"No point in taking unnecessary risk", Rotemdol tells to the roof fire
brigade, "All of you who are not great climbers go to the next roof
and get some water, maybe we will have better luck. On the way tell
the people to use some water on and in the houses that were not
burned. I don't think we can save anything that is burning".
"But we haven't got enough buckets!", protests one".
"We've got one or two, says the big shaven-headed man, "Do what the
man says"
Somebody clearly had the bright idea of attaching a rope to a bucket
full of water, to raise it to roof level. The big man heaves the rope
and hoists the big bucket up.
Meanwhile Zul wraps the woman's sprained ankle, then shanghais one of
her neighbours into helping the woman and her brood to the Temple of
Valarna. She then looks up to the rooftops and spots Rotemdol.
"Yo, Stretch!" she yells to Rotemdol, "This is getting way too big for
that. Your pal was right: We need the Mechanists and their gear. And
since you're the only kandar around, I nominate you to go get 'em.
They're more likely to listen to you than anyone else around here."
"The name is Rotemdol", Rotemdol replies, "and as to your suggestion I
am sure they have seen the fire, everyone in the city has. However,
they would be worried about getting out of here alive. Someone with
reputation, like the father of your boyfriend, will be needed to
assure them. You, as a local, sound like a likely candidate to find
that someone and persuade him to go".
"In my humble opinion", Rotemdol adds, "it is a wasted effort. By the
time they will get here it will be over one way or the other. What
about pitching-in?"
Zul screws up her face in exasperation. "Whatever. Watch out for those
drainpipes. Don't make 'em like they used to".
She heads back to the intersection where she saw Andar Telleen's
enforcer, Borkugg Jelland. On the way, she pauses to sling her nirvork
on her back -- where she can't get to it quickly, but no one will see
it unless she takes off her coat -- to smear soot on herself,
especially in her hair and on her face, and to give herself a tiny,
superficial cut on the side of her face that will bleed convincingly
without getting in her eyes.
"Boyfriend," she mutters to herself as she goes. "Pull that ballerina
nirvork crap on me, and I'll make you my boyfriend before you can
blink".
She starts looking for Jelland where she last saw him, but he's no
longer on the scene. Instead she asks a youth who she remembers been
a member of Telleen's gang.
"Gone t'get boss", the youth replies.
"Where?", Zul asks.
"D'know", the youth responds.
At that point she spots Andar Telleen himself striding towards the
scene.
After waiting politely for a few seconds Rotemdol goes back to
fighting the fire. He does not think that the Karazthan will make it
in time from the other side of the city if they decide to come at all.
He wonders as to why the people of the Ant Hill who always seemed to
him so self-reliant and energetic are not putting a stronger effort.
Seems to be a leadership problem. He considered the fact that it might
be a deliberate fire but he has no clue as to the motive. In any case
he has many friends here so he will do what little he can.
He crosses over to the next building, dislodging a loose piece of
guttering which tumbles down into the street below. He and his band
of helpers continue their attempts to delay the fire as long as they
can. Rotemdol figures that they may contain the fire or get lucky,
for example, with the wind changing. Fortunately there's not much of
a wind at all, at the moment.
Down below, he can see people removing personal possessions from
buildings in the path of the fire. Behind him, one of the burning
buildings collapses in on itself, showering the area with burning
embers. Furious attempts to stamp out the flames stop the spread, for
now.
It occurs to Rotemdol that the fire could be contained by demolishing
buildings in it's path to create a firebreak.
--
Tim Hall, http://www.kalyr.com
"It's a fine line between stupid and clever"
- Spinal Tap
