Page 35 of The Iron Highlander
Everyone else fawned over his every word, despite their family name. Either the women were attracted to him due to his estate,or were just simply taken by how good looking he was. Reuben always had his way, and the women always made it too easy for him. The Laird had no idea that he wanted that, but now that he had seen Kate, he knew that he needed someone like her. He needed her, and his only wish was that she would feel the same.
He shook his head as he walked towards the kitchen, wondering if he was right in the head. He had just considered making Kate his wife, again. He imagined his mother’s ring, and how it would look on her, and for a moment, his heart swelled with pride. He wanted her, and he would try. Reuben took in a breath and the smell of smoke reached his nostrils. He turned to the kitchen door and felt the heat radiating off the walls. For a moment, he considered that the servants were baking bread, or cooking something with a large flame. But the servants were gone, and the smell of smoke was a lot more than wood would release.
The Laird kicked the door open, and a tongue of fire shot out, almost catching him across the face. Reuben fell backwards, landing hard on his back and getting stunned by the impact. The air was knocked out of him, and he turned around to crawl away from the fire. The flames quickly moved through the corridors and began heading to other parts of the house, going through a window, and catching a curtain billowing in the wind on the higher floors of the house.
“Nooo!” Reuben yelled.
He turned and ran straight for the kitchen, jumping into the intense heat, looking to find water with which he would use to fight the flames. He rushed to the wooden drum which waterwas stored in and lifted the cover, throwing it to the side and sending embers up in the air. Facing him was an empty drum, with barely enough water for a drink. Reuben groaned as he realized that all of the servants had gone to get water. He coughed as the smoke began getting into his lungs, and just before he could leave, he noticed the back window in the kitchen had been broken off.
Reuben rushed out the kitchen, covering his nostrils as he ran, calling out to Hudson who he knew was somewhere in the house. He could see the fire creeping across the house, and given enough time, it would take the entire castle. Hudson jumped out a closet with two small buckets, tossing one to Rueben, and pointing to a small drum which had some water left in it.
“We need to cut the flames off. It started in the kitchen, we hold it here and stop it from spreading!” Reuben yelled to Hudson, realizing that a small breeze had started causing the fire to crackle loudly.
They got to work dousing the flames, taking out what they could and trying to stop the flames, but just as they got to the door of the kitchen, a pot of explosive oil which they used to start fires went off, after being heated in the intense pressure. The explosion shook the entire castle, sending flames going in all directions. Reuben and Hudson felt the shockwave and the intense heatwave that blew right past them, causing them to stumble backwards. Reuben looked at their drum and the buckets which they had and he realized the worst.
“We cannae win this fight, get everyone out of the castle, right now!” Reuben ordered and took off running.
He rushed to Kate’s room and banged against the door. Kate opened the door, hearing his voice. She stared at him with fear and confusion etched on her face. Reuben’s heart sank as he saw her, and realized what he was about to tell her. They were all in their nightwear’s, getting ready for bed.
“Kate, ye and yer sisters need to leave right now. There’s a fire, and it’s spreading. Ye need to leave the castle, head down to the pond by the garden outside. Ye’ll be safe there.”
“What?” Kate asked, in shock.
“Ye just have to trust me, go! Right now, all of ye! Hurry!” Reuben spoke loudly, drawing the attention of the others. They rushed out of the room and he followed them through the burning corridors. Just as they passed the outer foyer to the doors, the fire jumped over their heads, bouncing off the wooden beams on the roof. They ducked low and ran outside. Just as Willow jumped out, the wooden beams fell, blocking Lily from crossing out.
Reuben grabbed Lily, heaving her across his shoulders. He took a step back and rushed right through the flames, drawing a scream from the girls as they jumped through. Reuben landed on the other side of the flames, outside the house. He put her down and hugged her, trying to get her to calm down.
“Lily, it’s all right.” Reuben began, “We’re outside now.”
“Thank ye,” Lily replied turning to Kate and the others who were waiting outside.
Reuben turned back to the building to see the flames spreading. He spotted Hudson outside, running away from the castle and he gritted his teeth. He had to go back inside. Just before he could move, Kate grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“What are ye doing?” Kate asked, with disbelief in her eyes.
“I have to go back!” said Reuben, seeing the fear in Kate’s eyes. “My maither, she’s still in there.”
Kate opened her mouth to argue, but Reuben was not having any of it. He grabbed her face and kissed her quickly, before turning to her sisters, “All of you, to the pond. Right now!”
He turned around and ran straight into the blaze, rushing through the corridors he had just walked out from only minutes ago. The heat was unbearable, and the fire seemed to spread at an alarming rate. Rueben kicked in the door of his mother’s room, looking around. The smoke was thick, with the fires burning clothes and wood around.
“Maither!” Reuben yelled, struggling to see her through the smoke. He reached for the bed and pulled off the covers, scalding himself slightly from the heat. He realized that she was not in the room, and he turned to leave. Just as he got to the door, it fell inwards, burned off the hinges, and fell backwards nearly hitting him.
Reuben brushed off the burning embers that fell on his shirt and quickly jumped out the space in the door. He turned and headed straight for the great hall, where he had last seen his mother. She would usually sit there at night, staring at the sky while listening to the entire castle. He pushed the doors open and found her on the floor next to her seat, passed out from inhaling too much smoke. Reuben grabbed his mother, heaving her over his neck and turned back for the door. He moved slowly, carrying her carefully as he made it down the stairs.
He dodged the flames as he moved, keeping her arms as close to him as possible, and slowly, he managed to get out of the castle. As they popped out on the other side, he gently lowered her to the ground, placing her on her back as Kate and Hilda rushed up to them. Hilda took a look at Reuben.
“I’m fine, my maither!”
“She’s taken in a lot of smoke,” said Hilda.
“Can ye help her?” Reuben cried, staring at the woman.
“I’ll do my best.”
Reuben turned around to see the servants returning with the water, each of them running as fast as they could. Hudson had gone along to go call them to come back faster, and was carrying a bucket himself. They all lined up and got ready to fight the fire. With a few men manning the front lines, dousing the flames with bucket after bucket, trying to cut off the fire. It was tedious work, but they were able to stop the fire from spreading to the rest ofthe castle, and soon they began taking back the corridors and making their way to the kitchen.
“What are ye doing?” Reuben asked when he turned to see Kate beside him with a bucket.
