Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

30. Requiem

Astrid and the Sheriff follow Frank, but they can't keep up. Once he flies over the forest, they fall behind and lose sight of him. After that, they just try to go straight, until the gunfire gives them something else to follow. The shooting eventually stops and they are forced to go back to making a blind beeline through the forest.

The two eventually reach a large barbed-wire fence that stops them from continuing. Warning signs are pinned to it at certain intervals, and behind the fence, they see what looks like an abandoned airfield.

The elves follow the fence to a gate. Behind the barrier blocking access for cars, they see a small complex of buildings with the words 'High School' above the entrance. They leave their horses near the gate and sneak inside.

Even from a distance, Astrid can smell smoke and burned plastic, along with a weird, sweet scent that's similar to chlorine. Soulfire. 'Dad was here... but where is he now? And where are the soldiers?'

They sneak around the buildings under the cover of trees. Finally, they see the first signs of her father's presence. Trees whose crowns were clearly burned by soulfire. The smell of burned plastic is joined by the disgusting smell of burned meat.

Astrid's entire body starts tingling. The lack of guards means that her father has succeeded, and while part of her just wants to turn back, the stronger part wants to see what he has done.

They reach an area that must've once been a schoolyard. The trees that grew here are now no more than blackened silhouettes. The rubber ground has turned into a layer of ash. The twisted remains of the playground equipment remain, melted almost beyond recognition, and among the scorched debris lie half-burned corpses.

Anticipation turns to shock as her eyes wander over the gruesome scene. It almost looks as though the soulfire fused these people's clothes to their skin. While parts of their bodies are blackened, most of their skin is covered in swollen dark-red patches. The smell of burned plastic and tissue saturates the air, and over everything is that ever-present chlorinous smell. The intense stench makes Astrid start breathing short, shallow breaths through her mouth.

Aside from their footsteps, everything is quiet.

The Sheriff takes in the scene. She looks down at a corpse that is too small to be an adult, yet too big to be a kobold. The woman stares at the burned remains, then looks at Astrid. "Your father must be inside. If all of this made him tired, he might also be resting on the roof. At least that's what I would do."

Astrid looks down at the charred remains as they walk towards the school. One body in particular catches her eye. The teenage boy isn't much younger than she is. His hair is burned off and his eyes are scorched out. His hands are holding his face and his mouth is still open in a silent scream. What looks like it once was a blue jersey is now blackened and fused with burned skin. Astrid hopes his death was quick, but her rational side tells her it wasn't. She can't help but imagine herself in a cloud of that golden energy, clawing at her face and screaming as the deadly magic burns her alive. Only to breathe it in, allowing it to consume her from both the in- and outside.

She rips her eyes away from the corpse and follows the Sheriff.

They enter a classroom. The room itself is untouched, but as soon as they open the door, a stench hits them. The smell of burned meat is overwhelming. She gags and leans forward to vomit, but her stomach is unwilling to part with its contents.

The Sheriff watches her, her face contorted in a grimace. "Get a hold of yourself!" she hisses at Astrid.

The two leave the classroom and enter an equally unscathed hallway. Astrid can see a flight of stairs leading up at the end of it. The only thing that is charred is the carpet in front of another hallway. The two elves walk towards the stairs, and as they pass the T-section, Astrid can't help but look into the other hall. The corridor leads into a large room and she finally sees the source of the smell. The walls are scorched. The ground is covered in what used to be crates, supplies, and people. The remains of dozens litter the floor. All frozen in a position of agony. Astrid draws in a deep breath as she sees the destruction her father has wrought. She can taste the stinking air as it flows into her lungs. The dust and smells cause her to cough, which only allows more of it in. Even though her body is physically disgusted by the smell and sight, the horror turns into a morbid feeling of satisfaction. Her father killed these people for her, and seeing someone who wronged you punished tenfold is oddly comforting. Even though Astrid has no control over these feelings, they still scare her. She would think that the sight of so many people, dead by what might as well be her own hand, would leave her with some kind of sadness. A feeling of remorse. Yet, just like when she killed that woman, they do not. This apathy terrifies Astrid, especially because most of these people probably didn't even play a part in what the soldiers did. This last thought makes her mind pause. Grim satisfaction is replaced with sadness. Not the burning emotional agony one feels when a family member or close friend dies, but a distant, cold emotion. She regrets that these people had to die, probably for something they had no control over, but at the same time, she does not regret that they are dead. These blackened corpses are those of faceless strangers, some of whom terrorized them and probably would have continued terrorizing this region for decades to come. As her eyes move over a group of scorched figures, clinging to one another, she wonders if she would feel this way if she were still her old self. Would Astrid the human be this distant too, or would she break into tears for the innocents slaughtered here?