Of Flame, Sand, and Gold

Chapter 38

"I'll need your help," Serakai said, urgently clipping her voice, as her boots swooshed over the desert sands. Dust swirled around them in lazy spirals, stirred by the lingering heat of destruction. She stood before the four guards, who had gathered around the unconscious Vael, as their eyes flickered with unease. His body was limp, draped in cloth and his chest was barely moving.

One of them, a lean man with a scar that tugged at the edge of his mouth like a permanent sneer, shifted. “What do you need us to do, ma’am?” His tone was respectful, but wary.

Serakai didn’t hesitate. She pointed to the crumbling tower behind them—that half-devoured beast of stone and ash. “Go in there. Bring out anything that looks remotely useful—metal, wood, fabric, even bricks if they’re strong enough. Strip the guards if you must—armor, belts, boots. We’ll burn their bodies to a crisp later... but don’t leave them naked. No one deserves to be left bare in death,” she barked, flinting her sharp voice.

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