Consuming Flame

The crew of the Autumn Maid learn of the fate of Eleazar and Aurei, while Eleazar deals with his feelings for the Drow girl.

44.

Consuming Flame

 

 

 

While the two Paladins rested beside the warmth of the blazing fire, the crew of the Autumn Maid was discovering a blazing fire of their own.

“What in blue heavens is it?   Why did you.. oh!  Oh no!”  Captain Tarron stared off the rear railing of the deck where his men pointed.   It was the Imperial airship, completely ablaze.

“Close the vacuum cylinders!  Drop the anchors; I want this ship stopped IMMEDIATELY!”  

Men ran in all directions as the Captain and his first mate stared in horror at the ship.

“Captain… what about the two Drow?   They were on board that.”

“I know, Dael.   Something happened to cause that.  What happened?”

“Lowel was replacing Marc at the helm and he saw it when he came up from the lower deck.   It was already fully ablaze.   The wind and noise of the vacuum cylinders kept any sound from reaching us, and since the Autumn Maid sits higher in the air then they are, we couldn’t see the flames from the bridge.”

“We’ve got to cut the lines, Dael.   When the fire burns through enough of the hull to cause the levitation enchantment to fade, it will fall like a fiery rock and pull us down with it.”

“Yesh!   I hadn’t thought of that!”   The First mate yelled to two of the deck hands to bring axes and they immediately began chopping through the thick ropes which bound the Autumn Maid to the burning airship.   They cut through the towing ropes at nearly the same moment their ship suddenly slowed as the vacuum cylinders were capped.  Behind and slightly below them, the inferno that had been the Imperial airship floated forward about ten yards or so before the crew on the Autumn Maid heard the cracking of the infrastructure of the craft give way.    All at once the large Imperial yacht plummeted to the ground.

 

For a long couple of seconds it fell, trailing fire and smoke from it, giving the crew of the Autumn Maid time enough to silently pray that there were no farms, people or animals beneath the airship.  

Then it slammed into the ground with a huge roar and a whoosh of fire.  

“Captain, those Drow Paladins!”   A crewman yelled.

Tarron just nodded grimly.

“Could they have escaped?”

“I don’t know… we need to make sure there was no one killed or injured by the debris.   We should be over open ground and with the heavy snowfall, I don’t think it will spread.   Dael, send out a search party to make sure no one needs help.   Once we see everything is in control here, we’ll backtrack until we get back to the ship’s original position.   Maybe Yesh had mercy on them.”

Dael was already in motion, preparing the Autumn Maid for landing.   Looking down at the pile of burning wood that had been the majestic airship, Captain Tarron was very skeptical they’d return to Westmark with good news.

 

***

 

      A few hours before dawn, the two Paladins drifted off to sleep, wrapped snuggly in multiple cloaks and robes salvaged from the crates.   Eleazar slept very lightly, for he held Aurei in his lap for warmth.  

The girl still had not regained consciousness, but was breathing easy and peacefully.   He had her legs wrapped around his to keep them off of the cold wet snow and she sat propped up against him, her head on his shoulder and his arms tightly wrapped around her.   Though his own legs cramped from hours in the position, he wouldn’t have traded a moment of stretching for all the gold in the world.   Waking from a few minutes of cat-napping, he looked down at her for the hundredth time that evening.    Even asleep she was so wonderfully beautiful; young and innocent, yet at the same time graceful and feminine.   He leaned in and felt her breath on his nose.   The sensation electrified him.

 

He looked down at her hand, wearing one of the rings of Nitthum.   Then his gaze turned to his own hand, caressing her long silky white hair, where the other ring rested on one of his fingers.   He knew that much of what he was feeling was due to the effects of the rings, but he also knew that the feelings were not created, but only brought to the surface for him to feel.

He certainly felt it too, strong, pounding, mind-numbing and glorious.   He loved her, far more than he had ever loved anyone in his life, with the possible exception of his mother.    There was no doubt in his mind now, no denial, only blissful realization that he was hopefully, totally and eternally bound to the lovely girl.   He knew he would always be at her side, ready to do anything for her, just to see her smile at him.  

She may not return the feelings, a small part of his brain protested, but he simply smiled, for even if she rejected him, he’d volunteer to be her slave; anything to be close to her.

Yet he knew that wouldn’t be the case.   She would return his love with equal passion.   He didn’t know how he knew this, but he knew it was certain.    They would unite, body, mind and soul.   She would be his lover, his wife, the mother of his children, his soul-mate.    Of course he couldn’t share that with her any time soon, for it would scare the poor girl to death.   But in due time she’d realize this too, and then they’d both be completed.   For the time being, however, she was just his close friend.   He could wait.

Eleazar leaned over and kissed her cheek, “Sleep, my love.”