We had stopped and set up an encampment that the dryads enchanted the same as the cabin, to be hidden from unwelcoming eyes, a few miles from the Valley of Gweiadur. Arriving here earlier we did not find guild scouts waiting for us in the area as planned. Valandria and the other Ranger, Mirna, immediately sent a team out to find them. That was hours ago, and they have not returned yet. A few brownies were running in and out the tent we were standing in, Bellator, Valandria, and Mirna along with a few of their Dryadalis guild officers were standing around a table with us, a map of the area they had drawn displayed. On there we had marked where Kai had set up an encampment from our previous information. One of the brownies, who called himself Treet and was wearing tiny leather armor made from what I could tell was a mouse as he still had the tail on the rear of it, jumped up on the table.

"Ranger" He said in an oddly deep but tiny voice," It is I, Treet the mighty leaf blower, the strongest root puller! The troops have come back with no good, terrible news!" He said.

"What is it then, Treet?" Valandria asked.

"No Rangers, you have to follow us, come see, come see." He said, jumping down and skedaddled across the tent floor through the exit.

Creasing my eyebrows confused, I looked at Valandria inquisitively. "Great." I said as we followed them.

We went outside and Treet climbed up Valandria's leg, up her armor and perched on her shoulder. She actually had a small strap that was built in for the brownie to hang on to. I shook my head, imagine riding into battle with an angry tree brownie on your shoulder. Making myself chuckle slightly, Bellator was eyeing me, probably wondering if I was about to have a moment like Sigurd used to. Valandria flashed me a surprised look to find me chuckling. "Oh, never mind." She said to me annoyed and rode off.

I climbed aboard my horse quickly and followed her through a path carved by our many horses, steering off on a less traveled path. We didn't get too far in before we had to rope the horses to a tree and continue on foot a short distance, Treet as our guide. we came out to an area of trees that had been chopped down. An entire section of the valley was carved out bare. Thousands of trees not only cut down, sections that looked like tents or something could have previously stood there. This must have been where Kai's encampment was set up. There were two carved out paths north and south of the area. Not only was it abandoned, it was burned. Everything, not a single life, plant or animal was untouched. The smell was strong of burnt wet wood and dirt. I covered my face with the extra fabric on my leather collar to avoid the smell.

Mirna and I started to walk forward into the burnt mess. Passing by both a small set of remains sprawled out that could have possibly been a rabbit or something. Then bones that belonged to a bigger group of people, awakened or even the missing dryad scouts. Animals, birds. The more we moved through it the worse the scene was. We came across a mass of burnt wooden altars. Crumbled to the side, some of them still tied against a half burnt corpse. A few altars that were singled out, burnt down as well with nothing but a smoking mass left.

And what was left was covered in a black sticky substance that creeped everywhere, I had never seen it before.

Bellator and Valandria walked over to an area that was bare of debris to examine the area.

"What could have happened here?" I asked, Mirna.

"I am unsure, Kaida. Whatever it was, it was hot and fast enough it killed everything before they could run." She said as she moved a carcass of a four legged animal around with a stick, examining it. "This substance is unknown to me." She told me.

"Bellator!" I called over to him, he and Valandria were across from us looking at something crouched near the ground.

He stood and motioned for us to come to him. We didn't hesitate starting to walk over to him, I thought I saw something in the distance at the far end of the ashes area, and stopped. I looked over at Mirna who had also caught a glimpse of our distance watcher as well. Both of us silently walked towards Bellator and Valandria without making any notice that we had spotted them.

When we got to Bellator's side Mirna stood beside him, watching the suspicious viewer without notice. Crouching beside Bellator and Valandria in a hushed voice I said, " We are being watched. A man in the woods behind you now."

"Look here," Valandria said, brushing away some more burnt foliage, as Bellator stood and walked over beside Mirna, He was also now watching the movements of this person as well.

Valandria was digging into the ground with her hands, no matter how much she took up from the hole, it was still burnt and full of the black substance. Black and almost sticky like slug slime. "This is dark evil magic, Kay. This is more than awakened magic, this is part of a dark sacrifice."

She stood, her face showing concern. Mirna took the opportunity and sprinted back the way we came.

"She is going to meet our friend," Bellator told us.

Valandria nodded, and made a quick bird call. Immediately I noticed a handful of brownies run by my feet, completely unseen as they ran under the burnt foliage towards the person in the trees.

It was only a few moments later that we could hear a commotion in the direction or visitor was hiding, and a man yelling out in protest.

