There She Blows

Writers: AL, Chelle
Date Posted: 20th January 2010

Characters: Seifel, Barric
Description: The Hold's harper sends a message to the main Hold and the fire becomes a raging inferno.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 11 of Turn 5
Notes: Red Rush Hold

Little by little, the people of Red Rush Hold were becoming aware that something had gone wrong. Not long after, the screams began. People rushed toward the Hold from outbuildings. Smoke could be seen coming from one of them. Inside the stone structure, chaos reigned.

"Seifel!" His name pounded at him through his sleep filled mind, but Seifel resisted. He muttered and turned over, but the call of his name repeated and was accompanied by a frantic pounding at his door. "Seifel! Smoke! Seifel!" "Wha?" 'Smoke' managed to jerk at him and the harper sat up and stumbled out of his cot. He muttered as he crossed the floor and tugged open the door.

A man, younger than him by a good fifteen turns, peered up at the harper in the dim light the glow afforded. "Smoke!" The boy's eyes were wide and Seifel managed to wake up enough to stumble back into his room and throw on some clothes. He was out the door in a moment and took the glow from the young man. He trotted through the hall and outside then blinked at the column of smoke that belched forth from the adjacent building.

While trying to begin some sort of evacuation effort as well as damage control, Barric was standing there shouting orders at holders that were afraid to move in some cases. When he spotted the harper, one thought came through his mind. "Seifel, the drums! The Lord Holder needs to know!" Some of the Hold's men were dashing inside the building as people started to come out of it. They were carrying infants and small children. There were too many inside though. In the back of his mind Barric knew if the fire reached the fires of the pottery kiln, the whole building would blow.

Seifel stared at the smoke, but Barric's voice cut through the haze. "I'm going!" The harper turned without any more hesitation and ran as fast as his feet could carry him. Away from the smoke and fire and to the large drums that would carry a message over the lengths. They were too far. His chest heaved as he sprinted across the grass and was winded when he finally reached them. He didn't pause, though, but immediately took up the sticks and began to beat, beat, beat out a message to carry to the Lord Holder.

Still more people appeared, some going back in. The smoke was becoming an issue now. The rescuers couldn't breathe. Valiantly they were still trying to retrieve people and things of value. Barric had the journeyman healer triage the people as they came out. He hoped they could find all of the small children. Behind him, he heard a woman screaming, "Natir!"

Seifel left the drums. The message had been sent, a response given. The harper rushed back to Barric, breathing heavily. He fairly jumped when he heard the woman scream and turned toward her, eyes wide with surprise.

A thought occurred to Barric. "Seifel, the children. Keep them back!" How many were hurt? How many were still in there? He saw men coming out, choking out. How many had gone inside?

Seifel caught a young boy who started running just as Barric shouted his instructions. He nodded though was more concerned with the struggling child in his arms. The boy was kicking and screaming, arms outstretched toward the burning building.

As a woman was carried out, gasping for air, Barric's worst fear happened. The fire reached the kiln. Suddenly, super hot flames were released. The building was completely engulfed. Rescuers jumped back from the warm blaze. And Barric began to fear for the rest of the Hold. "Wet the other buildings! Dig ditches men!" He ran forward, joining the men with shovels.

Last updated on the January 25th 2010

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There She Blows