Miradey

Blaze of Fangs

Charlotte Ironhart stared through stone arches that once looked into a flourishing garden.

Now a thinning web of enchantments was all that held at bay a wall of swelling flames and roiling plumes of black smoke. The temperature spiked higher and higher by the minute. At this rate, she and her poor maid would be cooked alive before she decided—fight or fly.

In truth, there was no decision. Like a rock, she continued to sit there in her high back armchair, seeing her garden instead of the fire's destruction, because she only had precious moments to make herself accept the truth.

Ironhart was done. After nine generations of name-making, glory, and riches, the manor she had inherited was soon to be little more than ash and ruins. There wasn't any saving it this time. Beastly growls rumbled underneath the fires crackling and the creaking of the manor's structure beginning to give way.

Two things remained—the burning flames, ever alight, and those toothy things roaring in the shadows.

Standing behind the wingback chair, her maid in Ironhart livery waited dutifully. As taught, she stood still and silent and awaited instruction. Charlotte would have been satisfied if the girl's hands weren't trembling to a shaking clasped at her waist.

"Ma'am should you not put out the fires now? Like you always do."

Minnie's big brown eyes darting about anxiously. Sweat trickled down her temple from her thick hair that was gathered in a tight, unyielding bun and smoothed down in a severe paste so not a single nappy curl escaped.

"Tis awful hot in here, ma'am. The upstairs is afire now too," Minnie added the obvious.

At first, Charlotte said nothing. She stared into wall of the flames. Flames that would devour her at the first opportunity.

"Tell the other servants to ready the underground passage," she said at last, rather absently. She could feel herself beginning to sweat herself and stick to the armchair, even with the collier's magic at full strength. Her fine ivory grown overlaid in bold black lace was growing damp, cumbersome even, while seated. A lock of white, black-threaded hair from her elegant coiffure slipped down her forehead.

"E-everyone is gone, ma'am. They departed some time ago."

Oh. Of course. Weeks ago? Or was it months? It was like she had known but only remembered now that she was told.

Charlotte stood, the glowing necklace in her hand clacked. Mermaid's tear, leviathan scales, and oddly hued teal and sage-colored pearls shone brightly, humming and trembling against her fingers and palm.

"Come. We are leaving," she announced.

"But m-ma'am, t-the manor—" Minnie stammered.

"Come."

The maid girl stumbled after her.

The fall of her gown whispered across the floor as she swept the immaculate if darkened and smoky stone corridors until she a long stretch of wall covered in an old tapestry.

The fire started spreading from the garden behind them.

The old threads of the tapestry depicted a wizard heroically slaying a spiky dragon whose horns and spines were sharp spikes of metal. Charlotte ran the tip down the center of the weave. The tapestry billowed though there was no wind and parted, revealing a dark, rough hewn tunnel.

Coughing, Charlotte placed her robe sleeve to her face. Rolling plumes of black smoke constituted the darkness. Deep inside, the long corridor was on fire. Feeling heat at her back, with no other options, Charlotte held the collier aloft and walked into the dark.

Smoke and flames parted in a swooshing waft of cooling air as she and Minnie, following closely on her skirts, descended the stone stairs. Further inside, the tunnel was a line of arches and columns. The banished, banked flames licked and burned in the rocky cavern on either side of their path, revealing scorched, rough mountain walls.

In the firelight, long shadows stretched across the floors, broken by the columns. Eyes and rows of teeth glinted in the bright blaze.

Minnie whimpered. The girl had been scared witless for a fortnight. Vexing but understandable. No one left at Ironhart Manor had pretended all was well for long and simply carried on. It was why there was no one left now but the two of them.

At the end of the path lined in arches was a narrow gap of a passage, all but a crack in the mountain cavern's wall. Entering quickly, Charlotte noted that it was wide enough for them to walk through and not scrape their elbows as long as they hurried but didn't move about too wildly. A faint light shown into the fissure on the other side. Moon glow? Dawn's first light? Charlotte didn't care. She walked towards it as swiftly as she was able, wincing as the rocky walls caught her gown. The corridor in the rock was uneven, haphazardly made. The ceiling uncertain, bumpy, sometimes low enough she had to stoop or that it scraped her head. At other times high enough for her to stand.

Moments later, they came to the exit. The jagged opening was carved in heavy runes.

"Ma'am," squeaked Minnie, her voice tight and hoarse from the smoke.

"What is it, Minnie?" Charlotte snapped. Their escape was nigh and the girl couldn't hold it together long enough to walk outside into it.

"I can't move, ma'am. Please..." She was standing there, frozen in place. Back stiff, hands curled into claws at her sides. Wide terrified eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, well," sniffed Charlotte. Placing the necklace down her arm at her elbow, Charlotte pulled a pin from her hair and pricked her finger. A bead of blood welled into her white fingertip. She touched the nearest rune with the bleeding digit.

A gleam passed over the exit and the runes engraved there glowed. Minnie's rigid body loosened and she sobbed a breath. She followed Charlotte hastily, clutching at her heart.

Rushing outside, Charlotte breathed blessed clean, open air on the mountainside. She took a moment before turning and touching the runes again. With a gleam, the cavern sealed itself. The entire manor sealed itself. For good and forever. Trapping those cursed things inside.

It was night Charlotte had seen at the end of the passage. The light of a waning moon.

In her hand, the necklace screeched and rang. It then promptly shattered in her hand, its magic and essence gone. Now so much dead rubble on the ground at her feet.

"Where will we go, ma'am?" Minnie said, voice breathy. She stared up at the sky, the stars reflected in her dark eyes.

Turning her nose up and smoothing her hair, Charlotte started down the unpaved mountain path.

"Into town, of course."