The fire was really starting to get hot and was spreading. Already, some of the rafters were flaming, and many of the support timbers were charred black on their surface. The smoke was becoming unbearable, too, and everyone was coughing and squinting (except for DQ and JVB, for some reason).
"If we don't get out of here, we'll all suffocate or burn!" I yelled. "Get down on the floor and crawl out down the stairs!"
Polgara and Hypatia helped me find and open the hatch. As they started down the stairs, I saw Viper, Kiya and Wolfie headed for the hatch.
The last time I'd seen Luc, he was up in the rafters (which was no place to be under the circumstances). The roar of the flames made it impossible to hear voices or yell loud enough to be heard, so I crawled over toward the center of the room and tugged on the legs of whomever I was able to find. They were still standing and fighting, as far as I could tell.
The heat and smoke were too much for me, though, and I finally had to give up and leave through the hatch. I left it open, just in case some of the others were able to find it. Then I just sat on the stairs and coughed and coughed. The fire was sucking air from the tunnels below, which created a strong updraft into the room.
I sat on the steps in the smoky red gloom coughing and wheezing and wondering if I would ever see my companions again. That's when a nametag landed in my lap, but it was too dark to read the name on it.
