The fastest riders of the Crimson Army weren't enough to keep a head start on the fire.
By the time Chen Lili reached the remains of the Loqui after a day of non-stop riding, the fire was clear on the horizon, and the sky had remained dark the entire day from the growing smoke.
The Loqui would have struck her down on sight if they hadn't already seen the flames and started their preparations to flee.
Despite the danger, the idea of running to the Camelia took a moment of adjustment, but it was only a moment with such obvious danger and no other choice.
They'd send sparrows to the farthest tribes, but some of the birds just wouldn't be able to reach their destinations, brought down by the poisonous air or their own survival instincts.
There was no telling how many tribal camps had already burned by the time night fell, and there were at least a dozen villages on the eastern side of the borderlands that were beyond saving, which meant hundreds of thousands had died in less than a day.
Eirian, Chenzhou, and Mingzhe stayed in the rear the entire day, watching the fire steadily crawl closer, not slowed or distracted by anything. It jumped a leg of the Blue River around noon, with all three of them and several tribesmen watching as it stalled, fruitlessly hoping the river that provided life to the borderlands would be enough.
It wasn't.
The fire shifted, gathered, and then arced over the widest part of the river, as if to make a point, and struck the grass on the other side like lightning.
And just like that, it kept on going.
Eirian had said some very inappropriate things as she heard Chenzhou and Mingzhe back, but no one seemed to disagree. The fire is just infuriating at this point because they're powerless to stop it, and can't even slow it down. A sparrow from Eric confirmed they can already see the smoke from Aontacht and that panicked crowds from the settlements along the eastern shore of the Still Water have already started to arrive. The capital could only accommodate so many, so Eric had been trying to shift them through to those on the western shore, but the idea of a great fire has many unwilling to leave the safety of the lake. Even if it means putting too much stress on the city's limited resources.
Song and Snow's plan is already working to bring down Sorrow. They might succeed even if there's some miracle that stops the fire from consuming the entirety of the Rock.
There was a massive caravan of people headed towards the Camelia now, slowed by exhaustion and bad air. More than the Camelia would be able to hold, but hopefully the gorges and mountains around the estate would be able to. There was so much water in them that the fire would struggle, at least in the area immediately around the estate. The rest of the mountains were covered in all green trees that would burn for hours and release a thick black smoke scented like the forest.
The tribes kept praying for rain. It was almost that time of year, but the heat remained oppressive and the sky dry. The last summer heat wave.
Song and Snow had definitely planned this well, Eirian mused. Had probably been planning this for years, watching and recording the weather, tracking the movements of the tribes and the Camelia in response. Going through historical records and trying to figure out when the hottest years would be. Song and Snow had wanted the borderlands for a long time, and apparently, they didn't care at all about the condition they were in when they took them.
Yuze had been sent ahead with the other wounded, still asleep. Chenhzou was still hoping he wouldn't wake up to a world burned beyond recognition, but it was unlikely.
"We need to speed up." Kai Low snapped, urging a few traders to pick up the pace since they'd refused to leave their wagons of goods behind at the last village. They were a few seconds away from losing their wagons by force if the anger in Kai Low's eyes was any indication.
Beng Shai's sister, Beng Shen, as she'd finally introduced herself during the flight, was carrying two small children and their pet kitten, separated from their parents in the panic from the same village. "I'm going to ride ahead and see if I can find them." She said and didn't bother waiting for a response before she did so. She was the de facto leader of the Bandri, now they'd realized and didn't seem pleased about it, but she was even less pleased about the betrayal from Song and Snow and had promised a legacy of bloody revenge that had left Chenzhou and Mingzhe wide-eyed.
Eirian liked her.
To no one's surprise.
Eirian turned back again, unable to stop looking at the fire even as she fell further behind the caravan.
She kept catching glimpses of Death from the corner of her eye, always amid the crowd, but he never approached her, never spoke. It was driving her mad that he wouldn't just tell her what he wanted.
Or why he was here.
Was he just here because of the fire? He was Death after all, and he was going to get a lot of new occupants for his world in the next few days.
It must have made him happy, but it made Eirian furious.
And guilty in a strange way.
~ tbc