5

The air outside of Backwash smelt different, cleaner. There wasn’t the constant stench of waste and death invading Rose’s nostrils that she was so used to. The ride through the streets of Blackwater was long, full of twists and turns. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable to sit on this strange man’s lap, but Rose still felt very nervous. The two of them didn’t say a word to one another until they left the city gates. Rose didn’t hear any other people on the streets the whole way - the stranger knew these streets well and kept them hidden. Kael hadn’t woken up yet, Rose knew he would have started kicking and screaming if he had. She was scared about he was going to react, but she didn’t have much of a choice. After all, this man saved Kael’s life, so he surely couldn’t be too bad, could he?

When the horse finally stopped Rose heard the stranger whistle, then the gates rumbling open. A gust of wind took her breath away and she spluttered a cough. Leaves and dust blew up into her face and eyes and she turned her head and found the strangers arm around her shielding her from the wind. She felt safe in his embrace. They road on through the gates and she stayed curled up in his coat. It wasn’t long until she fell asleep.

“You must have been exhausted, little one, but you have to wake up and answer a few questions for me before we get back to the Manor.” She woke up to the stranger nudging her arm gently.
“Wh-what? How long was I asleep?” She was still groggy, and angry at being woken up, so it probably wasn’t long.
“Only a few minutes,” he said. “But I promise there’s a warm bed for you when we get back, just as long as you can convince me that you or your brother won’t burn my home to the ground.” He paused, and then sighed.  “What happened back there?”
“I don’t know who you are, sir. Why have you taken us if you think we would do that?” She asked.
“Clever girl,” he sneered. “I like that. My name is Charles Mason. I’m a Lieutenant in the City Guard, First Regiment.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means I’m really high up. So high up, in fact, that I can pretty much do whatever I want, whenever I want.” He laughed at that, then stopped, and sighed again. “I brought you both back here with me because I didn’t want Haarstart, the Lieutenant in the Second Regiment, to throw a blind girl into an orphanage in Backwash. I also didn’t want to see him beat your brother to death before I can find out what even happened tonight.”
“So why are we going to your house, not to prison or something?” Rose asked.
“I told you earlier. I’m hungry, and my wife will have breakfast ready soon. Taking you into custody will take a few hours, and I really don’t want to have to file the paperwork.”
“I’m hungry too,” Rose sighed. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she wasn’t hungry.
“I’m sure you are. You’ll like my home, I’ve spent a long time making it very cozy.” Mason chuckled, softly.
“You’ll have to describe it to me.”
“I will, for sure.” He sounded like he meant it. “But first, Rose, can you please tell me about your brother? Is he going to burn my house to the ground?”
Rose hung her head “Probably not. I don’t think so.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“I can’t explain it.”

The horse slowed down and Mason held Rose by the arm and turned her to face him.
“Rose, I want to help. I want to help you both. I want to give you fresh, clean clothes, a nice, hot meal and warm bed to sleep in. But also I need to know what danger I am bringing into my home before I do so.” Mason’s tone had turned very serious as he finished speaking. Rose was unsure, she didn’t want to turn her own brother in to the police. But this man, this stranger, he said he wanted to help them both. For some reason, for the first time in her life that she could remember, she actually felt like she could trust this adult.
“Okay,” she sighed. “Kael has a power. He… he can burn things, y’know, set them on fire, just by telling them to burn. He usually can’t make a very big fire at all, not on purpose anyway.”
“So what happened on Mill Lane?” Mason asked.
“I don’t really know, I was really scared. I… I just know that K was trying to protect me. Then I heard a boom, and it got really hot. I just hid and hid and hid after that. I hid until you came along and saved him. Saved us.”
“Has he ever done something like that before?” Mason asked. Rose was shocked; she couldn’t understand why this man believed her story about her brother doing magic.
“Well, once, when I was really little, before I can remember, Kael had an accident.” Rose stopped. She didn’t think she should tell this story.
“What happened? Was it anything like the fireball in town?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. He… he burned my face. He made me blind and gave me these scars. He didn’t mean to, I know he didn’t.” Rose hated crying, it stung like all nine of the Hells put together. She could only cry out of one eye, the other one didn’t work, but the wind was blowing her fiery, lava tears across her whole face where they instantly cooled and froze-stuck there.
“What happened?” Mason asked. The horse started speeding up.
“I don’t like the story.”
“Is he dangerous?”
“No. Kael is a good person.” Rose meant it with all her heart.
“Thank you, Rose.” Mason sounded relieved. “Would you like bacon or fish for breakfast?”
“What, sir?”
“Call me Charlie. I don’t like ‘Sir’, doesn’t suit me.”
“Okay, Charlie.” Rose was a little confused.
“Well we’re home now, can’t you smell the food?” As he said it, the most delicious smells Rose had ever smelled wafted through the air. She didn’t even recognise them, but they made her stomach ache in anticipation.
“That smells amazing!” She squealed as she wiped her face clean.
“Ha-ha! I’m glad you think so, my wife does like to show off her cooking skills.” Mason continued chuckling until he hitched up the horse.

“Stay here with your brother,” Mason said as he helped her get off. “I need to tell my wife about all of this first.” She nodded in response and he left her in the stables. She felt around for Kael, he was still slumped on the back off the horse they had arrived on, completely unconscious. She wanted to wake him up. She wanted to talk to him, so he wouldn’t get angry. She started pushing him gently, then harder. Then she pushed him too hard, and he fell off onto the floor. He still didn’t wake up, but Rose heard something heavy and metal hit the floor too, just at her feet. She fumbled around in the hay and gravel until she found it. It was the ring she had found in the chasm. She tried but she couldn’t fit it on any of her fingers.  She grabbed Kael’s hand and eventually managed to fit it around his thumb. As she did so, Kael started convulsing. His arms and legs flailed around for a few seconds and then he suddenly jumped to his feet, gasping.
“K! Are you okay?” Rose shouted.
“I… I don’t know... I think so… What… What happened?” He was out of breath and panting heavily.
“I put the ring on your finger and…” Rose started, but Kael cut her short.
“No, what happened on Mill Lane?”
Rose hesitated. “You… exploded, Kael. You exploded and burned all those men.”
“Where are we now?”
“A nice policeman took us to his home.” She said, hoping he wouldn’t shout. He did.
“We’re- what? He took us where?!”
“K, listen I…”
“S**t! We’re in a Guard’s house?! This is not good!” He started panicking.
“K! Listen to me!” Rose shouted at her brother. He stopped pacing and exhaled. “This man is trying to help us. He’s nice. And he said he’s going to give us food.”
Kael didn’t say anything for a while, but Rose heard his breathing calm down as he thought about the situation.
“You know more about this than I do, Rose” He said, finally. “You’ve spoken to him. Do you trust him?”
“I do.” She said.
“Okay, then,” said Kael. “And I trust you. I think I’ll take this ring off for now though.”
“Okay. Charlie’s coming back now. Be quick.” She heard him coming back across the gravel path.
“Ah, you’re awake! Kael is it?” said Mason. “Good to see it. Why don’t the two of you come in? We have salmon, bacon and eggs for breakfast. Let’s not let it get cold, hey?” Rose heard Mason’s feet rustling on the straw in the barn, as Kael was fumbling around with his hands, trying to get the ring off. She was pretty sure he was delirious; the way he was talking to her when he woke up wasn’t anything like the Kael she knew. As she was thinking about this, she heard the sound of many horses galloping, far away. The sound was getting louder as the horses were drawing nearer and she heard them neigh as they pulled up just outside the barn. Then she heard a familiar voice. It was Lieutenant Harstaart.