With flames, the thrones crumbled slowly, trapping Ki's parents in the disaster.
Taku had come from nowhere, bumping into Belladonna as she tried to escape, while he headed straight into the fire to save the trapped Village Heads.
He was able to save them, but before he could find time to save himself, a log fell from above, knocking him down, while his yell of pain morphed into the screams that filled the night.
Everywhere had been thrown into chaos, everyone was tending to their business, running away, trying to survive the fire.
The screaming, the shouting, the running.
It was all too much for them to notice his own need for help.
It was chaotic.
Ki's parents had also forgotten Taku as the guards surrounded them to bring them to safety, the attention mostly on Ki's mother who had inhaled too much smoke and was now unconscious.
Ki was there too.
Well, the news of the fire must have spread.
"Don't go." The voice next to Belladonna startled her, her focus turning immediately to where she had heard Alaris speak. She had expected to see a foreign face with those familiar reptilian pair of eyes, but there was no one there.
Her brows furrowed.
There was no way he had done all these without taking control of a person's body.
Ah!
He certainly had.
The activities must just have taken a toll on the body he possessed, leading it to be let go before he came here.
That had to be it.
"He is none of your business. We have to leave, Nightshade." His voice was laced with rage, and hastiness.
It was happening again.
Someone was in danger that they could save and Alaris didn't care.
It reminded Belladonna of all the times, she had wanted to save someone but Alaris had pulled her away from her place before she would even have time to do so.
Like Keres' baby.
He was dead because of him.
Alaris was doing it again and once again, another person was about to die because of him.
Belladonna balled her fists by her sides, looking for anything she could make use of on her rescue mission.
"I said don't go!"
"Then stop me," she gritted.
There!
By one of the fallen market stalls, was a bucket of water with fishes swimming in it.
Ah, apologies in advance to the fishes. From a perspective though, they would be dying for a good cause.
She went straight for the bucket of water and dumped the water on her body.
"My Fish!" A trader yelled from a distance. "Madwoman. You must pay for that."
The bucket hit the ground and Belladonna raced straight into the fire without looking back at the yelling trader... and Alaris, whom she believed could be chasing her.
If he could stop her, he would have already done so. Alaris wasn't one for much talking, he would have pulled her straight out of the dream already, but he hadn't. This meant that he might have been exhausted by the havoc he had wreaked and he needed her willingness to get away from this dream.
Belladonna knew this, she was also aware of their need to leave, they had spent too long in this dream, but the idea of saving Taku felt like a way to soothe her guilt for all the people she couldn't save before that had been in this same situation. Knowing that she was capable of doing it now without being interfered added even more pressure on her.
Shs would definably save Taku!
Saving someone from a fire wasn't as easy as Belladonna had thought... or had read in her books.
There was smoke to battle with, the cooking heat of the flames, and the difficulty her wet and heavy gown added to her movement. Having been stoned earlier, and with many cuts, bruises, and injuries, things were more difficult than they should be.
Nor did it help that Taku was struggling to move away from her, while Alaris kept telling her to "get out of here" and "wake up".
The fire roared behind her as she maneuvered her way around Taku, her sight clouded with tears from the smoke, she could feel her throat tighten as she struggled for air, coughing for only a short moment.
Finally, Belladonna had been able to get the log off Taku's leg. Taku had said his thank you in a different way though.
"Die Witch!"
"Look out!"
Belladonna had received Alaris' warning too late.
Taku slammed a stick against her head and everywhere went silent at the impact. Belladonna lost her footing and swung backwards, right into the crashing waves below.
The coldness of the water hit her skin, the throbbing pain in her head colliding with the hotness of her throat as she fought to breathe.
Her hands frailed around in a desperate attempt to swim her way out of the colliding waves, but a log swung into the sea, barely missing her, destroying her attempts.
More logs sunk in, as the burning throne above collapsed into the waters below.
She could hear someone frantically calling her by a name she had been called by so often that it felt now like hers.
Nightshade.
Too much was happening.
She couldn't breathe, her head was drumming, it felt like her throat was closing up, her nose hurt, her ears hurt, everywhere hurt.
There was too much water.
She thought of Alaris saving her, but she knew he was weak, he couldn't even stop her from her rescue mission and pull her out of the dream. He was too weak to possess someone and without being in control of another's body, there was no way he could get her out of her.
He couldn't save her on his own either, he wouldn't be able to hold her.
Belladonna struggled to swim to the surface but the force of the water was more than she could bare, the pressure pulled her arms down and there was this drumming in her head, it made her feel dizzy.
Alaris had once said anything that happened to her here would happen in the real world.
She should have listened to him.
She should have gone back.
She was sorry, most especially to Eli.
Slowly and finally, her strength failed her, air left her and the sea pulled her under.