Chapter 38 #2
We fortunately weren’t going into the heart of the city but rather along its outskirts, as the new warehouse had been built there some three years ago. It had opened up many employment opportunities, and I remembered a childhood friend being hired there. Shit, were they still working there?
Were they there now?
Please let no one I cared about be hurt by this madness. I prayed fervently to Nimus my wish. Surely a paper warehouse fell under his purview.
I smelled the scene before my eyes could lay hold of it. The acrid scent of smoke lay thick, and billowing black clouds poured into the sky dead ahead.
There were many warehouses in this area, and all of them were pouring out workers, people forming lines with buckets at the nearby well. We passed them as they worked hard to keep the fire from spreading to the other warehouses.
James lifted his signet ring to his mouth, and over the noise of shouting and the roaring sound of the fire, I could pick out a few words. He was ordering mages on-site to put the fire out. Smart. Yes, only magic could really keep this fire from spreading and taking out half the city.
Then we turned the corner, with the warehouse coming fully into view, and my heart broke all over again.
This was horrendous.
The fire was so hot it beat at my skin, unrelenting. My skin grew uncomfortably tight over my bones, but I barely registered the sensation. Instead, my eyes took in this massive warehouse, standing three stories tall and taking up most of a city block, covered entirely in open flames.
Multiple bucket brigades lined up on all sides, pouring water onto the flames, but it was like pouring a single grain of sand into an ocean and expecting it to somehow become a desert. Each bucket had no real impact on the fire itself. The effort seemed a hopeless case, even from here.
Titan slowed to a stop, snorting and prancing in place.
No doubt the horse didn’t like to be this close to the open flames, and I could not blame him.
I leaned forward to look at James’s face, only to find silent tears streaming down his cheeks.
I knew he’d take the destruction badly, and I was not happy to be proven right.
I hugged him tighter, offering what solace I could.
One person saw his approach and immediately turned, running toward him. Rhody didn’t look at all happy, soot covering her skin, her honey-blond hair in a tangle about her head. “James!” Her usual melodious voice sounded cracked and broken, likely from the smoke inhalation. “Get a mage here, now!”
“I’ve already called for several, they’re on their way,” he assured her. “Rhody, what happened?!”
“Shidteus’s balls, I wish I had a good answer for you! Some godforsaken asshole just blasted through with two torches in either hand and lit fire to everything he could before running out again. I had a man chase after him, so maybe they caught him. We can only hope. Someone has to pay for this!”
I agreed with her. Someone had to pay. I’d dearly love to know who was behind it. James had rocked many a boat since his adoption, so it was anyone’s guess on who was behind the arson.
But I’d figure it out. Even if it meant overturning every rock looking for the scumbag responsible. That I swore.
“Did everyone get out?”
“He made such a ruckus coming through the warehouse, so everyone was alerted. It was a godssend in a way, as everyone got out fast. We’ve had some smoke inhalation and some minor burns, but no serious casualties.”
“Thank all the gods for that,” James breathed.
I half fell, half slid off Titan’s back, heading for Captain Rowan. I wanted the person responsible caught, and the knights were the ones for the job.
“Captain Rowan, someone set fire here deliberately and ran off. An employee of the warehouse chased after him. Can you send someone to assist?”
He nodded and brusquely ordered, “Osbourne! Take Pedan and go after him!”
“Sir!” Osbourne saluted.
“Rhody, describe him as best you can,” I said. “So they know who to chase.”
“I didn’t see more than a bird’s-eye view of the man, but—” She cast about, found someone, and called, “Harris! Get over here, describe to the knights the asshat who did this.”
Harris turned out to be a skinny, freckled redhead perhaps in his late teens.
He immediately jogged over and fell into giving a description to the two knights.
Osbourne actually mounted Harris up on his horse before taking off in pursuit, which was honestly the most sensible solution. Harris would recognize the man.
There wasn’t anything I could really do to help, so I mostly stayed at James’s side as he dealt with the situation.
It was a relief when the mages came, for they made quick work of the fire, calling upon earth and water to bury the flames.
Thanks to them and the efforts of everyone around, the fire didn’t spread to the surrounding buildings.
That was, unfortunately, the only good news.
The King’s Paper warehouse was nothing more than a skeletal ruin now.
The smoke still trailed up in eerie wisps, the stench of ash prevalent in the air.
It wasn’t even safe to take a step inside, but I could see in through the windows busted by heat and water.
It would likely need to be completely gutted and revamped, which was an expensive prospect, both in time and money. People would be out of jobs for the duration. How long would it take to rebuild? Six months? A year?
What could have possibly been the justification to do this?