Brian Pratt - Fires of prophesy

They don’t run too far before they come to an area where the trees and plants all look like they’re wilting, dying. They continue on until they are back into the healthier part of the forest, then abruptly stop and turn to face the oncoming soldiers.

Their pursuers are following the trail for the most part, though some have fanned out into the forest alongside the trail. “We’re not going to get all of them,” Jiron says.

“Perhaps,” James agrees, “but hopefully we’ve planned well enough for that.”

They watch as the soldiers begin to enter the wilted area as they race to reach James and Jiron. When the men in the front nears the end of the wilted area James shouts, “Walls!”

Six foot high walls of force spring up around the men in the wilted area, boxing them in. The men in front run full force into the forward wall of force, coming to an abrupt halt as if they’d run into a brick wall. The men are confused at first and then panic sets in. James can see the officer who locked them up near the back of the men trapped within the invisible walls. He’s trying to keep his men under control but the fear of being entrapped by invisible walls overrides whatever discipline he’s trying to establish.

Jiron watches the men trapped inside, hitting on the invisible walls with their hands and weapons in an attempt to break free. He can hear their screams of terror.

“Shut!” James shouts and the walls slam together, pulping the men inside, abruptly silencing their cries. He can hear Jiron next to him exclaim, “Good god!”

“We haven’t gotten all of them,” James says, indicating over a dozen men, standing stunned over the fate of their comrades on the trail.

James takes out another stone and begins to head back down the trail toward the soldiers, Jiron beside him.

When the remaining soldiers see them coming forward, the men lose heart and turn to flee back down the mountain. Letting fly his stone, James takes out another one. Again and again, he lets fly with stones, striking one after another.

When the remaining men reach a certain tree with a cloth that he tied to it earlier, he says, “Fire!”

Fire erupts from the ground in a circle over a hundred feet across. The fleeing men scream as it burns and consumes them. The trees in the area burst into flame as the dry leaves and needles crackle as they catch fire. The wind coming up the mountain begins to blow sparks from tree to tree, spreading the fire rapidly.

“Crap!” James exclaims, as he sees the fire beginning to burn out of control.

“What?” Jiron asks.

“The fire!” he says, pointing to the blaze. “The wind is going to push it this way! We’ve got to get out of here!”

As they turn to race up the mountain, Jiron asks, “Do you think we got everyone?”

“I think so,” James says, “no way to be sure now. At least the fire will hide the evidence of what we did here.” Smoke is beginning to thicken as more and more of the forest becomes ablaze.

“Let’s get the others and find a way around the fire!” James yells.

They hurry up the mountain and before they reach the camp, they see Tinok and the girls coming down to meet them.

“What’s happening?” Tinok says, as he gazes down the now thickening smoke.

“James set the forest afire,” Jiron tells him.

“What?” Tinok exclaims. “Why did you do that?”

“Didn’t mean to,” admits James, “it just sort of happened. Anyway, we have to get out of here before we’re cooked alive.”

James heads them southeast since the wind is blowing from the east. Running as fast as the forest will allow, they move laterally along the mountainside, trying desperately to gain the far side of the fire before it cuts them off.

Smoke is thick and he can hear the others begin to cough as the smoke in the air thickens. In her haste, Cassie snags an exposed root with her foot and stumbles, falling to the ground. Her screams bring the others to a halt as she rolls down the mountainside, closer to the approaching fire. She comes to a stop amidst a tangle of undergrowth and fallen branches.

“Help me!” she cries out when she realizes she’s stuck within the tangled mess and the fire is quickly approaching her.

Tinok bolts down the mountainside after her and quickly reaches her side. “I’m here,” he assures her as he begins pulling back the brush which has her trapped. The fire is burning closer and a tree no more than ten feet away suddenly bursts into flame.

“Hurry!” she urges, her eyes on the tree being engulfed by the fire. At last he manages to free her and helps her to her feet. He has her lean on him as they make it back up to where the others are waiting for them. Behind them, more trees burst into flame as the wind spreads the fire rapidly.

Looking at the treetops, James notices how the fire hopping from one tree to the next, reminiscent of a documentary of the Yellowstone fire he saw years earlier. As Tinok and Cassie join them, they once more begin moving as fast as possible away from the quickly approaching inferno.

Suddenly, they break from the confines of the forest and stumble upon a small road running due east. Ruts line the road, showing that wagons have moved through here. Turning onto it, they’re able to make better time.

The fire behind them is gaining rapidly, they begin to feel the heat of the raging inferno drawing ever closer. James looks up again and sees that the treetops above them are already beginning to catch. There’s no way we’re going to outrun this!

Continuing on as best they can with the smoke thickening rapidly, their lungs burn from the heated smoke they’re breathing. Cassie falls to her knees, coughing, overcome by the smoke and unable to continue. In desperation, Tinok picks her up and carries her onward. James looks in dread as the trees along the road ahead of them begin to catch fire, the wind pushing the blaze ever forward.

“We’re not going to make it!” Delia cries out to him over the roar of the fire.

The forest before them suddenly opens up to a wide canyon, five hundred feet across. A rope suspension bridge, barely wide enough to accommodate a wagon, spans it.

Thank goodness! James thinks to himself when it comes into view. Just then, a branch being consumed by flame falls upon the bridge, twenty feet from the edge. James stares in disbelief as the fire which is consuming the branch begins licking the ropes holding the bridge in place.

“Move!” he yells, allowing Jiron and Delia to cross first and then Tinok with Cassie right behind. Once everyone is on and crossing to the other side, he steps upon the bridge and begins to cross.

Delia comes to the point where the burning branch has fallen upon the bridge, but it’s burning so hot, she has to pass by as far to the side as she can. The wooden planks she’s walking upon are beginning to burn as well as the supporting ropes.

When James gets to the fire on the bridge, he can see that the ropes have already almost completely burned through, only a few strands keep it from snapping in two. “Hurry!” he shouts as they quickly make their way to the other side.

Jiron reaches the other side first, just ahead of Delia. Then Tinok reaches the other side and carries Cassie away from the edge of the canyon before he lays her on the ground. James is almost to the end when one the remaining strands of the support rope snaps, causing the bridge to skew suddenly, throwing him to his knees.

“James!” Delia cries out when she sees the bridge lurch to the side and James almost plummeting to his death on the rocks far below.

Jiron comes to the edge and reaches out to help him the last of the way. Seeing the hand before him, James stretches his arm out, trying to grab hold of it. Before he’s able to take Jiron’s hand, the remaining rope suddenly snaps, causing the bridge to break in two and each half falling against their side of the canyon.