Deeper in

Alexis pushed the collapsing mercenary off her sword, before turning towards the terrified children. She made a point to sheath her blade and took a few steps away, opening the way to the door. She could only assume the bairns had to be as scared of her as they had been of Banner.

“Can you all walk? You need to get out of the house.”
She spoke in a deliberately calm tone, hoping not to spook them even more.

The girl had turned to her charges, her brothers most likely, and had hid them in a protective embrace, but slowly turned her head to the Garrahn woman, her fearful gaze meeting Alexis’s bicoloured eyes. After a moment the girl seemed to find something there that calmed her at least slightly and she nodded meekly. Climbing to her feet she grabbed the hands of the twins and dragged them towards the door, Alexis moving to give them space. But she followed still, to make sure they had a save route out.

Stepping into the hallway she could see they were cutting it close. The stairs down were beginning to catch fire, but if they went now they should be good. From downstairs, to her relief, she could hear Marsili’s voice, egging on whoever was still in there to get moving already.

“Come on. You can do it. Almost out.”
Alexis tried to encourage the children.

The girl bravely nodded again and nudged her brothers towards the stairs. She kept looking behind her though, not at Alexis, but somewhere down the corridor behind the mercenary, as if hoping to see something or someone. Finally she turned around fully and looked at Alexis pleadingly.

“T-there was another man, with a big sword! I-I t-think he wants to hurt mama and papa! P-please, please help!”

She pointed a shaky finger towards the smoke-filled corridor leading away from the stairs.

Alexis turned to look but could only see that it was not long away from being claimed by flames. She had a good idea who that man with the big sword was. She had to go now lor it would be too late.

She nodded to the girl.
“My friend Marsili is close by. Call for her if you have trouble getting out.”

With that she turned and sped down towards where she assumed the master bedroom to be, keeping low to avoid at least some of the smoke. The building was beginning to groan. The fire was taking its toll on the structure.

Visibility was getting bad now, but she could hear some commotion up ahead and let it lead her on.

Finally Alexis could see an open door and she barged into the room.

Mismatched eyes met dark brown as Seoras turned towards the ‘intruder’ from where he stood over a wounded middle-aged man held by a silently crying woman, presumably the lord and lady of the house.

“You got to be fucking kidding me…”
growled the leader of a now significantly smaller band of mercenaries.