"Asti, get up! Get up! Right now, nya!" My eyes snapped open as Aggeo jumped on my stomach. I straightened up like a string, feeling suddenly wrenched from sleep. My head was spinning and I sniffled. I felt a burn and smoke. Like lightning, I got out of bed, slipped on my high boots (I didn't bother with tying) and grabbed my backpack by the shoulder.
"What's happening?" I asked feeling my hands shaking. I looked back as the smell of the dust hit me and saw the long and terrifying tongues of fire devouring my beloved forest. The one I played with so recently. The same one with whom I recently shared my worries. The same one I grew up in. I felt tears in my eyes and started coughing from the smoke.
"We have to get away, Asti. You were right. They are burning the forest! They took everyone to the schoolyard! We have to save Mrs. Susan! Come on, nya!" Aggeo was pulling my laces and I was covering my mouth with a cloth and I ran quickly out of the house and felt confused.
Everything was on fire. I no longer recognized any path. The trees were crying. The branches crackled and the grasses turned brown. Everything was dying around. I could hear their groans of pain as each branch cries out for help. I felt a lump build up in my throat. So much death.
I pressed my lips together and tears ran down my cheeks. I didn't know how to help them. In this burning earth, I couldn't make a pentagram to cast spells, and I can't yet cast them without it. I was useless! I couldn't even ease their pain!
"Come with me, nya! Hurry!" The kitten exclaimed, so I rubbed my eyes quickly and obediently followed him.
"What happened? Who's doing it? What's up with Mrs. Susan?" I asked on the way passing fallen, charred trees and those on fire, just falling apart. I passed dead animals and dead, protruding roots. The smell of charred bodies and smoke stirred my nose, and the heat confused my head, and had it not been for Aggeo, I would have been lost long ago.
"They came out of nowhere and started screaming, smoking and shooting... Those who didn't listen were shot on the spot, and the rest were taken to the school yard! There's Mrs. Susan, nya!" Aggeo shouted, and I was still staggering after him coughing.
"Who showed up? What are you talking about?" I was stumbling over my feet all the time.Everything was on fire and I could feel my clothes melting into my body and I felt like shaking it all off or just getting out. However, I pushed even deeper and deeper.
Aggeo didn't answer. He was as panicked as I was. Maybe even more than me. I saw that he felt guilty for not being able to help his master. He had the same feeling of uselessness in his eyes as mine. He was breathing heavily and moving his feet faster than he could, tangling them.
Has it always been this far from the schoolyard? I felt that I was about to pass out. Visibility was blurring and my legs shook as if they were cotton wool. I couldn't hold my breath and sweated like a fried pig.
Eventually I got to a place where the area was already completely charred. The trees yesterday dancing in the breeze lay fallen down, charred and dry. Dead. The branches had been burned to the ground, and the grasses were pitch black. Nothing left. I haven't even seen the bodies of animals. But I saw witches. Lots of witches kneeling in the square in front of what yesterday was a school. Now only the foundations are left. How could this happen?
I hid behind a fallen tree and covered my mouth, sobbing. I was holding back with all my strength so as not to burst into tears. I had to be strong. This is not the time for tears.
"That's everyone for sure?" I heard a hoarse male voice, and when I leaned out, I saw a large elf covered with light armor. My eyes widened in amazement. Elves? What are the elves doing here? The skin on the exposed parts of the body was bluish, even purple, covered with runes. They are dark elves! It was even worse... They should be on the other side of the world!
"None of them are pureblood. It was supposed to be an easy prey." Another elf replied, which threw something to the ground. I looked at it, but I couldn't recognize what it was. They were looking for those with pure blood? So me? Why?
"The information is certain. It has to be here somewhere." When the elves argued, I recognized everyone who was kneeling in the square. They were tied up and huddled together in a group. I saw children from my class huddled in the middle, surrounded by adults. The always confident Mari sat trembling like aspen with terror, and I heard her sobbing so well. I felt sorry for her. I narrowed my eyes even more.