Mirna had surprised the man from behind, while the brownies attacked him with their sharp spears.

The brownies had dipped their spears into a plant that causes a numbness in the body when entered into the bloodstream, our visitor was on the ground before Mirna had to do any really any work to restrain him. She was dragging him towards us by his legs in no time.

The man was covered in soot and black when he arrived over to us, he was wearing what most farmers wear, fur and leather. He had no weapons on him, he was older and was not in any position to try and fight. Trying to sit up, he was fumbling to gain his balance, his body numb and not doing what he expected from it. He was not awakened.

"What are you doing spying on us, Neamh draíochta?" Mirna said to the man, pushing her spear into his chest just enough to show him she was ready to use it.

"N-N-Nothing, I swear! They left! You don't know what they did!" He cried. "They killed so many! Burnt them all alive!" He covered his face in his palms and cried.

The man was in distress, and I could see he was probably on the edge of his sanity, but I needed more than that.

"What did they do, friend?" I placed my hand on his shoulder, and offered him some water. He took it greedily, gulping the water like he hasn't had any in days.

"That man, He ripped apart the realms! Something came out! Please, Help me!" He begged us. "There was a great blast of heat, a wave of fire, I saw it!" He said through panic sobs, "I came to help, I can not help them!" He said, whispering in fear.

"Go home." I said numbingly. I stood up pulling the man to his feet by his arm. "Run."

The man looked at me silent, unsure what to do for a second. Then he left, running to the woods and disappearing in the brush.

The truth setting in to myself and my companions of where we were standing.

"No! No he can't have brought her here. Not without the gem! Right?" I questioned Bellator, turning around to face him, confused.

"I don't know, Kaida." He said.

Valandria said nothing, she turned looking at her Conrad, then the both sprinted off, either direction from us, north and south. I figured they were going to scout the area for anyone else. I was speechless. Did Kai actually bring Amaia here without us knowing? Was I too late? I hoped not, I didn't think he was able to actually do it without Aadi's gem. Then again, Amaia killed Aadi for her own use. How naïve I have been to think that I was the key to opening the door to the realms.

Trampling my way through the dead wood, and reaching the edge of death. I placed my hand against the first tree I could lean on. Putting all my weight against it. My eyes were going blurry, my head was turning like I was spinning on a boat, my mind began filling with broken images.

My father was tied against a post with timber and other wood piled under him burning, his throat cut and blood running down the front of his armor. His hair hung in front of his face as his head hung. Then flames falling from the sky landed on the awakened people trying to run screaming, Kai using a binding spell so they were unable to move or leave. They were being burned alive, their cries filling the woods. Then a burst of red and gold light formed in front of Kai, Amaia's hand reaching through the light, her leather armored arm as recognizable to me as if it were my own. The last image was an explosion of fire, killing everything that was around. Men, brownies, dryads, creatures, whatever was alive and near to them. Kai however, stood there smiling in satisfaction as his own people burned around him, his brother's body burning after he had murdered him.

I pulled my hand from the tree and gasped, breathing in air like I was being denied it. I knew what I saw was true. I knew my father was dead as if I watched it happen myself. My heart was pounding. I could feel my body getting hot, the magic flowing through my body. I let out a scream of rage, or pure hate for Kai, my body busting the fire wings I had produced in the tomb before. I pulled out my blood stone sword fell to a knew and slammed it into the ground, blasting a dark orange light from my blade. The magic flowing into the ground and through it like veins of steel and water. It creeped into the trees and the rocks, the rage being pulled my body by the earth, standing again I pulled the blade from the soil. Breathing heavy, I turned and started to walk back across the burned land again.

"Kaida?" Bellator asked from behind me. He looked concerned.

"We are too late Bellator. Amaia has come. My father..." I couldn't finish. I had failed him. I thought of the lives that were stolen as I walked by their remains. They would become a part of a nightmare now. Those who came to help that bastard, Kai. I had to stop, falling to the ground on my hands and knees, throwing up the contents of my stomach.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Treydon is dead? How do you know this?" He asked me, as he comforted me in my current state.

"I saw it. The gods, they 'gifted' me a vision of what Kai has done." I said, my voice seemed unfamiliar to my own ear as I told Bellator of the images that rushed through my mind.

"My father, hundreds of awakened. Kai burned them all. He had no intention of sparing my fathers life." I was shaking with more than just anger.

I felt lost in my emotions, as I gave more details about the vision. I have failed at every single step I have taken. I dragged the dryads here for nothing. I shook my head frustrated with myself.

