Terry Goodkind - Siege of Stone

The city of Ildakar continued to burn, even though the violent revolt had run its course. Riled up by the rebel leader Mirrormask, the citys downtrodden had torn apart the prosperous neighborhoods. Arena warriors, tradesmen, and gifted nobles battled one another with every weapon and resource at their disposal.

As Nicci worked alongside Nathan Rahl to quell the worst of the destruction, she knew the unrest was far from over, but Ildakars woes were no longer her problem to solve. Nicci had helped bring freedom to the oppressed city, and now these people would have to rebuild their own societynobles and slaves, gifted wizards and everyday laborers. In order for a city to function, all the parts need to work together.

Back in the DHaran Empire, Richard was likely facing the same turmoil, but on a grander scale. It was Niccis job to spread Lord Rahls message of freedom to the entire Old World, not just one city, and she and her companions were anxious to move on to other destinations.

In the last hours of the exhausting night, though, Ildakar remained her priority. She shouted orders, calling the people together to fight a fire that roared out of control in a silk merchants warehouse. Flames licked up the wooden walls and shattered the window glass, then spilled out of the upper windows. Ildakar was famed for fine silks, created by gifted craftsmen in the spinners guild. Now hundreds of bolts of valuable cloth went up in flames, sending a sour smell of smoke into the air.

We have to get this fire under control before it spreads to other buildings. Nicci swept her piercing blue gaze across the bedraggled crowd, assessing them as fighters, as helpers. Many of them wore clothes spattered with blood and grimy with soot, while others looked battered and disheveled from fighting one another or trying to put out the scattered fires. This is not a time to choose who benefits most.

Rendell, one of the older house slaves who had joined Mirrormasks revolt, rallied several of his comrades. We destroyed the water basins so Sovrena Thora couldnt spy on us, but we can still use the water from the aqueducts. He ran to a nearby wall where a public fountain had been smashed. Together, he and several companions used metal bars to break the cap that blocked the fountain pipe, and a silvery ribbon of liquid sluiced out. Buckets! We need buckets!

From nearby shops and homes, people emerged with pails and tubs. Together they collected the spraying water and rushed to throw it on the fire in the silk warehouse.

The cavernous building had become a blazing furnace. Flames erupted through a hole in the tile roof, and sparks shot through the air like night wisps. Dawn would arrive in an hour or two, but for now, the orange glow of burning lit the sky.

Flaming tatters of silk wafted through the air toward the nearby rooftops. Nicci summoned her gift and created a river of wind that drove the sparks away from nearby roofs before they could catch fire. The embers swept higher, twirling like orange stars against the deep darkness, until they extinguished themselves.

The wizard Nathan stood beside her, his long white hair tangled from the nights struggles. He showed no lack of confidence, and he smiled as he took a step forward. Now that I have my gift back, Sorceress, its time to get a little more practice with magic.

So long stripped of his gift, Nathan reveled in having his abilities back. That was one reward he had received from the wizards of Ildakar, though the fleshmancer had been forced to rip out Nathans heart and give him a new one from the dying Chief Handler Ivan. A horrific process, but that had cured his problem at last.

As Rendell and his companions continued their bucket brigade, pouring water on the flames at the street level, Nathan blasted open a second fountain at a nearby intersection so that more water gushed into the streets. He called upon the flow, tugging the stream like a liquid whip, looping it in the air. The manipulated water rose above the warehouse roof, then struck down like a viper. The column of water poured through the open roof and onto the roaring flames. Nathan pulled more water from the aqueducts to continue the deluge. With a whistling hiss, a mist of steam sprayed out, overwhelming the black smoke. The flames began to sputter and withdraw from the warehouse windows.