Chaos in the Rain

Rumi's gaze cut to the window, her body stiffening as the flickering lights crept closer through the rain. "Shit," she breathed, pushing back from the table. She hurried over and looked through the warped glass. Her jaw tightened at the sight beyond the lanterns—a dozen townsfolk, maybe more, dragging themselves through the mud toward her cottage.

Eilan stood up, wincing as pain shot through his ribs. "What's wrong?"

"They're coming." Rumi's voice was flat, but her hands curled into fists at her sides. "A lot of them."

Eilan's breath caught. Ignoring the pain, he hurried to Rumi's side and leaned close to the window, his bruised face near the glass as he tried to see through the heavy rain. The lanterns burned brighter, throwing sharp shadows across the muddy path to the cottage. The crowd advanced with slow purpose, like predators closing in on wounded prey.

"They wouldn't…" Eilan started, but his voice faltered when he recognized the broad silhouette of Jast near the front, along with Veda's smaller figure beside him. Behind them, more townsfolk trudged forward with grim determination painted across their rain-soaked faces.

Rumi's jaw clenched. "They would." She grabbed Eilan by the arm and pulled him back from the window. "You need to hide—now."

"Hide? Where?" Eilan gestured around the small cottage. "This place is tiny—you don't exactly have a—"

"The cellar." Rumi pointed toward the trapdoor near the hearth, partially hidden beneath a threadbare rug. "Get down there and don't make a sound. No matter what you hear, don't come up."

Eilan jerked his hand away. "Huh? What the—No. Rumi, I'm not leaving you up there with them—"

"You're injured and unarmed, Eilan." Rumi's voice cut through his protest. "If they see you here, they'll drag you out and finish what Jast started." She shoved him toward the trapdoor. "Get. Down. There."

"I said no!" Eilan snapped, turning toward her as pain tightened his jaw. "You're crazy if you think I'll hide while you take their crap for me. I've lived through this once already, Rumi—and I won't let it happen again."

"RUMI!" Jast's voice thundered from beyond the door, making both Eilan and Rumi snap their heads toward it.

Then came three heavy blows against the crooked door, shaking it on its hinges. Outside, the rain hammered the sagging roof like a war drum. Lightning flared through the window, revealing Jast's hulking shadow and the mob gathered behind him.

Rumi shoved Eilan toward the cellar again, harder this time. "I don't care what you think you owe me," she hissed. "Get down there before they break through and get us both killed." Her heart slammed against her ribs, but her face stayed firm. "Please, Eilan—just trust me."

Eilan's jaw worked silently, his brown eyes locked on hers. The desperation and genuine fear in Rumi's gaze made something twist in his chest. He opened his mouth to argue again—"

BANG, BANG, BANG.

"RUMI! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Jast roared. The hinges groaned. Wood splintered.

Eilan flinched, cursed under his breath, and grabbed the trapdoor's edge. He yanked it open, letting the smell of damp earth spill from the darkness below. Before climbing down, he looked back at Rumi one last time, guilt and helplessness tightening his face.

"Rumi. Don't do anything stupid," he whispered harshly.

"That's rich coming from you." Rumi shoved him toward the opening. "Now go."

Eilan dropped into the cellar and hit the dirt floor with a painful grunt. Above him, Rumi kicked the rug back over the trapdoor just as the cottage door burst open with a violent crack.

Jast filled the doorway, rain streaming off his broad shoulders. Behind him, Veda and a dozen others crowded in, their faces shadowed by flickering lantern light. Water dripped from their cloaks, pooling on the floor as thunder rolled overhead.

Rumi straightened, crossing her arms as she faced them. Her voice came out calm—dangerously so. "Breaking down my door now? You know you're going to have to put that back up when you leave, right?"

Jast stepped inside, boots squelching in the mud he tracked across the floorboards. His scarred face twisted into a scowl. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Rumi tilted her head, her brown eyes narrowing. "You'll have to be more specific—lots of people live in this shithole of a town."

