Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

27. Pyre

Tom and his crew finish modifying the trailer in the early hours of the morning, and with Fynn's help they hook it up to the tractor.

Astrid sits with her legs dangling out of the door at the side of the barn. She watches the others load everything, and feels terrible every single second of it. Being very focused might seem like a good thing, but right now Astrid despises it. Her mind is as sharp as a razor, allowing her to perfectly experience every feeling of hunger and boredom. She would think that having only a few hours of sleep and only vegetables to eat would leave her exhausted, just like yesterday, but today the exact opposite is the case.

When the others are finally done loading, baskets of fruits and other food take up the back of the modified hay trailer, while the sides are lined with barrels of water and sacks of grain.

They all meet next to the flatbed trailer and Fynn says that he wants to be there when they torch his home. Astrid and Elijah will stay as well. To Kilian's dismay, he has to leave with the others. As a giant, he's too big to ride a horse and too slow to keep up with one on foot.

Astrid's mother wanted to stay too, but the Sheriff promised her that she and Noah would oversee the fire, and convinced her to go with the others.

With gasoline-filled watering cans at the ready, they meet at the center of the farm, while the tractor disappears inside the forest.

Fynn takes a deep breath. His eyes wander over the buildings, taking in every detail. "All right. Sheriff, you go light up the barn. Astrid, help me set fire to the house. Noah and Elijah, stay here and make sure no one sneaks up on us."

Astrid follows him into his house and up the stairs. First, they enter his father's office.

Fynn looks around at the piles of paper and cabinets. He still remembers when his father would do the farm's paperwork during winter and he would come bursting in, demanding he play with him. The young man swallows the tears welling up inside of him, takes a deep breath, and starts pouring gasoline over the floor and furniture. The sweet smell of gas quickly fills the room.

"No one really knows how much paperwork goes into owning a farm. Tax sheets, contracts, bills, and forms. Dad had to file and plan so many things. Now all these documents will be little more than fuel," Fynn says as he pours gasoline over a filing cabinet. "Astrid, could you open the windows? The fire will need to breathe."

Fynn takes one final look around the office, then they move on. While Astrid opens the skylights, Fynn pours gas over the guest bed. The bed his mother was tied to. Next is his sister's old bedroom. The room is still filled with toys from days long past. Resting on her table with a few of her books is her tablet. Fynn chuckles.

"What is it?" Astrid asks.

"My sister left her tablet. She left it here the day before the fog."

Astrid says, "You have a sister? You never mentioned her before."

"You never asked," Fynn replies, then starts pouring gasoline over everything.

They quickly move on to his room. This time, Fynn takes a bit longer. He walks through the room, brushing a hand over the furniture, then starts pouring gasoline over everything. "This is way tidier than my apartment," he says.

"Your apartment?" Astrid asks as she opens the windows.

"I didn't actually live here anymore. Why do you think I only have one pack of ammunition with me? The safe with my other guns and all of my ammunition is in my apartment. I actually live in Fridrichsport with my sister. Or rather, she lived with me."

"Lived?" Astrid asks.

Fynn frowns, then snorts. "All the small towns around here are drowning in magical death fog. What do you think it looks like in the big cities? Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. A few of her friends wanted to go to a party that day when the fog came. She was most likely at a club when the lights went out." He brushes his hand over his old table, then pours gasoline over it.