CHAPTER 40 - Fire
They smelled smoke already halfway back. They looked at each other significantly and quickened their pace. When they stepped out into the open, they saw the entire south side of the palace shrouded in a thick layer of dark smoke. Neither of them had to say anything. They ran in that direction without delay. There was a crowd of nervous guests at the stairs leading to the palace, the rest were methodically led out by soldiers from the Royal Guards.
- What's going on here, Deffand?! - Oscar accosted one of her subordinates who seemed to be giving orders.
- Commander! - the soldier shouted with visible relief - It's good that you are here! I think there was a fire! I guess, because you can't see the fire anywhere, just this terrible smoke!
- What about the King and the Queen? - Oscar asked, feeling the cold sweat drenching her back - Where is Girodelle?
- Don't worry, Collonel - de Deffand reassured her – The captain had led the Royal Couple out long time ago and brought them to Trianon to wait out the situation. He came back a few minutes ago and is already inside. And here we have a disaster because the guests panicked and scattered throughout the palace.
- Have all of you turned up yet? - Oscar asked, looking anxiously at the billows of smoke rising from the windows on the ground floor of the palace
- Yes, everyone. The captain assigned me and de Tourville to coordinate. Joseph is in the North Wing, searching the rooms, he and ten of ours - the soldier said, coughing.
- De Jarjayes? - she asked, deeply concerned.
- They left a while ago and headed for the carriages - the other replied quickly.
- Thank you, Deffand. Wait for me a minute here, I'll be right back - she said, and walked quickly towards Andre, who was waiting a few steps away.
- It doesn't look very good, Andre - Oscar sighed - It's chaos inside, people are scattered. We will have to try to get this under control. There is no time to waste, I am going inside straight away!
- I'm going with you! - Andre said decisively.
- No, no! - she protested - This is my job, you have nothing to do with it.
- I'd like to help, Oscar - Andre insisted.
- If you really want to help, I have a request. Please make sure my family is safe. I will be much calmer knowing that someone is watching over them. It would be best for them to leave as soon as possible.
- Okay, Oscar, I'll get it. Be careful! - he grabbed her hand again, ignoring the people around them.
- Don't worry - she smiled, squeezing his hand.
...
- General! - Andre shouted to the man who was helping his wife get into the carriage. He ran up to him as soon as possible - General, are you all safe?
- Andre? - the general was surprised, seeing him - Yes, yes, the rest has already gone, only we are left. Where is Oscar? - he looked at the crowd behind the man's back.
- Osc .. Mademoiselle - Andre corrected quickly - is searching the interior of the palace with the soldiers.
At these words, the older man started and looked at him long and seriously. Andre seemed to see fear and desperation in his eyes.
- Come back Andre and find her! - the general said suddenly, grabbing his arm - Don't let anything happen to her!
- But General, she.. - Andre started, but the general wouldn't let him finish.
- Please, Andre.. - the older man begged him - She is my daughter. If something bad happened to her.. - he did not finish, and his hands started shaking.
- Okay, I'll be back then. Don't worry - Andre replied, and the other nodded.
Andre waited for the general to get into the carriage with his wife and depart. Then he headed back towards the palace. Without hesitating, he ran straight into the ballroom and looked around. Almost all the guests seemed to have managed to get out, but to be sure the soldiers were still combing the ballroom and other rooms.
- Please get out of here immediately, monsieur! - the soldier, which Andre remembered talking to Oscar earlier, accosted him.
- Commander de Jarjayes? Is she here somewhere? - Andre shouted impatiently, ignoring his words.
The soldier looked at him for a long time and suddenly as if he remembered him.
- The Colonel ran to the South Wing - the man showed him the way - Be careful, monsieur!
Andre pressed his jacket sleeve to his lips and ran in the direction the soldier had shown him. He looked around on the way but couldn't see her anywhere. There was a lot of smoke, but he couldn't see the source of the fire anywhere. He ran down the hall of the South Wing, pressing the door handles on the rooms, most of them locked. Soldiers still came out of some rooms, supporting people which were coughing. Andre had almost reached the end of the building. The smoke thickened here, making it hard to see all the details. He ran a bit more and suddenly collided with a man running from the opposite direction.
- I'm very sorry! - he shouted mechanically, trying to get his balance.
The other stopped and regarded him in surprise. Then he brought his face close to Andre's face and looked at him again. Andre saw his eyes flap open in surprise, then a wide smile spread across his face. It's just that the smile wasn't happy at all. He looked ominous.
- Ooo Monsieur Grandier! - the man exclaimed with mock glee - What a surprise!
- I'm sorry, Monsieur, I don't think we know each other - said Andre quickly. He didn't have time for unnecessary conversations, he had to look for Oscar!
- Admittedly, no one introduced us, but I know who you are - the other was still grinning in a malicious smile - I think, however, that the presentation is not necessary, because we are not going to meet any more.
- I don't understand anything, Monsieur - Andre began to get impatient - Sorry, I really don't have time now!
- So you're looking for our beloved Commander Oscar! - the man asked jovially - Please don't bother. There's nothing you can do anyway.
Only now Andre looked at the man carefully. Something was clearly wrong. He felt the first twinge of fear in his heart.
- What? - he said quickly and grabbed the sleeve of man's ornate jacket without embarrassment - What do you mean?
- Monsieur Prince! Monsieur Prince! - suddenly they heard a call from a distance and a soldier of the Royal Guards emerged from the cloud of smoke - Where are you?
