The Tale of Amara

Chapter 55: Waves

A/N: Shorter chapter than the others. After this one, I will get back into the episodes. Enjoy!

Chapter 55: Waves

Third Person POV

Much of the ash had settled. There was silence. The sun slowly rose over the land, revealing the remnants of what used to be a grand estate. On the outside, the estate had been a beauty to others. No one had known the truth of the darkness that was within. Now the estate would no longer be able to hide what truly occurred within the walls. The truth was already spreading. Fire Fountain City was passing the information throughout the early morning marketplace that Admiral Gru had a daughter, and that daughter had come to exact revenge on those that did her wrong.

The giant of a man stood at the burnt gates of the entrance. He heard the sobs of a servant woman. He heard the cracks of pieces of wood that were still lit with embers. The area was nothing but black ash and burnt wood. The strong smoky scent entered the man's nose. His raven-eagle was perched on his shoulder, watching the scene on alert.

He stepped forward into the courtyard. He glanced over at the woman who was sitting on a bench that had not been burnt up. Another servant woman was with her, consoling her.

"Can't believe this..." A guard nearby muttered. He was staring at the rubble before him. There was still smoke and small flames burning what remained. "That kid was so powerful... all of this time..."

Another female servant stood beside him. "I don't blame her for what she did... I just can't believe she actually did it. There's no telling if there will even be a body to bury. The whole place is destroyed..."

The guard frowned. "We tried to get to him. It was impossible... and... That man got what was coming for him. The way they treated that child... I'm not surprised she snapped. There were so many times I wanted to turn my eyes and let the girl go..."

"Tou... it's not your fault."

He let out a heavy breath. "You're wrong, Lin... We are all part of that child's suffering... Tu Lan was the only brave soul out of all of us for helping that child. We're all getting what we deserve right now... I guess this is good in a way... with Xi being the last of Admiral Gru's blood, the estate would've fallen eventually... There was no way Amara was taking over..." He turned and went to walk away. He stopped though, his eyes wide as he saw the giant man with a metal arm and metal leg. He shot his glance to the tattoo of an eye on the man's forehead. His skin turned pale. "Hey... I heard about you... you're that infamous assassin!" He jerked his spear from behind his back. Lin had backed behind him for protection. "What do you want?!"

The man stepped forward, jerking a scroll out of his shirt. He unrolled it in one hand to show the image of Amara drawn on the parchment. "This girl... which way did she go?"

Tou was stunned. The image was close enough in detail to reveal who the intended target was. "Why... why are you looking for her?"

The assassin did not answer.

Tou got the picture. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. That girl's been through enough."

The assassin scowled. He stepped forward and grabbed the man's spear. He jerked the shocked guard forward, and his metal hand moved to Tou's throat. Tou was horrified as he was gripped by a man known for murder.

The man spoke again in a harsh whisper. "She was here though... right?"

"Yeah... yes," Tou choked through the man's grip. "She left six hours ago."

"Which way?"

Tou shut his eyes in fear. "I... I saw her head south... but I'm sure she's long gone."

The assassin shoved him back, and Tou stumbled. Lin managed to help stabilize him. The assassin said nothing else. He turned and made his way back out of the burnt gate of the estate.