumble. There was only silence from the bedroom wall. Now that Vinie was awake enough to notice, there was no noise from anywhere. Outside the window, the entire city of Moaan was eerily dark and silent. There were no sleepy calls of birds roosting atop the State Hall or beneath the soaring arches of Moaan's raised thoroughfares. Beyond the docks, the Beson Inlet lay vast and silent; a vast grey expanse of sea beneath a starless, overcast sky.

That was when Vinie realized what was making the small hairs on the back of her neck rise. There was a strange orange glow rimming the clouds, bathing the sleeping city in a rusty weir light brighter than any full moon. Something was terribly wrong.

Like a dash of cold water down her spine, Vinie felt a surge of energy course through her. Ignoring the protests of her bone-weary, burned body, she pushed herself upright and into her sandals. Her belt with her hand-knife and belawa sword lay draped over a nearby chair. Vinie awkwardly scooped up the belt in stiff, swaddled hands, not bothering to stop and even attempt buckling it on her way to the door. They were in Moaan, inside the State Hall, one of the few places in all of Goran where they ought to feel safe. For reasons Vinie couldn't describe though, she knew they were all in danger.

Besides her sandals and belt, Vinie wore only the loose shirt and short pants she had gone to sleep in. Her footsteps echoed off mosaic-laden walls as she made her way to Gideo's room. A single lantern hung lit along the wall, its flame making the painted tiles gleam like seashells on the floor of a grotto. There were no Moaanese Guards to be seen. In that moment, between the eerie atmosphere outside and the silence inside, Vinie felt utterly alone, as if she were the only person in existence.

She didn't even bother knocking. Using her elbow to push the handle, Vinie shouldered her way into Gideo's room. She found him standing stock-still at the window, a tall black silhouette against the rusty skyline.

"Gideo," Vinie called out softly, almost shy to break the weight of the city's silence. "Come on, we have to find the others."

Gideo did not answer. He continued to stare out at the growing haze reflecting off the clouds. He like Vinie was still dressed for bed, minus even a shirt. His weapons had long since been lost when he was taken prisoner in Danitesk.

"Luv, we have to go."

Still Gideo continued to stare. When Vinie approached and looped his arm through hers, he allowed her to lead him away from the window. He did not break his trancelike gaze at the sky until they were nearly out into the hallway. When finally he did look Vinie in the eye, his brow was covered in a sheen of sweat.

"We have to go," he echoed, voice tight.

"This way. Let's find Kiiss first."

As it turned out, it was Kiiss who found Vinie and Gideo first. They were just setting foot out into the main rotunda of the State Hall when the click-clack of shoes on tiled floors came echoing through the vast space. A large brazier burned on the ground level, its glow reflecting off the gold domed ceiling nine stories above. The metallic gleam was just enough by which to see Kiiss approaching down the spiral staircase ringing hall.