The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 78: The Fireplace

Autumn was getting colder as it slid inexorably towards winter. Callyndia's breath hung heavily in the cold morning air as she walked into Kernohest. She had already known what to expect from it, but it still shocked her to see the state of the village.

Most of the village was still intact, but there were the scars of wildfires everywhere. Melser's Kitchen and Drogan's shop were both reduced to ashes, and several other homes and buildings were gone. The place seemed mostly abandoned.

She caressed the newest whisper blossom behind her ear. "I'm here, Mother," she said whispered softly, "It looks quiet, but something bad has happened."

"Stay safe, dear," Alloria Rosa's voice returned, "I'll watch for you from here."

Callyndia let her magic float through the air around her, and everything it touched seemed to whimper in sadness and fear. The chill of late autumn seemed to bite at her hard, and she folded her arms around herself for warmth.

"I don't like winter," Lulie said through chattering teeth. She was tucked under Callyndia's cloak.

"It's going to get colder than this before it gets warm again," Callyndia said sadly, "But, at least... just imagine how much worse these fires could have been if it wasn't so cold out."

"There's a fire over there," Lulie said, "Is it going to burn us?"

Callyndia followed where the twilly pointed. There was a fire there, but it seemed small and tame, resting wholly within the remains of Melser's fireplace. There were a few other stones piled haphazardly around it, as if to complete the containment and protect the fire within.

She narrowed her eyes and walked towards it, letting her magic swim ahead of her to touch the fireplace. "No," she said to Lulie, "I don't think that's a wildfire."

Her magic touched the flame and recognized it instantly. "Kithana?" she called out, "What are you doing in there?"

The fire in the fireplace fluttered a few times, then rolled into the elegant form of Kithana, huddled as if for warmth. "It's cold out there!" the elemental said, "It hurts!"

Callyndia approached and knelt beside her. "Why...?" she began, "Where's Leofric? And Sven?"

Kithana was trembling in discomfort. "I'm not allowed inside any buildings," she said, "Holly is taking care of Leofric, in that house there." She pointed to the house beside the rubble of Drogan Hallis's blacksmith shop.

"They made you stay out here in the cold?" Callyndia asked, "That's not very kind of them!"

"They don't trust me," Kithana said, "I guess I don't really blame them: I am pretty dangerous to have around."

"Nonsense!" Callyndia said, "You're one of the most reliable people I know. But, where's Sven? Why did he let them do this to you?"

"I don't know," Kithana admitted, "He went to our house to get some herbs for Leofric yesterday, but... he never came back. I went to look for him, but I couldn't find him. And I'm not allowed to go in to see Leofric."

Callyndia felt a mix of anger and anxiety. She knew people had their prejudices against spirit folk, and that some of these prejudices were well-deserved, but it was hard to be understanding about that now. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to perform some exercises, reminding herself of what all this might look like from the perspective of a human villager, trying to drum up empathy in her mind for it. But she was in no state to accept that now: Svenden was gone again.

She sighed heavily. "Alright," she said, "They were relatively kind to me last time I was here. Perhaps they'll let me in. If not..." She smiled. "Well, I hope they can forgive me afterwards."

She left Lulie in a small nest of rubble where Kithana's heat would help keep her warm, then approached the door Kithana had pointed at and knocked. She made sure to paint a sweet and charming smile on her face, even as she extended her fairy magic out in preparation for the work to be done.

A woman's face warily appeared at the door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"I'm Callyndia," she said sweetly, "I'm sure you remember seeing me in the marketplace a week or two ago? I helped fight that rogue elemental just outside your door?" She let her magic into the woman's mind, sure to jog it with the right memories.

The woman's response was to spread anxiety across her face. "You're that nymph!" she said, "That... that fairy! Please don't curse my home!"

Callyndia sighed as patiently as she could, and let her magic gently tease the woman's mind. "I'm also half-human," she said, "I'm one of Leofric's friends. I'm told he's inside, and he needs a healer?"

The woman's eyes rolled upwards, as if she were attempting to fight off a headache. When she looked back up, she seemed a little confused and groggy.

I'm sorry, Callyndia thought, But this is important!

"Right," the woman said uncertaintly, "Come in, I suppose."

Callyndia nodded curtly and stepped inside. It was quite a bit warmer inside than out. She hesitated at the door. "Actually," she said, "I have a couple friends outside who could use the warmth. Would you let them come in with me?"

The woman hesitated, looking back outside in confusion. "What friends?" she asked.

"They're using Melser's fireplace for shelter," Callyndia said.

The woman's face became wary again. "You mean the fire elemental that looks like a woman?" she asked, "You can't that thing in here: it would burn the whole place down! This isn't even my home!"

"Kithana is actually very good at controlling her flames," she said, "She won't burn anything. But, the cold is very harmful for her, as I'm sure you can imagine."

The woman shoook her head empathically.

Callyndia let her magic press a little further into the woman's mind, caressing her softly and implanting a deeper suggestion. "Please," she said with a warm, pretty smile, "I can promise she won't hurt anything. She's my friend."

The woman sighed in an almost drunken way. Her cheeks went a little pink and her eyes faltered away, unable to maintain eye contact with Callyndia. "I... know her too," the woman said, suddenly sounding quite nervous, like she couldn't find her voice in front of a juvenile crush.

That was not the effect Callyndia wanted. She'd been a little too charming, apparently. She gently eased her magic back out of the woman's mind.

"Whatever you can do to help would be appreciated," Callyndia said.

"Could..." the woman stuttered meekly, "We used to keep her in the furnace, but Melser destroyed it. Maybe we could... Leofric's library has a fireplace. I could start a fire for her there."

"There's also a little twilly out there with her," Callyndia said, "Could you bring her back here for me? She's very harmless, and very adorable."

"Yes, miss," the woman said, now showing the typical, irrational deference that came from being thoroughly charmed by a nymph. She gestured towards the innards of the home. "Leofric's right through that door," she said.

"Thank you," Callyndia replied with a little curtsy.