The survivors on the surface regarded me with caution. The handful of knights never let their eyes away. Fire Monks were enemies of the Order and of the Academy but not ones they took seriously. Remnants of a long-defeated foe. There was an uneasy truce. Conflict now would destroy us all.
Our survival was not as hopeless as it seemed. Much of the lake water had drained into the caverns below as the earth cracked. The boiling of the sea had blunted the Frenzied Flame, and much was untouched beneath the ash. Food would be a greater problem. There were some edible cave mosses, but growing them would not be simple or swift. Even the small number of survivors were far too many to eat such slim pickings as we had at the onset.
I rallied the men-at-arms. Would they not die for those they had sworn to protect? With the strength we had left, we should scavenge the land for what could be found. We would return with something or we would die and reduce the burden on those remaining. I would not allow my family return to see me withered and helpless. And my search distracted from my fear the Flame had found them below.
If only it had.