The Edge of the Forest. Sunset.
The smoke was thicker now, rising in dark columns against the orange sky. The village below was small—a dozen houses, a mill, a tavern—but the flames were large, spreading from building to building, consuming everything in their path.
Lira scanned the tree line, looking for movement, looking for survivors, looking for whatever had done this. "There's no one there," she said. "No one alive."
William's hand was on his sword. "The creature?"
She shook her head. "This isn't claw marks and scorched earth. This is fire. Deliberate. Someone did this."
Grog's face was pale, his breathing shallow, his hand pressed against his side. "We need to keep moving. The palace—"
"The palace can wait." Lira's voice was firm. "We need to see if anyone survived."
Grog looked at the village, at the flames, at the smoke rising into the darkening sky. He wanted to argue. He wanted to push forward, to get to the palace, to find a healer before the infection spread any further. But she was right.
They rode down.
---
The village was empty.
The houses were still burning, the roofs collapsed, the walls blackened. The heat was intense, the smoke thick, the air hard to breathe. The horses shied, their eyes rolling, their nostrils flaring.
Gwen stayed with them, keeping them calm, keeping them from bolting. The others moved through the wreckage, looking for bodies, looking for survivors, looking for anything that would tell them what had happened.
There was nothing.
No bodies. No blood. No signs of struggle. Just fire. Just ash. Just emptiness.
William stood in the center of the village, his sword in his hand, his face pale. "This isn't the creature," he said. "The creature killed with claws and teeth. This is something else."
Aldric leaned on his cane, his leg throbbing, his face drawn. "People did this."
Grog nodded. "Or something like people."
---
Mirena found the tracks at the edge of the village.
She had been looking for residue, for traces of the creature, for anything that would tell her where it had come from. Instead, she found boot prints. Fresh. Leading away from the village, toward the hills.
She called the others.
Lira knelt beside the tracks, touched the earth. "A dozen men. Maybe more. They came from the north, did what they came to do, and left."
William stared at the tracks. "Why? Why burn a village?"
Grog shook his head. "To send a message. To cover something up. To—" He stopped. His face was gray, his breathing ragged. He swayed on his feet.
Lira caught him. "Grog."
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"You're not." She looked at the others. "We need to get him back. Now."
---
They rode through the night.
The palace was hours away, the road dark, the forest pressing close on either side. Grog rode with Lira, his arm around her shoulders, his face pressed against her back. He was burning with fever, his skin hot, his breath shallow. The wound had spread—he could feel it, the blackened flesh creeping across his chest, the infection seeping into his blood.
Aldric rode beside them, his leg propped, his cane tied to his saddle. He was hurting too, but he didn't complain. He just rode.
William took point, his sword in his hand, his eyes on the darkness. He was thinking about the village, about the fire, about the boot prints leading into the hills. He was thinking about his brother, alone at the palace, waiting for news.
Gwen rode beside Aldric, her hand on his arm, steadying him when he swayed. She was thinking about the creature, about the fight, about the moment when William had put himself between Aldric and death.
Mirena brought up the rear, her staff in her hand, the stone in her pocket pulsing against her hip. She was thinking about the creature, about the mana stone, about what it meant.
---
They reached the palace as the sun began to rise.
The gates were open, the courtyard crowded—soldiers, servants, the Duke's family. Edward was there, his face pale, his hands clasped behind his back. He saw them coming and ran.
William dismounted before his horse stopped. "Edward—"
"Are you hurt?" Edward's hands were on his brother's shoulders, his eyes scanning his face, his arms, his chest. "Are you—"
"I'm fine." William caught his brother's wrists. "I'm fine. But Grog—"
Grog was sliding from his horse. Lira caught him, lowered him to the ground. His face was gray, his eyes closed, his breath shallow. The bandages on his chest were soaked with blood.
Mirena was beside him, her hands already glowing, her staff across her knees. "I need a healer. Now."
Edward turned. "Get the healers! Move!"
Servants scattered. Soldiers ran. The courtyard erupted into chaos.
---
The Duke appeared at the top of the steps, his children beside him, his face pale. He looked at Grog on the ground, at the blood on his chest, at the healers running toward him.
"What happened?"
William met his uncle's eyes. "We killed the creature. But there's more. The village—the one below the hills—it's been burned. People did it. Not the creature. People."
The Duke's jaw tightened. "How many?"
William shook his head. "We didn't find any bodies. Just ash."
The Duke was quiet for a moment. Then he turned to the guards. "Send riders to the village. Search the area. Find out who did this."
The guards saluted and ran.
---
The healers took Grog inside.
Mirena went with them, her staff in her hand, the stone still in her pocket. She would tell the Duke about it later. She would tell him about the creature, about the mana stone, about what it meant.
But first, she needed to keep Grog alive.
Edward pulled William aside.
"You're sure you're not hurt?"
William shook his head. "I'm sure."
Edward looked at his brother's hands. They were steady. "You've changed."
William met his eyes. "I've been fighting."
Edward nodded slowly. "I can see that."
---
Aldric sat on a bench near the gates, his leg stretched out, his cane beside him.
Gwen sat beside him, her hand on his arm, her eyes on his face.
"You should see a healer," she said.
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"You're not."
He looked at her. "Neither is Grog."
She was quiet for a moment. "He'll make it. He's strong."
Aldric looked at the doors where the healers had taken him. "I know."
But he wasn't sure.