- Oho! - the man said cheerfully - It looks like I also have to run now! At the end of our relationship I just want to tell you one more thing - he brought his face closer to his, so that the other could hear better - It looks like you will have to find a new lover, unfortunately - he added in a voice dripping venom. He smirked once more and walked away briskly, waving for goodbye.
Andre stood for a moment, feeling cold sweat lines on his back. An avalanche of bad feelings overwhelmed him for a moment, but he quickly recovered. There was no time to waste!
He ran as quickly as possible in the direction from which the mysterious man had come. More smoke was puffing out of the staircase at the end of the corridor, and there was a smell of burning wood and fabrics. Suddenly, a man in a blue uniform emerged from the brown-black cloud, dropped to his knees next to him and began to cough violently. Behind him, a few more guards crawled out of the stairs. Their faces were all black with soot.
Andre looked closely at the soldier, clearly of higher rank. It seemed familiar to him.
- Captain Girodelle! - he shouted, running up to him and helping him to get up from the ground - What happened?
The man recognized him immediately.
- Monsieur Grandier! - he was glad to see him - We went to check the rooms under the ground floor. It turned out that the source of the fire was there. We have to put it out there - Girodelle started coughing again.
- And Commander Oscar? Was she with you? - Andre asked, fighting the creeping panic.
- Yes, she went with us - answered the man - But I don't know.. I don't know where she is now. We split up and then we couldn't find her anymore!
- Hell! - Andre cursed - Okay, I'm going down there!
- But what do you want to do?! - Girodelle stopped him - You can hardly see anything there, and some rooms are already filled with fire. Please at least wait while we start to extinguish the fire.
- No, I won't leave her! - Andre said firmly and began to look around for something. His gaze fell on the row of flower vases standing against the corridor wall. He ran up to them and soaked his clothes with water from the vases, and splashed his face and hair.
- Whar are you doing, monsieur? - Girodelle stood beside him and stared at him in amazement.
- I've already extinguished many fires - said Andre matter-of-factly - Wet clothes will protect me a little longer - he finished, walked a few steps, but turned back and added - Are you coming with me, Captain?
Girodelle hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. In a few minutes, his uniform was as wet as Andre's jacket, and they both entered the thick smoke that covered the stars.
..
- Oscar! Oscar! - Andre shouted with all his might as he searched the rooms below. Girodelle screamed next to him. They chose not to separate, though it might be more effective, but also more dangerous. Several rooms in the middle of the corridor were filled with fire crawling out from under the closed doors, licking the wooden door frames, turning them black. Almost all doors were closed. They reached the end of the corridor, finding no one. Where was Oscar?
- Monsieur, nothing here for us, we must go back! - Girodelle shouted straight into his ear - Maybe the commander left earlier and we didn't notice it. She's not here!
Andre hesitated. Had it not been for the words of that mysterious man, he would have been inclined to agree with the captain. However..
- Oscar! - Andre moved to the door of one of the rooms occupied by fire as close as possible - Are you there?! - deaf silence answered him, only the crackle of burning wood could be heard – Oscar! - he shouted towards the next door and hit it with his fist a few times
- Andre - he heard a very soft, muffled scream suddenly.
Oscar was behind that door! In the room that burned the most! Girodelle stared at him, eyes wide with terror. Andre yanked on the handle, but the door didn't release. He tried to push it hard with his shoulder, thinking that maybe something had fallen and blocked the door from the inside, but it didn't help. The door seemed to be locked. But how was this possible!?
- Shit! - Andre cursed. The smoke increased and irritated the eyes and it was hard to breathe. However, the room that Oscar was locked in was on fire, there was no time to waste! Andre looked around the corridor for something useful.
- We have to break the lock - he said, placing a hand on Girodelle's shoulder. The other crouched for a moment to catch his breath. There was less and less air.
In the room at the end of the corridor, they found some iron planing tools and a lot of other tools that the workers probably used. One of the tools was used by Andre as a lever, with the other he hit with all his might several times and after a few minutes the lock was slightly released.
- Oscar! - he shouted to the trapped woman inside - Get away from the door now, okay? Don't worry, we'll set you free soon!
- All right, Andre - he heard her voice, even quieter than before - But please hurry up..
They used one of the benches in the corridor like a battering ram, hitting the door with all their might several times.
- Okay, just one more time - Andre commanded, fighting a rising cough that was draining his strength - Bow your head, Captain. When the door opens, the fire will go outside.
Another blow broke the lock completely, and the door swung open. The tongues of fire licked them forcefully, touching their wet clothes and hair. It was hot as hell inside.
- Please stay here! - stopped Andre Girodelle, who wanted to come in with him - Better if one of us is in better shape. If something happened to me.. please save her - he looked at the captain significantly. After the other nodded, Andre ran into the burning room.
Almost all the walls and the furniture under them were already filled with fire. Some of them have even started to fall apart. He found Oscar curling up against the only bare wall. She was lying face down on the ground and was not moving. Without the slightest hesitation, he ran to her, slung her over his shoulder, and turned to leave. He tried to cover his face with the wet sleeve of his jacket, but he could smell burning hair anyway. He could feel the heat and dust in his lungs, and he could hardly breathe anymore. By the time he reached the ceiling exit, one of the beams broke off, falling straight onto them. Andre managed to block it with his free arm. He felt a stinging pain in his hand, but he didn't care too much. The most important thing was to get out, get out of there.
A few minutes later, two men emerged from a puff of smoke in the stairwell. One of them was pressing a hand to his body, a wound cut across it, black with burned flesh. His hair was tipped with burned ends, and his eyes completely red because of smoke. The other man was holding an unconscious woman in a uniform that had once been white and now completely black with soot.