She didn't even have to weigh her response. She wanted out, and fast. Me? I wanted answers.
We both rushed toward the vacuous hole I'd conveniently opened in the wall before us. All of the flames were mostly concentrated in one spot, still, but it would quickly spread to the rest of the house. Even so, speed necessitated the risk.
With Rilah in my hands, I leapt toward the open air, side-stepping a tongue of flame in my path, before vaulting a bed of embers to my left. Several strides remained. Then abruptly, they were gone, and I was outside.
I took a deep, invigorating breath. It was rhapsodic. Cleansing. Fulfilling — but it wasn't enough. The smell of caustic smoke still clung poisonously to my throat.
