Chapter 14: 014 - Fire and Stone - Part 2 -
Lambert looked at the mayor and gave a signal to his men, immediately a few ran over to one of the carts and pulled off the tarp, then they pulled four long pikes up and presented them to the villagers.
"I'm sure that you all recognize your rangers," said Lambert in amusement as on the tips of each pike rested the severed heads of some of the rangers belonging to the village, men who patrolled at night and organized the rare hunts in the Green Wood, as well as kept an eye on the condition of the Green Wood Forest.
At the same time, another soldier came up to Lambert and presented him with a small rolled-up piece of parchment.
"And I'm sure that you recognise this Jonah," Lambert shook his hand with the parchment, the sight of which caused the mayor's face to pale.
Lambert unfurled the parchment and started to read aloud.
"To Mayor Erin Thatch,"
"I send this message only due to these distressing times we find ourselves within, the soldiers of the new queen have been making excessive demands of us and I know the same is true of your village, and all the neighboring villagers"
"blah…blah… blah… we must put an end to this injustice by uniting and standing against the Rothwart soldiers,"
"Your neighbour Mayor Jonah Burton,"
Lambert looked up from the parchment and gave the mayor an amused smile, "It seems that you are trying to stir a rebellion against the rightful queen Celestia Rothwart, first of her name,"
"That's treason if I ever heard it," said Lambert.
"We gave no oath to your queen, until not one year ago no one even knew her name, but we've always had a good relationship with the king of Usrid, and it wasn't until your queen declared her war that hard times came upon us," Old Jonah stomped his foot in anger.
His words were a simple truth, and they were under no obligation to give any fealty to this new queen who was simply after power and who knew what else.
"haha," Harald the archer let out an uproarious laugh, "Sir ain't that a cold confession of treason?" he asked.
Lambert this time didn't show any response to his subordinate, as a frown came upon his face.
"Need I remind you, ignorant peasants, that the lands were created by the gods, and that the rightful Queen Celestia Rothwart was granted her new name and authority by the holy church!" he spoke coldly.
"Your lands are under the rule of my queen because it was granted to her by the gods themselves, what rights do you have to deny the authority of the gods?" he asked in a firm but cold voice.
"Now you have gone beyond mere treason and stepped into the realm of blasphemy of the gods!" he roared and pulled one of his swords from its scabbard.
The silver blade glowed in the firelight and all around the knight what seemed like a light mist gathered around his body.
Uriel felt a vague sense of familiarity as the strange almost transparent mist gathered around the body of the knight, he could vaguely feel the power, the same kind of power that stirred inside of him.
The mist gathered onto the edge of Lambert's sword, then he pointed it at the bonfire, and like a firework, the entire pyre erupted in a scolding hot pillar of white flame that shot into the skies like a blinding beacon.
Then the knight moved his arms and seemed to direct the flames rising to the skies.
Uriel couldn't believe it, it was just like the stories he'd heard from the elders in the village and the few folk tellers that passed through, this was the power of Eldrin, the power to command the elements of the world and shape them.
The column of flame spread out through the sky and then started to descend traveling through the night sky it rapidly came down and hit the rooftops of the remaining buildings and spread like a great tidal wave.
The eyes of the villagers went wide as they started to run in a panic, they had various tools and weapons at the ready but what were weapons and farming tools going to do in the face of the burning flame?
Uriel turned around and started to run he grabbed Cassandra's hand and started to flee from the flame their parents trailed just a pace behind them.
They ran and ducked around a corner behind one of the stone houses along with dozens of other villagers, it kept them safe from the direct flame for a bit, but it couldn't stop the sensation of the intense heat and smoke that was rapidly spreading.
The heat left them drenched in their own sweat but even their sweat quickly evaporated and not even the surfaces of the stone houses remained cool, instead, they became like scolding stones.
The addition of the smoke blanketed their vision, but the worst was the pain that came from their lungs as they were forced to breathe in the smoke, it burned through their lungs and caused the people to start coughing and heaving.
About a minute passed before the intense heat calmed down, Uriel peeked around the corner noticing that the blinding white flame had disappeared.
But as soon as he looked he wished that he hadn't, half the village was in flame the thatch rooftops were like wicker rapidly igniting and spreading the flames, but the worst part was the street, the charred remains of dozens of people stood transfixed where they had died.
They were burnt to the point of being unrecognisable but what was certain was that they were the people of Old Meadow and that was all that mattered.
Uriel looked around finding his only source of relief that Cassandra and his parents were okay, at that moment old man Jonah, Jack, and his dad were discussing something, and as their conversation went on its contents were heard by everyone.
In the end, the adults decided that they would have to split up into groups and flee from the village to wherever they could, there wasn't any time for any intricate plans, all they could do for now was focus on their own survival.
As they finished formulating their little plans they heard the shouts of Lambert as he gave orders to his men to kill every person they came across, his orders were followed by the stomping of boots as the soldiers raced down the roads with their steel swords and spears raised high.
The people split up into groups the adults grabbed their little ones and tried to calm their tears and cries of fear, and before long they split up, there was no time for goodbyes.
Uriel could only watch as many of his friends and the people he had known for years started to disappear, a heavy silence took over as they started to run down the roads.
As they ran they heard several clashes of the villagers fighting against the soldiers though all of them we brief and followed by mournful cries and sorrow.
There were over a thousand people in the village and the soldiers didn't even number a hundred, yet their numbers were meaningless in front steel.
Zek led their company of about 60 people narrowly avoiding several clashes as they made for an exit from the village, with a great deal of luck they managed to break free from the village and push their way beyond into the dark embrace of the night.
After running a short distance, the group stopped for a second to gather some air, but they couldn't stop their eyes from wandering back to the village, a village taken by raging flames.
Now that the immediate danger of the soldiers was behind them the adults allowed their emotions to come rushing to the surface, and the grief washed their faces as they watched their home burn to the ground.
"There's no need to grieve so much," a voice came from the group in the darkness of the night and it sent shivers coursing through the backs of every person.
"After all, what's the point of grieving when you are all going to die?" asked Lambert as his sword flashed with a pulsing flame embracing its edge then a head went flying into the air.
Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh
The sound of arrows whistling through the air was followed by the sound of punctured flesh.
Putchii, Putchii, Putchii
With each second two people fell one by sword one by arrow, and there were soldiers starting to appear in the distance.
Uriel looked on with horror when suddenly to his side he heard a heavy thud, as he turned to look his hand slipped weakly from Cassandra's because right there lying on the ground was his mother with an arrow sticking straight through her head, her two green eyes wide open with surprise.
Uriel could just barely hear the cries of Cassandra, louder than her cries was his dads, a loud furious anguish filled cry, the ground shuddered under his feet as he raced off in a bloody rage seeking his wife's killer with his hatchet held high.
Uriel fell to his knees imprinting that image, that final image of the woman who took him into her home and fed him and clothed him, who stitched his clothes up every time they got a tear, who nursed him back to health every time he fell ill, who treated him no different than she did her very own daughter.
"MOM!!!" he cried as her blood soaked the grass and wet the earth.
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone