Chapter 18 · Frontier Lord - Chapter 18: A Name on the Ration List

The smoke hit Ava's nose before she saw the flames.

She was halfway across the yard, Klaus's war token still cold in her pocket, when the shouts started. Not panic shouts. Work shouts. The kind that meant someone was already moving.

She broke into a run.

The storage shed—the one Sera had claimed for her records and supply tallies—was spitting black smoke from under the eaves. Not the whole building. Just one corner, like someone had shoved a torch through a gap and hoped it would spread.

Rain was already there with two buckets, his daughter yanking the door open. "Sera's still inside!"

Ava's stomach dropped.

She shoved past him, sleeve over her mouth, and hit the smoke wall. Her eyes burned instantly. She couldn't see more than two feet ahead. "Sera!"

"Here!" The voice came from the back corner, tight and furious. "I'm not leaving without the logs!"

Of course she wasn't.

Ava dropped low where the air was clearer and crawled toward the sound. The heat wasn't bad yet—this fire was young, sloppy, meant to destroy evidence more than burn the place down.