Page 69 of The King's Weapon

Kallie took a deep breath and counted to ten as the vision consumed her.

* * *

Esmeray woke up.Her gaze sprinted across the room and fell onto the man who slept next to her, his dark chestnut hair spilling across his face and onto the pillow. She crawled to her husband and shook him.

Still, he didn't move.

Markos had always been a heavy sleeper though. It had been a running joke that when their children entered their rebellious stages and began sneaking out of the house—like they had done so often when they were young ages ago—it would be herjob to catch them. But now—now, it was no longer a laughing matter.

"Markos! Wake up," Esmeray shouted, shaking him again, more violently this time.

Nothing. He didn’t stir and the panic began to settle within her asthick black smoke crept across the bedroom floor.

Esmeray jumped out of bed. In one swift movement, she tossed on her robe and followed the smoke as she sought out the source.

There.

Beyond the smoke, a dim glow seeped from the crack beneath the bathroom door. She sprinted toward it as the smoke began to darken and slither its way through the room, spreading. Esmeray peered into the bathroom and gasped.

That was her first mistake.

Coughing, she covered her mouth with her sleeve. Smoke filled her lungs. Flames covered the exterior wall and were spreading throughout the room, heading toward the main room. The small fireplace that she had custom-built in their bathroom when they had their summer home renovated had somehow erupted in the night.

She swiveled, looking for something to put out the fire, but it was too large, too fast. Too uncontrollable.

A pounding at the door had her spinning on her heels and running to the door that led to the hallway. She reached for the handle and immediately let go as the metal scorched her hand. She shook it at her side.

A small voice shouted from the other side, "Mom! Dad! Wake-up!"

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she stifled them back and kneeled in front of the door. She called back to her daughter, "Sweetie, you need to get out."

Esmeray coughed as the smoke grew thicker and the flames began to spill out of the bathroom. She looked back at the bed, but Markos was still fast asleep. She needed to help him, she needed to get out of here.But she needed to make sure her daughter left first. Nothing mattered more than her safety.

More banging sounded at the door. Frantic movements sounded on the other side of the door followed by her daughter shouting, the frenzied sound tearing Esmeray’s heart apart.

"No! Let me go!" her daughter shouted.

Then more screams started. Esmeray put her hand against the warm wood and closed her eyes. She pictured her daughter on the other side. "Sweetheart, it's—" her voice came out more hoarse than she intended. She cleared her throat but more smoke entered. Esmeray managed to say, "It's ok."

In between the incessant coughing, footsteps smacked against the hardwood floors. A tear slipped from her eye, rolling down her face as the shouting faded on the other side.She wiped the tear away with a flick of her hand. She needed to hurry.

She ran back to Markos and put her head against his chest.But his chest didn't rise. And she could no longer hold back the tears. They fell from her eyes in a torrent, almost powerful enough to quench a small fire. But this fire was too big. Her tears would do nothing as they landed on her best friend's chest. Her soulmate.

Her daughter's screams echoed in her mind. Esmeray knew what she had to do.

Covering her mouth, she took a quick breath. The tears muddled her vision. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then ran for the window on the opposite wall of the bathroom. She scanned the area for something, anything that she could use to smash it open. Her eyes landed on the paperweight sitting on the desk covered with Markos's notes. She snatched the circular orb and smashed it against the window, using all the force she could muster.

On the first strike, a small knick marked the glass.

On the third, a web of cracks spread across the window.

On the fifth, the glass shattered. Shards sprinkled the floor. She pulled down her sleeve and used it to wipe away the remaining pieces of glass that lingered on the window sill.

Setting a nearby chair beneath the window, Esmeray stepped onto it and pushed herself through the opening. She wiggled her hips through the window, but something tugged and restricted her movement forward.

She was stuck.

While doing her best to avoid looking at the bed, she looked behind her and noted the fire's dangerous approach. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Esmeray pulled at her robe, ripping a large slit in it. Then she was free. She quickly pushed herself the rest of the way through and dropped onto the ground.

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