Elementia Tellurian

Chapter 12

" Your Highness. "

A guard working under council greeted Zale as he went down from his carriage. Zale nodded at him in return.

" Where did the fire happened? " he asked while looking around the area. There was no sign that a burning happened here.

" Follow me, your highness, " the guard said and started walking. Zale followed him while Gerard was walking behind him.

People were just walking peacefully. Bringing some baskets for their food staples. Children were happily playing. Some merchants were also shouting to market their products.

" H-hey sir, you look like you are new here. Come and look at my products, " said by a man who was sitting on the street with his products placed on the ground with just a thin layer of cloth.

Zale stopped and looked at the man. It looked like he has not bathe and eaten regularly. He was so skinny and he was covered in dirt. He clothes were also ragged. He had few things filed in front of him. What had caught Zale's attention was a dirty burnt water drop shaped pendant.

He kneeled down on his right leg to get it. " How long did you have this? " asked Zale to the man.

The man just stared at it. Trying to recall how did that pendant end up to him.

" I can't remember sir. I have that a long time ago. No one took an interest to buy it, " he said and then sighed.

Zale took a handful of coins to his pocket. " Is this enough? " he asked and handed it to him.

The man gasped. He's eyes were also popping. " T-this is a lot for a pendant, sir, " he whispered in shocked. He still cannot digest what just happened. For a man like him, he had never ever handled such a money like that.

Zale stood up and placed the pendant inside the pocket of his cloth underneath the cloak.

" T-thank you, s-sir, " the man said almost on the verge of tears. Zale just nodded and signaled the guard and Gerard to continue walking.

" Are you sorry for the man, your highness? " Gerard asked. He looked at Gerard with a blank expression. Gerard didn't expect it and stepped back. Every time Zale flashed a blank expression on his face means that he does not want to be disturb.

He touched the part of his cloth where the pendant could be found. It might be too dirty and burnt to be distinguished but that pendant was an Aqua’s insignia. An aqua-colored pearl wrapped around with golden skeletal structure of a water drop. Only an Aqua royal could have a possession of it. Twenty years ago, he remembered that his father gave his youngest sister, Eirene, a gift on her fourth birthday. It was a beautiful necklace. He didn't know what it symbolized back then. He remembered he threw a tantrum because he wanted one, too. Few days later, the king gave him a matching design.

Zale then reached for his necklace on his neck. It was always with him. He never removed it from his neck up until now. He assessed the new found pendant on his mind, it was burnt.

" We are here, your highness. " The guard said stopping Zale from imagining things again.

He looked at the area. Everything was charred. The fire affected a lot of plot of land.

" Where are the families living here? " he asked.

" They were brought in a temporary shelter, sir. "

" Where did the fire started? " he asked.

He remembered that the elders said that the residents insisted that there was no negligence their part. How could a fire spread to easily, though?

" We've already tracked it, sir. The residents said that it started on an abandoned hut. "

The guard started walking to bring Zale to the hut.

" There are no water users here? " he curiously asked. They could have stopped the spreading of fire immediately if there were water users present in the area.

" No, Your highness. This place was known to be incapable of using magic. Only one man in this area was recorded to be able to manipulate the elements. "

" Where was that person? " Zale asked. He could somehow at least help put out the fire.

" He has been long gone, Your highness. He owned the abandoned hut. We are here, " the guard stepped aside to give Prince Zale a way.

" No children has ever stepped foot in here? "

A child could mischievously enter the hut and caused an accident fire.

" No, Your Highness. The fire happened in the middle of the night. The residents stated that all of the children were asleep. And no one had ever stepped foot on this hut since it was long abandoned and they wouldn't want to risk to know what was inside. "

Zale looked at Gerard's direction. " Let's search for the things that we could find. "

Gerard's face lightened up since he's master talked to him again. He smiled widely and marched into the house without even saying a word. Zale followed him.

Compared to other affected houses, that were completely burnt and none was left but just a bunch of piled charcoaled woods, this one was not a total wreck. The foundations were still standing but some corners of the wall were totally burnt. There were no pieces of the roof left, either. Most of the furniture where affected but some could still be put in good use.

" Feron, were the people living near this hut injured? " Zale asked to the guard who was just behind them standing in a burnt door frame.

" Yes, Your highness. This hut was so old that it surely accumulated a lot of dust and might because of it the spreading of the fire hastened. The residents near this area was not able to react as quickly as they should. They had just noticed the fire when the fire had spread to their houses. They were not able to get out immediately. "

Zale nodded. " Be sure to provide assistance to the affected residents. "

" Yes, your Highness. We already reached out to this kingdom's community support. They are very responsive and had provided shelter immediately. "

" Good, " Zale went back on assessing the area. He looked at Gerard who was on the ground trying to reach something underneath the drawer that was still in one piece.

" Your Highness, I think I found something, " he said grunting.