'Well this seems to be working, at least a bit', Rotemdol thinks to
himself. 'However fighting fire is dangerous, and people are bound to
get hurt'.
Rotemdol moves around on the upper stories trying to keep people out
of trouble and raise the morale. From this vantage point he sees one
team of men shifting timbers from the collapsed building out of reach
of the flames.
Across the street another team tackles a building on the other side,
already starting to burn, sledgehammers hammering into the masonry.
Then without warning, the entire building gives way, collapsing into
the street, burying at least three or four people in the rubble.
She smiles. "We got mutual friends -- at Mauve House, other cathouses,
places neither one of us wants torched. I've watched out for plenty
o'girls who put coin in Rataxe's pocket".
"Mauve 'ouse'll go unless we stop it", he says.
"Name's Zul. Yours?"
"Aldrand", he replies.
"You know how this started, anyway?" she asks.
"Started 'round Chadrad's tower", he replies. Lots'a rough people
live there; might've been accident, might've been revenge".
Few people are in the streets at this early hour, but the eyes of
those who are about are drawn to the column of smoke rising from the
anthill.
They reach the doors of the Karazthan; a black-uniformed Karazthani
stands outside, staring at the smoke.
--
Tim Hall, http://www.kalyr.com
"It's a fine line between stupid and clever"
- Spinal Tap
