It took a long while for the guards to bring the fires under control, the night air thick and tainted with the clawing stench of smoke and soot. Ash drifted like gray snowflakes through the darkness, settling on their clothes and hair. One by one, the frantic shouts gave way to the hiss of water meeting flame.
When at last they quenched the final flicker of what had once been a ravaging inferno, the men collectively released a weary breath. Their relief, however, came at a cost. They had all partially neglected their duty and have been drawn from their posts for far too long.
As the panic stirred by the fire slowly ebbed, a subtle change crept over them. The soft strains of music that had earlier drifted from the banquet hall had vanished. The night, once alive with merriment, now lay unnaturally still.
