As Maerillus picked himself up, someone’s knee plowed into him, ringing his head like a bell. Card went spiraling to the ground. He shot up abruptly and turned, his face was full of panic. When his eyes fell on Maerillus, he snarled, “You!”
Maerillus didn’t wait for him to act. He swung his fist and drove it into the other boy’s face. Card’s eyes rolled back and he went over hard, but thankfully wasn’t knocked out. Maerillus shook him by the collar and growled, “Get out of here, Card. You and your idiot friends. Now!”
Card screamed in terror and darted away like a crazed rabbit.
About fifteen feet away, Davin got shakily to his feet. Each time a box detonated, Bode’s gang changed direction as they attempted to flee, nearly trampling one another in their madcap frenzy. If it hadn’t been so terrifying, Maerillus would have laughed hysterically.
Davin limped over to Maerillus’s side. Both crouched as debris and flames fell like dragons’ tears around them. Explosions were now going off all throughout the camp. The two of them jerked as a massive explosion to the east jarred their teeth and left their ears ringing. Maerillus watched, dumbstruck and terrified.
Walls of smoke drifted past them, closing off parts of the world, and reopening, revealing a large vista of flaming tents and abandoned carts snarled together. Through a bank of flames, a soot covered, thin shape wound its way toward them. It was Niam. Long rivulets of sweat running down his face had washed some of his skin clean, leaving a striped pattern across his cheeks.
“What a show!” he yelled above the din. His face radiated excitement from every pore.
“Don’t worry about us!” Maerillus rounded on him. “We’re okay!”
Niam looked taken aback. “I could tell that,” he said defensively. “I really could!”
“Let’s get out of here!” Davin said shouted.
Fires were spreading in every direction, and it was hard not to get caught up in the tangled ruins twisting and roping everywhere. As they neared the boundary of the destruction, Maerillus just made out the shape of a motionless form lying pinned beneath a shattered mass of wood. An explosion must have flung it on top of whoever it was as he tried to run out of the flaming chaos. Davin and Niam saw it too, and as they sprinted over to the figure, they saw that the mass of wood had once been a cart.
Bode lay crumpled beneath its shattered remains. Davin bent to check his body.
“He’s alive,” he said between sooty coughs. “Help me lift this off of him.”
Maerillus and Niam began grabbing planks of wood and cleared them from Bode’s body. If it hadn’t been for a shallow dip in the ground, the cart’s remains would have crushed him where he lay.
“Help me lift him,” Davin said urgently. “This place is going to be a carpet of fire in a few minutes!”
Niam grabbed his foot and growled, “Forget that! I’m dragging his sorry hide!”
“We don’t have time for that,” he said vehemently.
“Fine,” Niam said and kicked Bode solidly in the side before helping maneuver his limp form over Davin’s shoulder.
The walk to the trail leading back home was a slow one. One of the saddleless horses stood nervously chomping at grass nearby. When it saw them, it blew through its nose, uncertain whether or not to run. By this point, the explosions had ceased, and now only the hot splintering crackle of burning wood sounded above what had once been a large town of tents.
Maerillus looked at the horse with relief. It was a good thing it had fled in this direction, otherwise someone might have been forced to remain with Bode while the others returned to Pirim Village for help. Niam walked up to it, took its mane, and led it back, cooing and talking soothingly to the animal. Its ears flickered and its head jerked toward any noise. But Niam had always had a way with animals, and after a few minutes it seemed calmer. Hoisting Bode atop the animal’s back took more effort than anyone realized. Finally, they just decided to drape him across its back. There was no way to tie him to it. They started down the trail quickly, hoping to be long gone when the owner of those boxes returned.