Veda shoved past Jast, her dark brown eyes blazing. "Don't play games with us, Rumi."

Rumi held Veda's glare without flinching, rain still dripping from her damp hair. "I'm not playing any games," she said flatly, her arms still crossed. "You all barged into my home like a pack of wild dogs—so maybe you should explain what the hell you want before I throw you back out into the storm."

Jast took another heavy step forward, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the small room. The floorboards groaned under his weight. "We want the boy." He growled, his voice low and dangerous. "We know he's here."

Rumi gritted her teeth, but she didn't move. "He's not."

"Liar!" Veda shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at her. "We saw you take him! We watched you drag him through the mud like some kind of—of—"

"Like a human being?" Rumi cut her off sharply. "Yeah. That's what normal people do when someone gets beaten half to death in the street." She took a step forward, her voice dropping into something colder. "What did you expect me to do? Leave him out there to drown in the mud?"

"Yes!" Veda's voice cracked with hysteria. "That's exactly what you should've done!" She gestured wildly toward the window, where lightning split the sky again. "Look at the storm, Rumi! It's getting worse—worse every day!" Her hands trembled as she clutched at her soaked cloak. "And it's all because of him! Because his parents broke the oath!"

"You don't know that!" Rumi's eyes darkened.

"We know enough." Jast rumbled, his scarred face twisting into something ugly. He stepped closer, looming over Rumi. "That boy's life belongs to the dragon. His parents stole it—and now we're all paying the price." His thick finger jabbed toward the door. "Now I'm only going to ask you one more time, Rumi." He took another step and then another, backing her against the wall. "Where. Is. He?

Rumi's back struck the cold stone wall, but her gaze stayed locked on Jast. Her jaw tightened, every muscle in her body bracing. "Get out of my house," she said softly, each word sharp enough to cut.

Jast leaned in, his foul breath washing over her. "You're protecting him," he said, eyes narrowing. "You're choosing that worthless boy over your own people."

"My own people?" Rumi laughed, bitter and sharp. "You mean the people who watched you beat a kid in the street?" She shoved his chest. He barely moved, but she didn't care. "The people who think murder will fix a problem they don't even understand?" Her voice rose over the rain pounding the roof. "Those people?"

"You don't understand, Rumi!" Veda stepped forward, lantern hanging by her side.

"I understand perfectly!" Rumi snapped back, only for Jast to grab her by the throat and force her against the wall.

Rumi's hands shot up, clawing at Jast's thick fingers as they closed around her throat. Her boots scraped against the floor, struggling for purchase as he lifted her slightly off the ground. Pain flared across her windpipe, and her vision blurred at the edges.

"You think—UGH—you think you can protect him?" Jast snarled, his scarred face inches from hers. Spit flew from his lips. "You think you're better than the rest of us? That you're doing something right?" His grip tightened. "You little—I'll tear this place apart until I find him."

Rumi's face flushed red, her lungs burning as she fought for her breath. She kicked out hard, her boot connecting with Jast's shin. He grunted but didn't let go. Instead, his other hand drew back into a fist— "And if you want to keep standing in our wa—"

The trapdoor exploded open.

Eilan exploded from the cellar, moving like a cornered beast and catching Veda and Jast off guard. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" he snarled. As he rushed past Veda, he ripped the lantern from her hand, leaped up, and smashed it across Jast's face.

The lantern burst against Jast's face, spraying glass, oil, and flame. Fire caught across his cheek and jaw with a vicious WHOOSH.

Jast roared, stumbling backward as fire licked across his skin. His grip on Rumi's throat vanished as he fell to the ground, thrashing about.

Rumi fell to her knees, coughing hard as one hand clutched her bruised throat. Her vision blurred, and she dragged in shaky, desperate breaths.

Eilan landed hard, broken lantern handle still clutched in his bandaged hands. Blood seeped through the wrappings where glass had sliced his palms, but he barely noticed. His brown eyes snapped to Rumi, and he rushed to pull her to her feet.

"AHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Jast bellowed, frantically slapping at the flames crawling up his neck. One of the townsfolk rushed forward with a wet cloak and smothered the fire, but the damage was done—angry red burns already blistered across Jast's jaw and cheek.

Veda shrieked and stumbled against the doorframe. "You- you little—" Her voice broke with fear and fury as she pointed at Eilan. "Get him!"

The townsfolk surged forward as one—muddy boots trampling over broken glass, hands reaching for Eilan with murder in their eyes.

Eilan pushed Rumi toward the back of the cottage, then turned on the mob with his bandaged fists raised, pain ripping through his ribs. Blood dripped from his palms as a man lunged. Eilan stepped aside and slammed him into the fireplace.

The man slammed into the stone fireplace with a sickening crack. His head struck the rough edge, and he collapsed to the floor with a groan as embers scattered across the floorboards, hissing in the wet mud.

Two more townsfolk rushed him at once—a stocky woman with a rusted hatchet and a rail-thin man swinging a wooden club. Eilan ducked as the hatchet hissed past his ear and buried itself in the table. He caught the man's wrist mid-swing, twisted through the pain in his ribs, and used his momentum to hurl him into the woman. They crashed down together in a tangled heap.

"STOP!" Rumi's voice sliced through the chaos, but no one listened. She snatched a cast-iron pan from the hearth and swung it at the nearest attacker—a woman reaching for Eilan's back. The pan cracked against the woman's skull, dropping her to the floor like a stone.

Veda lunged for the cast-iron pan, and she and Rumi struggled over it. Across the room, Jast pushed himself up with a low growl, blisters swelling across his burned face as his eyes locked on Eilan.

Jast shoved aside the man who'd been smothering the flames and rose to his full towering height. His burned face twisted into something monstrous—rage and pain bleeding together. "You're dead, boy," He snarled. Blood and char smeared across his jaw as he barreled forward like a bull.

Eilan snapped his gaze to Jast and moved fast, charging for the front door. He shoved through the mob, burst past the shattered doorway, and plunged into the storm. Icy rain struck him hard, soaking him in seconds as mud dragged at his boots. Lightning split the sky, flooding the world in harsh white light.

Behind him, Jast's roar tore through the night. "GET BACK HERE!"

Eilan didn't look back. He ran through the downpour, stumbling with each breath as pain tore through his ribs. Behind him, Veda kicked Rumi to the floor, then snapped her glare toward Eilan's retreating form.

"AFTER HIM!" She screamed, leaving Rumi on the floor, leaning against the wall.

The mob spilled out of Rumi's cottage like a swarm, their boots splashing through the mud as they chased after him. Jast led them, rain streaming over his blistered, rage-twisted face. Behind him, Veda and the others followed with lanterns swinging wildly beneath the flashing sky.

"EILAN!" Rumi screamed from the cottage, only to see that Eilan was gone, leading them away from her home as he ran into the woods, hoping to lose them.

Eilan tore through the woods as thunder boomed overhead. Branches scratched his face and arms, and each ragged breath burned in his lungs while his ribs screamed in protest. Rain hammered through the canopy, turning the forest floor into a dangerous mess of mud and exposed roots.

Behind him, voices echoed through the trees—angry, relentless, getting closer.

"FIND HIM!"

"HE WENT THIS WAY!"

Eilan forced himself onward, nearly tripping over roots as the wind grew stronger. Rain blinded him, and he raised his arms to shield his face. Then his foot caught. His body pitched forward, and he tumbled down the hill, rolling through mud and brush as the voices faded behind him. He crashed into small trees and branches until the world became nothing but pain and spinning darkness, until he finally landed almost face-first into the grass.

Eilan groaned and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, mud squelching between his fingers. His vision blurred, but he could make out the shape of something massive looming ahead—stone walls, crumbling and ancient, half swallowed by vines and moss.

A castle.

--No… no way. This can't be—"

His breath caught in his throat as realization crashed over him like a wave of ice water.

The dragon's castle.