Hell's Bane (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty: A Candle and a Fire

"Something's not right," Joss said as they were nearly halfway down. The other glanced at him.

Susan shrugged. "I don't think anything's wrong. Looks fine to me."

Joss frowned. "You don't think that the Scavenger would've tried to do something by now?"

Susan looked at the hermit as if he was going crazy. "We're on a secluded island, Joss. I mean, I'll bet you the Scavenger was vying to trap us here, but face it – they have no way of getting on." The spy turned to speak to Katilyn. "Am I right?"

Katilyn, startled by the question, managed to answer: "Er... yes. We only have two rowboats – one which is still kept safe in the tower, and one which you brought to the island. You could bring a rowboat of your own, hypothetically, but I can't imagine anyone who would be that desperate."

Susan rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised."

Katilyn nodded sympathetically. "I can only imagine what all of you have been through. Besides, even if they were to make it onto the island, we would spot them quickly beforehand." Katilyn gestured to all the windows in the tower, also mimicking the spiral position that the stairs were in. "We can see the entire island from here – you just have to know the right place. It's as if we were prepared for a war." With a touch of grief and morbid amusement, Katilyn added: "I suppose Rowan was, in a way."

After that, the explorer began looking intently at every window they passed, as if hordes of Scavenger were hidden in the trees below, just out of sight.

"Do you still think something's wrong?" Susan asked, with a slight tinge of sarcasm in her voice. Joss nodded.

"I can't explain it. But there's... there's some kind of imbalance on this island. Like some unnatural – supernatural – thing that's arrived." The hermit rolled his eyes. "I sound like some superstitious ninny, don't I? Because let me be honest – I'm not one to believe crystal balls and full moons. Living in the jungle for decades gives you a good sense of intuition. I know something's wrong when I feel it."

Susan bit her lip, contemplating how to respond when she suddenly asked: "Do you smell smoke?"

The explorers sniffed the air one after another. The smell of smoke was faint at first, but then it grew stronger, until wisps of it were visible, coming from the base of the tower.

"Yup, there's smoke," Joss said, seeming absurdly nonchalant as he looked down below. "Where there's smoke there's fire, am I right?"

Katilyn frowned and suddenly began to sputter after a few moments as she realized what Joss had said, finally choking out: "Where there's smoke there's fire? Then why... why aren't we running?"

Joss coughed and then said: "This tower is made of stone, Katilyn. And last time I checked, stone can't be set on-"

On the other side of the wall, a massive banner set on fire, torching the wooden beam that supported it, causing the beam to smash to the ground. Without further argument, they ran, not even bothering to think. Debris fell, worsening with every minute. Lanterns lost their grip on the wall, fire spewing around it, and eventually, the tower foundation itself began to crumble, slabs of stone raining down upon them in fiery glory. As they finally reached the bottom, Katilyn appeared horrified to see it all burning – the fur carpets, the wooden tables... but that moment of petrified shock was broken when the chandelier that once hung high in the ceiling plummeted to the ground, causing it to shatter into a million crystalline pieces.

They barely made it outside, covered in soot and several burns. Behind them, the Chandler Tower began to tremble, stone toppling from the sky, and as they continued to run, they could only hear the sound of it finally giving in and collapsing with a deafening roar.

"Where are we going?!" Hugo yelled over the noise. Katilyn yelled back:

"To the rowboat! What do you think?"

"But the Scavenger... right, the other rowboat, I forgot. Lead the way!"

Behind them, grass was set aflame, smoke rising into the heavens. It pursued them, hungry to devour, and they could only run for their lives, hoping for the best. All that Hugo knew was that they were reaching the bay of the island when they were suddenly greeted by a mass of trees, almost as if it were deliberately positioned there as a tactic in the battlefield to use them as a cover while shooting down soldiers before they could reach the land.

Over the fray, Katilyn yelled, almost tripping over her robes: "These things... were not made... for running!"

Hugo looked around, suddenly saddened as he realized what Chandler Island was, and what it would soon become. The finely-trimmed grasses and sweet air would become charred ground and burning smoke. The blue skies and the grand tower that once shone in glory would become a grey fog and a mountain of rubble. The explorer shook his head. This was what the Scavenger was capable of doing.

They managed to navigate through the maze of trees, where, on the other side, a rowboat was tied to another pier. They climbed on, one by one, and hesitant and eager at the same time to leave the island, they rowed away.