55. Gabe
Chapter 55
Gabe
“Where did the fire start?” Maximus growled at his guards right after we left Ash and the Queen to be escorted back to the estate. I didn’t want to leave her—it was dangerous. Chaos erupted throughout the city, courtesy of the rebels, no doubt. It only meant we were on the right path to finding Liam. Maybe this was his plan all along.
“Not in my city!” Maximus shouted as we charged to where the orange flames from the buildings licked the night sky. We rushed forward and found the source of the flames to be a stretch of houses along a line of cherry trees.
I stopped and stood in shock and horror as people ran out of the houses, some on fire as they dropped and rolled on the snowy ground to abate the flames.
“Water!” the King shouted, and dozens of soldiers ran off in search of buckets and water.
The air crackled with the sound of an explosion some distance away and small pops of what sounded like gunshots. What the hell was going on? One of my favorite nights of the year was quickly turning into a series of horrific events. Our guards moved in closer at the sound of more distant gunshots.
“Your Majesty, we need to get you back to the estate. It’s not safe for you here!” Carter shouted.
A woman ran out of a two-story house, screaming in horror as she came straight toward us.
“Please,” she cried. “My baby! She’s still in there! I can’t get to her!”
“We can’t help…” Carter started, but his words faded away as I started running toward the house. The blondes and the rebels would pay. This was the last time I let them bring pain to my people.
I ran into the house without a second thought. A baby was in here, and I couldn’t let it die. Instant, burning heat scorched my throat, and I pulled my shirt over my mouth and nose to deter some of the smoke. I heard people shouting from behind me, but I continued onward, into the orange flames. The kitchen was fully ablaze, and I turned toward a closed door across the space.
Smoke burned my eyes, and tears leaked down my cheeks. I held my arm above my head to try to staunch the heat that threatened to boil my blood. The house groaned, and I knew it was only a matter of minutes before the whole thing would come down.
Short breaths became my friend to try to avoid the searing heat. I reached the door and shoved it open to find a bit of relief in the room that wasn’t ablaze yet. Small cries filled my ears. A baby, no bigger than a large rabbit, lay in a crib, and I scooped the tiny crying bundle into my arms before turning back toward the door. The flames suddenly burst through the door, knocking me backward. The child wailed in my arms, but the noise was drowned out by the roaring of the fire. The house groaned again, and boards fell into the doorway, blocking our exit. Smoke rolled through the room, and I dropped to the floor, coughing in an effort to clear my lungs.
There had to be a window. I crawled forward with one arm still holding the baby tightly. I could hear the whimpers and knew it was still alive, but I had to get out fast. The smoke and flames obstructed my vision, so I felt along the wall until I finally felt the glass of a window. I rose to my feet just as the house groaned a final time and dove through the window as the house collapsed in on itself.
Fresh air surged into my lungs as another round of coughs escaped my throat. People rushed toward us, pulling us away from the wreckage. The mother hurried over and took the little pink bundle from my arms, with tears streaming down her face.
“Thank you,” she cried, squeezing her little one close.
Her eyes widened as guards circled us. “Prince Etan, we must get you back to the Estate. The King left the moment he knew you were okay.”
I nodded, turning away with them and wiping the tears and soot off my face. Ash was wrong. The blondes and their sympathizers deserved every bit of what the King had given them.