Pounding Heart

5 : A Castle of Flames

     The birds chirped outside and sunlight leaked through my window. I blinked and sat up in my bed of hay, yawning.

     "Zepth!"

I squinted in my room and wobbled over to the door, pushing the wood open, and looking into the hallway.

The fairies were flying down the stretch, flooding the path in panicked frenzy.

"Zepth!" The voice cried again. Deltul was further up the hall. I pushed through the fairies towards him. His eyes were wide and scared.

"What's wrong?" I asked over the cries of fear.

"I don't know! I can't find mom!"

"C'mon, maybe she is already outside-"

A massive explosion ripped through the air and caused everyone to scream. The castle was on fire, broken beams were falling onto the fairies.

"Get outside!" I ordered my brother. He nodded, with terror flooding his expression. "Help the fairies along the way! I'll go find mom!"

I pushed further past the fairies. They were starting to thin out. Nota was keeping up the rear, helping any fairies who tripped along the way. I think the last of them ran down the hall and got outside with my brother.

"Mom!" I cried, coughing on the smoke. I stumbled forward in the rising heat, and rammed her chamber door open.

She was laying unconscious on the floor. The smoke must've started near her.

I shouted at myself to use every ounce of my strength to lift her, but I quickly crumpled under her weight. The smoke was building up so much, my mind was becoming fuzzy. My throat screamed for fresh air and my lungs felt clogged.

Suddenly, some of the weight was lifted. I looked up through the grey air.

Zahkrii was helping me lift her. I quickly came to my shaking feet and assisted. We carried her out through the burning doorways and got outside. I fell to the floor, consumed by a deep and dreamless sleep.