"Aadi told me my fathers death was already decided by the fates. I should have taken Kai's head from him, the moment I met him."

I climb up onto my horse, Bellator onto his own, waiting for our dryad companions. Valandria and Mirna arrive almost at the same time, both jogging in from opposite ends, there are plenty more spots like this. At Least three more in this direction." Mirna said.

Nodding in agreement with Mirna, "The same with this direction, I have also spotted a group of ravagers along the hills south from here, not far from us now."

"How could Kai have done this without notice?" Bellator asked.

"It looks like he may have caught people by surprise. A lot of the bodies look as though the attack was sudden enough they had no time to react." Mirna repeated her words from earlier. "And it doesn't look fresh." She added regretfully.

"No, it looks days old. Probably about the same night we brought Bellator in." Valandria stated.

"Let's go back to the camp, we will head back to," Mirna started talking, but was cut off by a ground shaking thunderous sound north of us. It was so loud my ears rang. Valandria and Mirna screamed, covering their ears as it happened.

"What in Terra was that?" Mirna asked in panic.

"I have no idea, let's go." Bellator said.

"NO, wait!" Valandria made two quick yips, calling brownie troops like she did before. A group of the troopers came running towards us only a moment later. "Téigh go dtí an campa, abair leis an guild grúpa a sheoladh i ndiaidh dúinn, ó thuaidh." she said in dryadalis, the brownie's disappearing in the direction of the dryad camp.

"Now we can go. The guild will send a company to follow us." She said as she mounted herself onto her horse.

The four of us headed to investigate the sound north. We could see a dark cloud in the sky that looked as though it was falling to the ground. Our horses dodged the trees as we pushed through the forest. It was only a few moments when a second rushing sound that I recognized was coming up behind us. I turned looking over my shoulder and could see a ravager chasing us. Not only was it accompanied by another of its kind, there were two darker four legged creatures that accompanied them.

"Look out!" I yelled at my group.

Bellator sharply turned his head to look behind him, Valandria mirroring him, Mirna jumped straight off her horse into the tree branches above us, her horse now rider less slowing down and taking off to the side of us. As the ravagers passed underneath her, holding two long curved daggers she jumped down onto its back, digging her daggers into the top of the ravagers shoulders, pulling it backwards, throwing it behind her coming to a rest on one knee, her arms outstretched behind her. She looked up to see the two beasts face to face with her. Valandria, had already dismounted her horse and ran up behind them, their mouths open baring four long fangs that were dripping black drool. Mirna stood up quickly, spun her daggers in her hand and leaped at the beasts. Valandria met her at the beast, she buried her sword in the head of the one beast as it jumped for Mirna, its head pinned to the ground. The second beast jumped as well, but landed on Mirna. Mirna yelled out in pain as the beast bit her arm, its teeth sinking into her flesh. The second ravager screamed as it gained its legs once again.

Bellator had dismounted his horse already and was running towards the ravager that was coming back at the dryad woman. He chucked his axe towards the ravager, but it dodged it and kept on its deadly path towards Valandria and Mirna, hissing at Bellator. Bellator didn't stop, he ran straight for the ravager and dove for it as it made a move to grab Valandria off the beast that was attacking Mirna.

I turned my horse the face the second ravager and pulled out my blood stone blade, swinging it upwards in front of me, sending wind in the form of a sharp blade towards the second ravager, slicing through its chest, the ravager screaming in a wet growl as it stopped, I brought my blade back down in the same slashing motion sending a second slicing wind in its chest again. I dismounted my horse and pulled my shield off my back and ran to meet the attacking creature. I slammed the ravager with my shield sending it backwards to the ground, its blood spraying on either side as my shield connected to its opened chest. I kicked it in the face as it was on its back, and sent my blade into its throat ripping out the side, killing the beast.

Valandria and Mirna had managed to kill the beast that was chewing on Mirna's arm, Valandria was now on the shoulders of the second ravager with her sword pressed through its head, Bellator his own sword in its chest. Valandria flipped off the shoulders of the ravager as it fell to the ground.

Breathing heavy, and full of black blood we gathered studying our surroundings. When we were sure to have no more attackers, we all quickly returned to our horses, Mirna sent a hawk's call into the woods, her horse returning to her only a moment later. Valandria was trying to heal Mirna's arm with her magic, trying to clean the wound of the black drool. It was sticky and smells like rot.

