I wait until it's silent. Not just quiet; dead.
Then I get to work.
The fire still flickers around my fingers, lazy now, like it knows I don't need it just yet. I step over scorched debris, crunching glass and bone beneath my boots. Their homes are still standing in places. Not for long. But long enough for me to slip inside.
The baker's house? Silver coins in a jar under the floorboard. Got it.
The merchant's? Jewelry box tucked in the dresser, half-melted but salvageable. I take what hasn't fused into worthless lumps.
The blacksmith's? His tools are heavy, too heavy to carry far, but there's a blade- a dagger he made once for the mayor, still sharp, still beautiful. It hums when I touch it, like it recognises me.
I slide it into my belt.
Let them call me a thief, too. Let them write songs about the cursed girl who lit the sky on fire and still had the audacity to rob them blind.
By the time I leave the last house, my satchel is stuffed and jingling. I tighten the strap and finally, finally, turn toward the edge of the world.
The docks.
The walk is long and cold, the wind off the sea biting at the burns on my arms. But I don't slow down. My fire is quiet now, asleep under my skin. That's fine. I don't need it for this.
The docks are half-abandoned at this hour, just a few silhouettes moving in the fog, their lanterns swinging like ghosts.
Perfect.
I stay low, slipping between crates and barrels, sticking to the shadows. I find a ship- a big one, merchant-owned by the look of it, loaded with goods and ambition. The kind that won't notice an extra passenger until it's too late.
I sneak up the ramp, heart thudding in my chest, not with fear; never again-but with purpose.
Below deck, it's dark and cold and smells like salt and sweat and secrets. I find an empty corner, curl up with my stolen dagger and sack of silver, and wait for the tide.
When the ship pulls away, I feel it in my bones—the slow groan of departure, the hush of sails catching wind.
I close my eyes.
The village is gone.
The fire is quiet.
But I'm still burning.