She heard Oskar shouting for more buckets of water, heard the tramp of booted feet as more helpers arrived, but she barely looked up from her work.
It was happening again.The screech of tires. The blare of a siren. The beep beep beep of a ventilator. No! She would not lose anyone this time!
Time passed. She patched up a gash on a young girl’s forehead, soothing her with gentle words and a reassuring smile. She helped drag a man out from beneath the wreckage of his stall, checked his pulse, then wrapped his torn scalp in a makeshift bandage.
She was kneeling down bandaging a young lad’s torn knee when a hand settled on her shoulder. She looked up to see Oskar standing over her. His face and clothes were streaked with sweat and dirt, his eyes a startling blue against the soot.
“It’s done, lass,” he said in a voice hoarse from shouting commands. “The fire is out. Come away now.”
“Not yet,” she replied. “I have to help these people.”I have to save them. I have to!
“It’s all right, lass,” he said softly. “Look.”
Lily blinked and looked around. The flames that had threatened to devour the entire market were now nothing but smoldering embers, wisps of smoke rising into the night sky. Many of the stalls had burned through though, their hulks nothing more than blackened timbers.
Night?she thought dimly.How long have we been here?
The bailiff had arrived and his town guard had formed a perimeter to keep the curious onlookers at bay and to ensure that order was maintained amidst the chaos.
“Come on, lass,” Oskar said. “There’s naught more we can do here.”
He held out his hand and she allowed him to pull her to her feet, but as she stood, a searing pain erupted down her back. She cried out and collapsed onto her hands and knees. The pain was relentless, a fiery serpent coiled around her spine that threatened to send her tumbling into unconsciousness.
Oskar gently lifted Lily into his arms, cradling her close against his chest. She winced at the sudden movement but nestled instinctively into his embrace.
With steady strides, Oskar made his way through the remnants of the market, past charred stalls and scattered debris. The night air was crisp against Lily’s skin, a stark contrast to the heat and chaos they had just left behind. Finally, she spotted Oskar’s townhouse looming in the distance, its windows glowing brightly in the darkness.
Once inside, Oskar carried her upstairs and laid her down on the bed. Kneeling by the fireplace, he poked the embers until they crackled into flame. She winced as she tried to find a comfortable position, the pain still gnawing at her like a persistent beast.
“Rest here while I fetch something for the pain.”
He went out the door. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. All that chaos. All that destruction, just so that Alfred Brewer could get away? What kind of man would do such a thing? For the first time, she began to truly glimpse what Oskar was fighting against.
All those people, she thought.Injured because of you. Because you chased Alfred Brewer. You did it again!
Memories crowded in on her.The screech of tires. The blare of sirens.
Oskar returned with two pottery mugs and handed one to Lily. Whisky. She downed it in one and then held out her cup for a refill. She downed that too. Oskar said nothing. He sipped his own whisky and sat down in the chair by the fire.
He’d taken off his filthy shirt and began wiping the worst of the sweat and soot from his muscled arms, shoulders and chest with a damp cloth. He looked exhausted, his fiery hair clinging to his sweaty neck and his eyes dull with fatigue.
“Ye did well today,” he said quietly. “Ye saved many.”
Lily clenched her hands around her cup. “But I couldn’t save them all.”
He sighed heavily. “Nay, lass,” he agreed. “Ye can never save them all.” There was a weariness to his tone as though he spoke from experience.
They sat in silence for a while. Lily stared into space, the images of the day replaying in her mind like a cruel film. She couldn’t shake the feeling of failure, of not being able to prevent all the pain that had unfolded before her eyes.
“What is it lass?” Oskar asked softly.
She looked at him. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Dinna do that,” he snapped.
“Do what?”
“That. Push me away. Tell me everything is well when it clearly isnae. I thought we’d gotten past that.”
