Ashes to Ashes

Scene 6

Farin had, in only ten minutes, escaped the town and was about one third of the way through the treacherous waters surrounding it. He swore he could hear a deep rumble in the back of his head, words flowing from Smaug's mouth straight into his skull. He told himself it was just him going crazy from the terrors he had seen and would continue to see. He didn't want to think about hearing the fore drake, even from this far away. He had enough to deal with.

His littlest sister, Tira, had ceased her sobbing shortly after they had reached open water, instead clinging to the middle child, a silently shaking lump of clothing. Farin was glad she had ceased making so much noise, it made it easier to concentrate on keeping their boat from running into anything. There happened to be quite the assortment of obstacles in their way, not even counting the heavy mist that fell over the water every night and some days. He had no way to tell time save his internal clock, which, unbeknownst to him, moved slower than the sun actually moved.

Farin continued to row them for a few more minutes, before his younger sister, Aiela started to insist that she take over for a little. He wanted to refuse, to turn away the offer, but the words refused to leave his cracked lips. He could only manage a nod and the switch of the two, so that he was the one cradling Tira, and Aiela was rowing as fast as she could, twisting and turning through the water with just as much skill as Farin. They had never had a good relationship, always bickering over the most tiny things, but in that moment they were in unison. They switched off regularly, quickly slowing to a more steady pace, no longer fleeing the dragon fire as much as racing toward the shore. But the shore would await for them, and they took that to heart, going as fast as they felt able, but not enough to strain their muscles.

It felt to Farin as if forever had passed behind them, time stretching into a visible thread on the edge of his vision. Maybe if he reached far enough he could touch it and tug on the line that held together the universe. Maybe everything would fall away and he would be left with nothing but whispers in his ears and his own thoughts turning him to madness. He looked down at Tira and fancied he could see through her, down, down, down into the dark lake under them. Maybe things with unspeakable names were staring right back at him.

Farin was literally shaken out of -- whatever that was -- by Aiela pushing his shoulder, silent as a sentinel standing watch. It was time for him to man the oars again. By this time Farin could see the light of the sun peeking through the mist giving him just enough light that he could actually see the stones jutting up out of water around him, instead of just relying on his spotty memory to keep them from sinking. He slipped past Aiela, grabbing hold of the two oars, starting to push and pull them through the dark water, slinking toward the shore. The rising sun was burning away the mist helping them to slowly pick up their pace.

At last, Farin looked up, eyelids drooping, to see the shore only a short distance from them. The sight jerked his eyes open, and his hands flew with renewed vigor. He was determined to not waste any more time in that wretched boat than he had to. He knew he would never want to step into a boat or into water again in his life after this. In fact, He felt as if he would never quit being seasick. He had hoped that he wouldn't feel queasy, just this once, but luck was not on his side. Not now, not ever, he guessed. He looked back toward the fast approaching shore, the sun behind him offering him painless light to see by.

The shore had people all along it, rushing to and fro, some grabbing people from the water at the shoreline, dragging them up onto the sand, others collecting all they could scavenge, building beds, and putting splints on broken legs or arms. It seemed that everyone who could stand on their own two feet without too much pain was helping in any way they knew how, save the young children and the oldest men and women, who were keeping an eyes on the children and the wounded.

Farin pushed his aching muscles the last short distance to the shore, almost weeping as the bottom of the boat hit the sand. He jumped out and pulled he boat further upshore, before helping Aiela lift a sleeping Tira out of the boat, putting her on his waist before helping Aiela out with his free hand. Once all three of them were safely on solid ground he just stood there, looking around. There were too few people. He could not see Breko, his mother, and many other people he had known. He remembered the screams that had chased them to the shore. How many had been overtaken by the dragon fire? He didn't want to know.

Even among the living, there were sights that sickened him to very core. Men and women with burns along their arms, their heads, skin red and blistered, the hair burnt right off. Children coughing, wheezing, trying to get the cursed smoke out of their lungs. Women comforting people with broken bones and torn skin. In fact, no one was unscathed. Even the few that were not exactly hurt, parts of their clothing were burnt to a crisp, the skin underneath tender and raw.

Farin looked away, sick to his stomach, forcing his attention to Aiela and Tira. Now that there was light from the quickly rising sun, and they were not pressed for time, he was able to clearly see his sisters. They both looked unhurt, but he couldn't tell just by looking at them. He looked at Aiela, adjusting Tira, who was still fast asleep in his arms, resting on his right hip.

"How do you feel?" He asked. His throat was raw and scratchy, talking sending a sharp twinge through his throat. His voice was weak and hoarse, but he had a feeling most people's throats would be rough for a while as well.

"Better than some." Aiela replied, wincing as she spoke. Farin had been right, he was not the only one whose throat had been affected by the smoke. "I think my hands are the worst off, and maybe my throat as well."

"And I as well." Farin said, looking down at Tira. "I doubt anyone was unaffected." He put words to the thought that had been crawling through both of their heads. Without another word, he and Aiela walked farther offshore, stopping only once the sand turned to dirt and grass. Farin gently set Tira down, waking her up. Once they both got her to open her eyes, she immediately started to sniffle. Aiela brought her arms around Tira, soothing her as Farin check to see if she was injured. Her skin was raw where her skin met her clothing. The rough cloth of her warmer clothes must have chafed terribly. Her hands were red as well, but mostly from the cold of being on the water in the middle of the night, as the redness was quickly receding.

Farin sat next to Aiela, his arms around her and Tira. His sisters were safe, and that was what mattered.