"The hell is going on… uh?" Jess asked, stepping toward the balcony doorway—only to have Lufe snatch her back into the bedroom as Merry slammed the door shut. Fiery arrow tips sizzled halfway through the wood.
Jess let out a shaky sigh. "That was close."
Bang!
A deafening blast. The fiery arrows exploded against the door. Splinters flew as the door burst into burning embers, the impact hurling Lufe, Merry, and Jess across the room.
They coughed, bile rising in their throats from the smoke. More explosions rocked the house; angry shouts echoed, especially from the backyard.
"We've got to find another way out," Lufe said, turning toward the bedroom's inner doorway. Smoke swirled around him, half choking his words.
"Why are they destroying the entire house?" Jess asked, eyes wide.
"As far as I can hear, there must be hundreds of them," Merry replied, voice tense. "But there were fewer than twenty just moments ago. When did they multiply?"
"I don't know." that was Lufe's simple reply. In fact, he, himself had many questions lacking answers.
"Perhaps," Merry continued, "they've been joined by…"
Before she could finish, a bandit barged in—crashing into the doorway. He glared at them for a moment, an ear to ear grin appeared on his face, his ore teeth glinting, then charged Merry.
Lufe reacted in a blur: he flung himself at the man's waist while Merry grabbed the club-bearing arm.
The bandit roared, wrenching to free himself, but Lufe and Merry held firm. Their combined strength—unnatural in its ferocity—pinned him in place, forcing his grip to falter.
"Grab something and hit him!" Lufe barked at Jess, who stood frozen.
The bandit's eyes widened in disbelief. He let go of the club, but it didn't fall; instead it hovered midair for a moment.
Lufe and Merry exchanged panicked glances. The hovering club, then shot towards Lufe. It slammed into him, staggering him backward. The bandit twisted free, snatching the club from the air.
"Fo xapa faes mjar*" (I'll teach you a lesson!) he bellowed, the club flying back into his hand.
*mjar is pronounced as mijaa
He stalked toward Lufe, each step thudding on warped floorboards.
Lufe backed up until his heels struck the wall. The man raised his club to strike—when suddenly, a section of the wall beside him burst outward, splintering in a spray of dust. Two thick vines shot through the hole, coiling around the bandit's legs and yanking him off balance.
The bandit scrambled, clutching at the fractured wall surround. He strained mightily, but the vines only tightened.
Without warning, a dark-reddish sabre whistled through the air, slashing the vines with a sharp shing. The bandit yelped and tumbled free.
The sabre flew back to its owner—just another bandit.
"Maija!" (Let's go) the sabre-wielder muttered, scooping up the blade.
The vine-catcher bandit shook his fists at the retreating sabre-man. "Mo valetiqi?" (How about them?) he snarled, gesturing at Lufe and the girls.
"Taabuco mo" (Forget about them) the sabre-man replied over his shoulder, then dashed down the hallway.
Realizing the urgency, the freed bandit sneered at Lufe—one last mocking glare—then vanished through the inner doorway, boots thundering away.
Lufe let out a deep sigh of relief, only to cough as choking smoke filled the room.
"The house is on fire—let's leave!" Merry muttered, hacking.
Lufe nodded, glancing at the inner door. "The bandits are leaving—let's head downstairs and check on Mom."
As they moved toward the staircase, thick vines burst through the floor and walls, writhing after them. They ducked and wove past the green serpents of root, nearly tripping over one that lashed at Jess's ankles.
Above them, the house groaned, timbers creaking and snapping. Flames licked past doorframes, turning walls to ash. A chandelier crashed from the ceiling, metal arms clanging as it fell through the next floor down.
They reached the top of the stairs. Below them, flames roared through the foyer, a red inferno lighting the air. Smoke curled upward, black and thick.
Merry slid down the rail, landing in a crouch on the scorched boards. Jess followed, clutching her arms. Lufe tested each step before placing his weight, carrying the extinguished extinguisher from earlier as a makeshift shield.
The staircase trembled; a section of railing collapsed underfoot, sending a cascade of embers down the steps. They stumbled but caught themselves.
Bursting onto the ground floor, they found it deserted. The furniture lay broken; the fireplace had collapsed, leaving a gaping hole where firewood once stacked. Shadows flickered across blackened walls.
Then, almost silently, the young man appeared at the foot of the stairs; his body remained bound by the hard earth sheath. Lufe and his sisters gasped and backed up subconsciously
Lufe's breath caught. "Where's our mother?" he demanded, voice raw.
The young man tilted his head, brows furrowed. "ao yeo weroqi*?" (What did you say?)
*qi is pronounced as chi in chick
Lufe winced—he had forgotten. English meant nothing to the young man. He switched to the strange tongue, dictating the last word syllable by syllable. "A... ao... Aoca ipa... tu-fa-si-qi?" (where's mother?)
The young man's eyes darkened. "Moj tsaopa tapid" (They took her.)
At the moment, they all glanced outside. In the distance, the remaining bandits were flying away on dark translucent-winged mounts. The creatures resembled aphids in appearance but as big as a young elephant. Flapping of their wings made a loud chirping noise.
The noise of a crowd could still be heard from outside. The shouting rose in a heated roar. A clear sign that these people— attacking the house were not related to the bandits.
Lufe's eyes moistened as he watched the bandits dissapear into the horizon. They left with Selena—his mother—their mother.
Merry's voice shook. "Mom!" she cupped his mouth. "Mom!"
Jess whimpered, "What will happen to Mom?"
Lufe ignored her, avoiding making false promises like "she'll be alright." He couldn't promise safety when none existed. Instead, he faced the young man. A flicker of anger glinted in his amber eyes.
"si aoci kujici?" (Why not you?) he spat, startling even himself with his fluency—he improved so fast.
The young man's expression was sorrowful. "Tsaopa foxireb." (I disappeared.) He looked away. "Vi moj tsaopa si tsleg fo tsaopa so texoba la." (so they didn't notice I was still here.)
An ember burst through the ceiling, and embers rained around them. Smoke stung their lungs. The young man barked, "Ma sui rim zat del ji baen, siok xapa maixala" (We have to leave the house as soon as possible otherwise we are going to die!)
Lufe coughed but nodded. "Ao… so yav" (You… are right.)
The young man straightened. "Daia fo!" (Free me!) he shouted, voice strained.
Lufe strode to him, hands clenched. "Fo adri, ao becie ao so kuji mala ipa so asem" (I hope you realize, you are the reason our mother was abducted.)
The young man's face fell. "tsaopa so sducii. Fo thiv tsaopa balu... " (It was unintentional. I just happened to…)
"Si(No)," Lufe interjected, stepping closer. "ao tsaopa gavet mo kuro la." (you led them straight here.)
They glared at each other, tension crackling between them. Then the young man's shoulders slumped. His voice softened. "Fo... thiv yem kov" (I… just wanted to hide)
Regret clouded his features. "Phefar, zis ao qion fo... Fo xasa qion aoi. Besides, if you help me… I'll help you too."
Vateliqi?" (How?) Lufe muttered and covered his mouth. The situation had worsen.
"I'll help you get away from those people out there... Start with the arms." Lufe had already began destroying the dry earth sheath by hitting it with a length of broken floorboard.
He started with the bottom but when he heard the young man he complied. He chipped at the dry earth sheath that encased the forearms. Piece by piece, the powder fell away.