Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 423

Adrian jabbed at his phone, hitting the “Add Call” button.

He dialed Luke Holloway. The moment the call connected, Adrian snapped, “Where the hell are you? Did you go on some epic quest? The old man down the street’s already grabbed his cane and gone to put out the fire himself!”

“Shut up!” Luke’s voice crackled through, muffled and distant, as if he were speaking through layers of cloth.

Adrian guessed he’d already pulled on his respirator.

“I’m going in!”

That was the last thing Luke said before the line went dead.

*

Second floor of the chapel:

Dames clutched Selene’s phone as he bolted out the room.

He glanced down at the screen—Adrian’s name was glowing there. Dames didn’t hesitate; he hit “End Call.”

He charged down the staircase. Sure, he knew this fire was his own doing—he’d ordered it lit, and his assistant would make sure he’d be safe inside the chapel, no matter what.

But as the thick heat pressed against his skin and the acrid stench seeped through the soaking-wet handkerchief he held to his nose, panic gnawed at him. Even knowing the plan, he couldn’t stop the fear.

Reaching the bottom, Dames sprinted for the chapel’s main doors.

Outside, four or five fire engines were clustered around the building, hoses spraying, men shouting. As soon as the firefighters saw a kid darting out, they rushed to surround him.

“Dad!!”

Dames spotted Harrison just beyond the cordon, and the cry ripped from his throat—only then did he realize how raw and hoarse his voice had become.

Harrison heard his son’s call. He tore through the barricade and ran straight to him.

His eyes scanned behind Dames, searching, but no one else emerged. Harrison’s heart plummeted like a stone tossed into deep water.

“Where’s Selene?” he demanded, his voice tight with dread.

Dames’ eyes filled with tears, his voice trembling with accusation. “She’s still inside.”

Harrison’s panic spiked. “Why is she still in there?”

Dames gripped the handkerchief Selene had given him, his brow furrowed in a way that almost mirrored Harrison’s own.

“Because she chose Altair!”

“Mr. Vaughn, you can’t go in there! It’s too dangerous!”

They clustered around him, refusing to let him pass.

“Selene’s still in there!” Harrison shouted, frantic.

One of the bodyguards tried to calm him. “The fire department’s almost here, Mr. Vaughn. Please, you really can’t go in!”

Harrison’s patience was gone. He stood, rigid with anxiety, staring at the chapel as flames devoured it, feeling as if the fire were burning him alive.

“When are the fire trucks getting here? Call the fire department—get a helicopter if you have to!”

His voice, usually smooth and composed, was rough and low, hands clenched so tightly his knuckles whitened, his face ashen with fury and fear.

Boom!

A sudden explosion tore through the night, sharp and violent, like firecrackers going off at close range.

Harrison jerked his head up just in time to see part of the chapel roof collapse in a spray of sparks.

Dames stared, terror-stricken, lips trembling. “Will Mom and Altair die in there?”