There were a few close calls, but one by one the children managed to land safely on top of the blanket. One of the orphans bounced right off because the two men had stretched the cloth too tight between landed on the ground with a smack. Nov cringed in sympathetic pain, but the girl merely brushed herself off and ran after her compatriots.
Then there was only Calyn and the seventh child left. "C'mon!, Jump!... We'll catch you!" Nov heard Senghor roar. He looked up in dismay. The girl, who seemed to be the tiniest of the group, was standing on the sill with Calyn's hands around her waist, trembling in fear.
"She's to jump or else the fire will get them," Senghor shouted at his partner. "Do something!"
Nov scowled up at the window, then yelled, "Calyn, do it now! You have no choice!" The old innkeeper looked stricken with grief, but she understood. Without giving the girl a chance to fight, she pushed the child right off the sill.
The girl shrieked. As soon as she fell, Calyn covered her own mouth with her hands in horror, tears streaming down her eyes. Anyone could see that, at the angle of the child's descent, she wasn't going to make it over the blanket. With an audible curse, Nov dropped his end of the woolen cloth and dove forward. He managed to tackle the girl in mid air and sent them both flying sideways, hitting the ground with jarring force. Fortunately, the child was unharmed. Badly shaken and sobbing uncontrollably, but alive and unscratched.
Nov, on the other hand, felt his arm tingle unpleasantly with pain. It was a dull throbbing for now, but come morning he and his new acquaintance Senghor were going to regret their selfless heroics.
He let the child scamper off to join the others and lumbered back to where Seng stood, only to find that Calyn was, once again missing.
"Petching hell, woman!" he swore. "Where did she run off to now?"
"Back inside the building," a sober eyed man answered, staring up forlornly at the empty window. "Last thing she said was that there were more children. And then...well, she was gone."
Nov tried to take a step towards the door, only to scramble back as a large, flaming beam crashed down and exploded in a torrent of red hot debris. Nothing. There was nothing he could do. He stared at the burning windows and screamed, "Calyn!"
But his only answer was the roar of ravenous fire.
A terrible rage filled Noven's heart. He shouted, he cursed, he kicked the fallen beam and threw a crumbling chunk of burnt wood at the dying building. Failure, that's what he was. He couldn't save Nona, and now he couldn't save Calyn. Dead, dead, dead. Everyone he ever cared for was dead.
When at last he ran out of steam, the young man sank to the ground and clutched at his head. There were no tears; he'd long forgotten how to use them. But he felt the bottomless pain of loss all the same.
Noven had no idea how long he sat there, but when he finally came to the fire had died to glowing embers and daylight was breaking over the horizon. People were picking their way through the charred ruins of a good portion of Sunset quarters, though it was a rather fruitless endeavor. Then, someone cried out in surprise. They found a body! No, two! From the looks of it, an adult and a child...
Someone broke down, weeping, as the blackened body was identified.
Calyn was dead.
Then there was only Calyn and the seventh child left. "C'mon!, Jump!... We'll catch you!" Nov heard Senghor roar. He looked up in dismay. The girl, who seemed to be the tiniest of the group, was standing on the sill with Calyn's hands around her waist, trembling in fear.
"She's to jump or else the fire will get them," Senghor shouted at his partner. "Do something!"
Nov scowled up at the window, then yelled, "Calyn, do it now! You have no choice!" The old innkeeper looked stricken with grief, but she understood. Without giving the girl a chance to fight, she pushed the child right off the sill.
The girl shrieked. As soon as she fell, Calyn covered her own mouth with her hands in horror, tears streaming down her eyes. Anyone could see that, at the angle of the child's descent, she wasn't going to make it over the blanket. With an audible curse, Nov dropped his end of the woolen cloth and dove forward. He managed to tackle the girl in mid air and sent them both flying sideways, hitting the ground with jarring force. Fortunately, the child was unharmed. Badly shaken and sobbing uncontrollably, but alive and unscratched.
Nov, on the other hand, felt his arm tingle unpleasantly with pain. It was a dull throbbing for now, but come morning he and his new acquaintance Senghor were going to regret their selfless heroics.
He let the child scamper off to join the others and lumbered back to where Seng stood, only to find that Calyn was, once again missing.
"Petching hell, woman!" he swore. "Where did she run off to now?"
"Back inside the building," a sober eyed man answered, staring up forlornly at the empty window. "Last thing she said was that there were more children. And then...well, she was gone."
Nov tried to take a step towards the door, only to scramble back as a large, flaming beam crashed down and exploded in a torrent of red hot debris. Nothing. There was nothing he could do. He stared at the burning windows and screamed, "Calyn!"
But his only answer was the roar of ravenous fire.
A terrible rage filled Noven's heart. He shouted, he cursed, he kicked the fallen beam and threw a crumbling chunk of burnt wood at the dying building. Failure, that's what he was. He couldn't save Nona, and now he couldn't save Calyn. Dead, dead, dead. Everyone he ever cared for was dead.
When at last he ran out of steam, the young man sank to the ground and clutched at his head. There were no tears; he'd long forgotten how to use them. But he felt the bottomless pain of loss all the same.
Noven had no idea how long he sat there, but when he finally came to the fire had died to glowing embers and daylight was breaking over the horizon. People were picking their way through the charred ruins of a good portion of Sunset quarters, though it was a rather fruitless endeavor. Then, someone cried out in surprise. They found a body! No, two! From the looks of it, an adult and a child...
Someone broke down, weeping, as the blackened body was identified.
Calyn was dead.
