He remembered Cammi's body falling.
He remembered Marcus coming out of nowhere to tackle King Kojo.
Everything else after that was a blur.
Nico was pulled to his feet by a man-his father? A woman was screaming about getting to the safe house.
All around, people were fighting, dying, screaming. If only he'd told the truth, Cammi would still be here.
That woman. Amie was it? She was hiding under a table. Nico squirmed away from who was holding him and all but tackled the woman. Caught by surprise she hit her head on a table leg.
Amie squealed and scrambled out of her sanctuary, Nico followed picking up a large rock.
"This is your fault!" Nico roared. "Cammi would be alive if it weren't for you!"
Amie turned to splutter an apology but Nico would hear none of it. He tossed the stone hitting her square in the forehead.
She collapsed and he made a move toward her but he was scooped up by a pair of strong arms.
"Put me down!" Nico screamed, punching and kicking. "Put me down!"
Moments later he was placed in the safety of another tent. Nico whirled around coming face to face with Marcus.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Nico, that's not going to bring her back," Marcus muttered. "She's gone to the afterlife."
"She wouldn't if-"
Marcus grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him until his teeth rattled. "Get yer head out of your arse. Where are your parents?!"
His parents...?
Nico jumped to his feet and looked out where elves were screaming and dying in dark puddles on the ground. He couldn't see through all the dust and fighting.
His stomach sank.
"I..I don't know." Nico licked his lips, his vision began to blur and tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry!"
Marcus threw his cloak over him. "I'll be back. Stay here."
"Don't go!"
"I'll be back."
...
Nico wasn't sure how long the fighting went on, but a pair of guards found him shivering under Marcus's robes.
They threw him in a cart with the other survivors who were screaming and crying. Neither Marcus nor his parents were among them.
"Someone do something!" a woman cried, clutching a boy to her chest.
A guard reached toward him and attempted to grab the cloak- Marcus's cloak- Nico's blood boiled and he summoned a lame.
It didn't burn the guard as much as he wanted, but it was enough.
Nico pulled the cloth over his head and sobbed silently.
First Cammi.
His parents.
Marcus.
"Hey."
Nico looked up and spotted a hulking figure in front of him. He had olive skin and short black hair and looked super uncomfortable slouched over.
Nico just blinked.
"Cool fire trick. I'm Zander."
"Nico."
Zander nodded. "Things will get better, I promise." he slid toward him. "When the time is right we'll burn the Kingdom of Men down to its rotten core."