Chapter 30 - Ruins

The day was bright still when Lilly and Mia emerged from Eolande's house, looking at all the guards and officers busily walking around. Her red hair made her very easy to recognize, so many stopped to look at her as she stepped through.

Eolande was talking to Selene and Daisy in front of what remained of Lilly's house, overseeing the careful process of securing the building.

Lilly felt her heart ache while looking at the burned ruins, feeling the self-blame smoldering inside. Considering the circumstances, she couldn't have been expected to remain calm, but leaving the house should have been possible.

Lilly felt her hand getting grabbed by Mia and paused to look at her. The supportive and tender expression in her eyes made Lilly feel better right away.

Selene turned to look at them both, and her eyes widened. "Lilly! That was a spectacular way of fighting out there."

Eolande and Daisy also turned to look at her, wearing worried expressions. Lilly had been worried about Daisy since she was so close to the office, so she breathed a sigh of relief after seeing her.

"I would never have defeated him without your help, Selene. Your skill as an archer was incredible to watch," Lilly responded.

Selene nodded with a slight smile, but turned back to the ruins of Lilly's home. "They were able to put out the fire rather quickly after you left, but much damage had already been done. We're securing the building from any more collapse now, so we can start searching it soon."

Most of the damage was focused on the bottom floor, where the bakery and kitchen once stood. The rest of the building was blackened, and most of the living room seemed ruined, but the bedrooms on the top floor seemed mostly intact. They were standing on shaky supports, but Lilly might still have a wardrobe if everything went well.

Lilly turned to Daisy, eager to hear what happened at the barracks. "What about the office? I was worried you would be hurt, Daisy. I'm glad to see you're fine."

Daisy smiled but still had the same worried expression. "I felt the heat from the office, and smoke was coming from the door, so I assumed something happened with your flame and… I ran. I'm sorry."

"No, that was the right decision! If anything like that happens again, just make sure to run," Lilly assured her, hoping Daisy wouldn't feel guilty about it.

Daisy nodded. "The office is destroyed, but you contained the damage quite well. The smithy was fine other than some damage to the door."

Lilly was relieved to hear that the smithy was intact and could hear Mia sigh in relief. It would take some time to rebuild the office, meaning Lilly would have to stay elsewhere while working.

"Were there any other casualties?" Lilly asked, praying she hadn't hurt anyone in her rage. Eolanathel might have injured some guards on his way to her house, but Lilly hadn't seen any blood on them as she passed.

"No, only the one…" Daisy responded, looking at the ground. "A few injured guards, but nothing serious."

Lilly felt relieved. She wasn't ready to carry something like that on her shoulders. "That's good, I was worried." She hesitated slightly before continuing, "What about funeral preparations?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll arrange everything. Did he have a spot in the graveyard?" Daisy asked.

Lilly nodded. "Yeah, next to Grandma. It's pretty close to where my parents are." She recalled the blank spot on the gravestone she had dreaded to see filled.

Daisy jotted down some notes in her notebook. "Then I'll have everything arranged in a few days, or whenever you feel ready."

"That sounds good; there's no need to hurry. I don't think there's much to bury, though…" Lilly looked at the ruins again, towards where the kitchen used to be.

Selene glanced at Lilly with furrowed brows. "We'll see soon enough. We will need to send a message to the royals explaining the situation, otherwise they might accuse us of killing a royal enchanter."

"Won't they do that either way? We technically did," Lilly responded, curious about how the crown would react to this.

"They might send someone to investigate, but it should be simple enough to prove Master Keldorn wasn't who he claimed to be. How they choose to respond is hard to predict, but I don't think they want you as an enemy in any case."

"They can respond however they want. They might suspect that we know the truth behind the attack on the city now since we killed the leader of those they cooperated with. But we justify it by saying they were responsible for the extermination of the Vermilion Clan."

Selene seemed to ponder her words. "That could convince them, considering they might already know about it. But what happens to the rest of the assassins? Will they come after us?"

Lilly looked at Eolande, hoping for her input. "Surely they'll realize coming after us is a bad idea. Now that the cursed leader is dead, they can start choosing for themselves. What do you think, Elly?"

Eolande seemed deep in thought. "I think a lot of Grandfather's ideology will remain in their group, but I think I'll be able to convince my brother at least. We will need him as a leader to take charge and change the clan from within. Otherwise, there's no telling what they might do."

"... Could you arrange a meeting with them then? We should get that done before anything unexpected happens," Lilly said.

Eolande nodded, but as she was about to respond, a high-pitched whistle sounded, which made her stop. "Oh, he's here already. My brother, I mean."

Lilly was surprised, but she felt it made sense that they would have some knowledge of what had happened. "Then… should we go meet him together? Who should we bring?" Lilly looked at Mia and Selene but hesitated to bring them. "Selene, can you watch over Mia for me?"

Selene nodded, but Mia seemed a bit unhappy. "I really wish I could take care of myself… It's like I'm a child."

Lilly understood that Mia didn't enjoy needing guards at all times of the day, but those were the circumstances. "I'm sorry, Mia. You'll have to bear with it for a while longer. I plan to prevent it in the future, but I'll have to tell you later."

Mia nodded sourly, letting go of Lilly's hand. "You'd better."

Lilly was about to follow Eolande but stopped and turned to the ruins. She held her hand out and called for the staff to come to her. It emerged from below a few fallen wood beams, floating obediently towards Lilly.

She grabbed it in her right hand, preparing to fly. "If you guys find an amulet in the ruins, go throw it in the sea or something. See you later."

Selene and Daisy seemed mystified by the odd command, but Mia nodded knowingly as she waved goodbye to Lilly.

Lilly lifted from the ground, feeling her hair float weightlessly around her, before taking off after Eolande.

They traveled towards the city's edge, to the walls they had recently climbed to get in. Eolande turned to look at Lilly, flying behind her, signaling with her hand for Lilly to come down.

Lilly landed on the walls next to Eolande, ready to hear what she had to say.

Eolande explained, "It seems he wants us to join him outside the city, probably where Grandfather lies. It might be best if I do most of the talking; I don't think he likes you much."

Lilly considered, thinking it might be for the best. "That's fine. I just want to know his stance on things. You'll be able to explain what will happen eventually if his clan doesn't change its ways."

Eolande nodded. "Yes, I've got that covered. I think he just wants to know what happened, and he probably came alone."

Lilly nodded, getting ready to take off again. "Then let's go meet this uncle of mine."

Eolande chuckled. "You should try calling him that. I really want to see his face. Try 'Uncle Tas'. He'll love it!"

"Will do!" Lilly replied, floating after Eolande as she jumped down from the wall.

It wasn't long before they saw the darkly clothed man standing beside where the battle had ended. He stood there with his arms folded, looking rather imposing.

Lilly landed beyond Eolande, who stood before Eolantas with her hands on her hips.