A Prince of Fire

Chapter 27: Tressa

"When I said I hoped the people of Shorebridge would offer us food, this isn't what I meant..." Tressa winced as she nudged the broken basket of soaked bread and fish with her foot. "What happened here?"

It looked like a tornado had gone through the town of Shorebridge. Buildings were in shambles, garbage and debris littered the ground, and the scent of burnt wood and fish filled the air.

And there were bodies everywhere.

Most of the people were torn apart, pieces of their bodies spread throughout the wreckage. Blood and rainwater soaked the ground where Tressa and Felix walked. They both had the same horror on their faces. What could have caused this?

By the time they got to Shorebridge, the storm had passed and the morning light was peeking through the clouds. The town itself was completely deserted; the people were either gone or dead. Now Tressa understood why those people were leaving. Something terrible happened here, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Oh this is bad," Felix muttered, his eyes wide as he took in the wreckage before him. "This is really bad." He turned to Tressa and said, his voice tinged with urgency. "I need to see if I can find what I came here for."

Tressa nodded. "All right. I'm going to see if I can find a boat that can still float."

He nodded before taking off down one of the side streets, although, if Tressa was being honest, she couldn't even tell it was a street. She grimaced, keeping as far away from the dead bodies and blood-soaked body parts as she could. Tressa could see the river up ahead and decided that would be her best bet in finding a boat. She made her way in that direction, carefully stepping over debris as she went. As curious as she was about what had happened here, she didn't think she really wanted to know. What she wanted to know was that her sister was safe, wherever she was. Tressa told herself again and again that Clementine made it out. That she was safe on the other side of the river, and that she was waiting for her.

Tressa made it to the river but it didn't look any better. Broken buildings were collapsed into the water and from where she stood, she couldn't see any sign of a boat. Whatever it was that caused this must have really wanted to destroy the town. More than half of Shorebridge was in ruins.

Tressa walked over to the shore, watching the water roll over her worn out boots. She could see the shore on the other side of the river; only a mile away. She walked along the shore, her eyes searching the water. How does one get across the river without a boat?

Tressa. The wind whispered her name, making her stop dead in her tracks. Her heart in her throat, she glanced around. Felix wasn't anywhere nearby or she would have heard him. Tressa. It almost sounded like it was in her head, a small breath of sound. Tressa felt chilled to the bone. Her eyes searched her surroundings. Someone was watching her.

Then, she saw it. A small figure in the distance. Almost a black dot had it not been for the horse and the dense fog surrounding it.

The Dullahan stood on a hilltop, past the rubble of the village. He was so far away that Tressa would not have noticed him if she wasn't looking. He sat upon his horse, staring down at her, but made no move to attack.

Tressa's hand found the golden amulet Cedric had given her, and she pulled it out from her dress, holding it up for him to see.

Tressa. His voice was cold and emotionless.

"You cannot hurt me," she whispered, glaring at him. "Not while I wear this."

Tressa.

"Did you find a boat?" Felix's voice startled her and she whirled around to see him moving towards her holding his rucksack.

"Not yet," she said, urging her racing heart to calm down. She looked back to the hilltop but the Dullahan was gone. Tressa knew he had targeted her the moment in Clearhedge when he came for her instead of Lucille. She knew what it meant to be his target. He wouldn't stop until she was dead. Tressa shook her head. She would worry about that later. "Did you get what you needed?"

He nodded, placing his rucksack on his back. "I need to head to Ironcastle. My father needs to know what happened here and I need to deliver what I came here for."

"Oh," Tressa said, feeling disappointed. He didn't need to cross the river to get to Ironcastle, he just needed to go south. "I guess this is it then?"

"I'll help you find a boat before I leave." He flashed her a grin and set off down the opposite side of the shore. "Holler if you see one!"

It took about one minute of searching before she heard Felix call out to her and she ran over to him. "It's not in the best shape," He said, running his hand through his hair. "But it should get you across the river."

Indeed, it certainly wasn't in the best of shape. It was a small wooden boat with a crack on the side and only one oar. It looked like it was stable enough to hold her at the very least. "It will have to do," she sighed.

"Oh, I almost forgot," He reached into his rucksack and pulled out an apple. "I know it's not much but you must be hungry." Tressa took it from him and was struck with the sudden urge to give him a hug.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully.

"You're welcome," he scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, if you ever find yourself in Ironcastle, come to the palace. Tell the guards that you're a friend of Felix Barnett and they should let you in to see me." Tressa nodded and he was already walking away when it clicked.

"The palace?" She asked and he turned around, smiling.

"I may have forgotten to mention that my father is the royal family's personal healer," he shrugged, looking amused. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Tressa." He waved and Tressa chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched him disappear behind a ruined building.

If he worked in the palace then he would have met the royal family at least once. She would have to ask him about it if she ever saw him again.

Tressa carefully stepped into the boat, squeaking in surprise as it rocked. She had only been in a boat once when her father took her and Clementine fishing, and she remembered falling out of the boat when she thought she caught a fish. She pledged to herself she would never step foot in a boat again.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans. She sat down and grabbed the oar. "All right," she whispered. "For Clementine."

She rowed until the shore was at a distance behind her.