"Aggeo, are you sure Mrs. Susan is here? I can't see her anywhere." I whispered, and the kitten was also looking hard.
"I'm sure they took her here. Together with the others, nya. I've seen it myself." I frowned. Where is she then? Did she manage to escape? Impossible! She's the most powerful witch in this forest, she surely wouldn't leave them alone here! If anyone can save them, it's Mrs. Susan. I need to find her as soon as possible.
"It seems that this hag knows something." I heard a scrap of an elven conversation. How glad I was that Mrs. Susan taught me their language. But what hag? We don't have anyone here who use black magic.
"What takes so long then? It should be in our hands a long time ago! It smells so bad in here that I'm going to suffocate." One spoke, waving his hand in front of his face, and I clenched my fist angrily. It's your fault the forest is on fire! Yours! They still dare to complain about it themselves!
"Ha ha, what are you talking about?" The other laughed. "Such a fragrance is our everyday life. Don't you remember home? Smell of smoke, sizzling fire, and the smell of decaying bodies? Doesn't that smell of the homeland?" The second continued, laughing. After a while, his companion joined him and they both laughed their best. As if they had no hostages to guard.
I felt my legs getting ready to run and tearing me into motion. I wanted to cut their wheezing tongues out and shove them down their throats so that they would suffocate them. How could they do all of this?
I took a deep breath to calm down. I couldn't do this. I was too weak. But I did know someone who could teach them a lesson.
"Aggeo, can you sense Mrs. Susan?" I asked, struggling to lower my voice. The kitten nodded.
"I can feel it, but it gets weaker. It's near. Come, nya. " Even slower than before, bent in two, I followed the kitten and out of the corner of my eye watched the dark elves talk. Relaxed, as if having a great time. I swallowed hard as I tried to focus on the task at hand.
"Stop, Aggeo!" I hissed and the kitten froze. He looked in the same direction as me. More elves appeared in the square, so I hugged the ground and watched closely. Since most of the bushes were burned out and the only thing I could hide behind were dead trees and trunks, the only choice I had was to stick to the black earth and wait for them to leave.
"And how is it? We know something?" Asked the one who laughed earlier. The one who came sighed and shook his head.
"Nothing new. Rather, we won't find out more. That idiot Imraak was having too much fun and broke the hag. Totally." He shrugged and shook his head in pity.I frowned a bit worriedly. What kind of hag are they talking about? I started to have a very bad feeling, and as you can see, it usually works. So I started to sweat terribly and had a hard time staying calm.
"By the venerable Salazar, what's yelling so loud?" The one who came asked, and I held my breath.
"Ah! The thing that makes so much noise is inside." He pointed to Mari, and I bit my lip.
"Can't you do anything about it? My ears are about to explode!" Mari, you'd better shut up or it'll end badly. She, however, as usual, have the whole world in her ass and roared the best. I don't blame her for that, but the other children followed her example. She didn't know they were discussing her right now? If so, her head will roll on the ground. She has to shut up!
But I didn't know how to convey this to her. I couldn't draw a pentagram here, and I didn't know how to cast other spells. I could only watch her make noise and believe that the adults would be able to calm them down. And at the same time... I could slip away. I looked guilty at Mari, then shook my head. If I find Mrs. Susan quickly, she'll save them. I have to hurry up.
I didn't listen to further discussion of the elves, as I managed to get to the wooden house standing nearby, from which the dark elf had previously emerged. Previously, it was a school storage room.
Aggeo peered cautiously inside and froze motionless. Seeing this, I, too, froze with an extremely sinister foreboding. Something inside was very effective and powerful in warning me. I involuntarily peeked through the open door shyly and my eyes widened in shock. Mouth twitched uncontrollably and hands shook. Not thinking about anything else, I shot out of the ground like a slingshot as I ran inside.
The metallic stench of blood rose to my nose. So powerful I had to plug my nose with my fingers. It didn't work for long, however, as my shoes clung to the ground that was sticky with blood and made a hideous, sticky noise.
The sight made me throw up.