Chapter 32 Solution to the Flood

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Solution to the FloodDamon’s brows furrowed. "Then we need to evacuate them as soon as possible. Alaric, you’ll be in charge of that. Take some of the men along to help," he ordered. Alaric bowed his head. "Yes, Alpha." With that, Alaric left without another word. Before we could move on to the next plan, a woman with sunken eyes, holding a baby in her arms, came crying. "Alpha, help me... my house is gone, my clothes and my food are all ruined by the flood. I have nothing to live by. Even my son has been sick for days now." Her shoulders trembled. Damon’s eyes softened. "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you all are safe and well-fed. You don’t have to worry about that. You can go join them in the camp." "I’ll help," I said, making my way to stand beside the woman. She looked at me with tired, grateful eyes, her lips quivering as if she wanted to say more but couldn’t find the strength. The baby in her arms let out a weak cough, and my heart squeezed painfully at the sound. I gently reached out. "Let me carry him for you." She hesitated at first, but then slowly handed over the baby. He was burning up, his skin clammy and hot to the touch. I adjusted him in my arms, whispering softly, "It’s okay... you’ll be alright." "Follow me," I said, guiding her toward the camp Alaric was setting up. We walked past broken homes and soaked belongings, the woman limping slightly, barefoot on the muddy ground. Some people looked up as we passed, their expressions hollow, worn down by days of fear and helplessness. A few children clung to their mothers. Others sat quietly, staring at the water that refused to leave. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I didn’t mean to cry like that... I just... I don’t know what else to do anymore." "You don’t have to apologize," I told her. "You’ve done your best. We’re going to help fix this." When we reached the tents, Alaric turned to us, his eyes narrowing briefly before softening. "Put her with the others. We’ll bring food and blankets soon," he said, then noticed the child. "I’ll get a healer." "Thank you," I murmured. I turned to head back, but before I could leave, the woman grabbed my hand. "You’re kind... May the Moon bless you." I smiled faintly, squeezing her fingers before pulling away. As I returned to Damon, he watched me in silence. "You didn’t have to," he said. "I know," I replied. "But I wanted to." I stared at the water. If we kept wasting time, the water would only become more difficult to handle, as it was rising up every passing minute. I looked up at the sky, which was already turning cloudy—a denotation that it was about to rain soon. When I returned my gaze to where Damon was standing, I noticed that he had moved to where the elders were. I walked briskly towards them. "I have a plan," I said, with my heart thumping against its cage. The elders raised their heads with arched brows. "Haven’t we heard about it before? We are trying to carry it out now," an elder with a long beard and black hair streaked with white said, as if I was trying to waste their time. "There is no need to waste any more time. All we have to do is build a low wall, like I said before. However, it has to be wide, like a dam, so as to limit the pressure of the water against it. We should start because it is about to rain, and if it does, I’m afraid this will become more difficult to handle." I tried to make them see my point of view. "And do you think we are playing here?" another elder interjected. "I never said so. And stop talking as if I’m not trying to help here. This is our best move for now. We just need to build it around the village. The sooner we start, the better for us." "But..." "We will do as she said." Damon cut off his trail of words. He turned to me, a glint of pride passing through his eyes, but the next second it returned to its cold, usual form. It made me think if I had seen it wrong. "Ember, you will supervise them on what to do." His words drew a growl of protest from the elders. My eyes widened in surprise. "Master... you said yesterday that Elder Dominic and I would oversee the activities today... I’ll be his assistant to relieve this situation. I think he is the best person to supervise." Amusement danced within Damon’s eyes, while Elder Dominic, who was already fuming with anger, calmed down hearing my words. Damon walked closer to me. He leaned his neck toward my ears. "I can see you are smart, swiftly avoiding the minefield." He chuckled in my ear. "And why wouldn’t you hesitate to throw me under the bus? When you know how egoistic your elders are, are you trying to kill me?" I whispered angrily. Searᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Of course—to see how smart you are." He pulled back before taking a few steps away from me. "Alright everyone, time to get to work," his voice thundered through the air. I walked towards Elder Dominic. "So what can I assist you with?" I asked, throwing the ball in his court. He glanced up at me before returning his gaze to the map that was spread across the table. "We will start building the wall 10 meters into the flood, which is not too near to the dry land and not too deep into the water. The men will start building from the left side of the village down to the right." His finger swept across the map. My brows knitted together as I tried to visualise what he was saying. I hesitated, unsure of how to tell him that there were a few holes in his plan. "Elder... I don’t think that is a good idea." He looked up at me, his brows furrowing. "Why not?"