"Just another moment, Mirna. I have never seen those beasts before. Not here. Not in our woods!" She said as she pushed her magic into Mirna's arm.

"Neither have I Val, and I have fought plenty of those ravagers. Where did they come from?" Mirna asked.

Valandria shook her head, "I don't know." she admitted.

Mirna was suffering from the pain it was causing, trusting Valandria to be able to heal her. Valandria looked at me panicked after trying a few different spots for healing, understanding her silent plea, I placed my hand over hers on Mirna's wound, motioning for Bellator to match us. We cast a strong healing spell to match Valandria's green magic, the three of us pouring health back into Mirna's arm. It was enough the skin began to grow back crawling towards itself to cover the wound, it left a nasty scar that looked like it was seared flesh then a healed bite mark but the pain was gone, and she was able to move her arm once again.

Steadying herself, the four of us mounted our horses.

"Let this not slow us," Mirna said as she led the way north again. Following her, we left the creature's resting spot and continued our way towards the sound, the sky getting darker the closer we got. There was thick dust that looked to be falling.

Before long we came to the edge of the forest on a cliff that overlooked a fast flowing river that was below us. A roped bridge just off to the side of our location stretched across the river high on the cliffs we stood on. We turned our horses and walked over to the bridge. Jumping down and leaving them in the tree line.

I walked over to the bridge giving it a heavy stomp with my foot a couple times, then shook the roped sides. It seemed to be sturdy enough to travel across so I shrugged at my companions, "I would cross it." I said.

Bellator nodding at me stepped in front and led the way. I followed him, Valandria and Mirna behind us. We crossed the bridge at a quick pace, leaving a few paces between each other. Reaching the other end with no problems, we cautiously enter the woods again. After a few yards of not coming across anything, I started to jog. I didn't want to waste time. The woods did not stretch far back from the cliff. The dust was so thick in the air here I could taste it. I pulled the fabric from my collar over my face again to make it easier to breathe, my three companions did the same and began to walk again, the dirt cloud making it hard to run without the worry of running into something.

We eventually got to an area that was full of boulders and rocks, the dirt cloud so thick here it was hard to see much as it was settling around us. There was an enormous hole in the ground like something bursted out. I climbed over the debris to the edge of the hole. Trying to look down through the dust to see what I could find. Getting fed up with the dirt, I raised my hands in front of me, summoning a great wind, I brought my hands down in a flowing motion using the wind to blow a gust of dirt away from the hole long enough to catch a glimpse.

As the blew away from us I could start to make out a bright red glowing light at the bottom of the hole. There was something moving, I wasn't sure if it was one, or many. It reminded me of a hole filled with insects slithering around each other.

"What is that?" I asked Bellator.

"I don't know." He said to me,

Valandria, who was leaning over the edge as well, trying to make out what she could, she gasped after a short look. "Brannormer. Fire worms. We need to leave now. If we can get to the cliff, we may have a chance. They will not stop!"

Valandria didn't wait for us to decide if we were leaving or not, she took off back over the rocky debris and into the woods. Mirna directly behind her, leaving Bellator and I no choice.

As we were running back to the bridge, the ground started to shake, sounding like it was stretching. Reaching the bridge, Valandria and Mirna bolted across, their speed and balance barely swaying the bridge. Bellator and I behind them, not as agile. We leaped off the bridge at the end. I stopped and turned to look behind me across the cliff gap. The trees were slowly falling over in all directions as the Brannormer flowed out of their hole. We could see flames rising up along the fallen brush.

A group of men came up behind us on horseback, the dryad troop.

"Run!" Valandria yelled at them, confused they followed her orders.

We mounted our horses in a hurry, and kicked off back in the direction of the encampment.

Mirna was yelling at Valandria as we rode, "We must warn the city! We are not prepared, if they reach the city, it will burn to the forest floor!"

"Go, don't stop!" Valandria ordered Mirna. "You go with her!" She ordered the other dryads. The group of them splitting of towards Cinneadh.

"I must get to the camp." Valandria yelled at us. She pulled her horn from her hip and gave three sharp blasts followed by a longer one, then repeated it.

The forest jumped to life, brownies, and other small creatures moving together, birds removing the brownies as they spotted them. The entire area had obeyed their dryad protector, and started to vacate the entire area.

As we were not far from the camp it didn't take us long to get back, Valandria sounding her call once more as she entered, her horse running past the tents and awaiting dryadalis guild.

As she passed between horn calls, she was yelling at her people, "Brannormer! Get to the city, evacuate the forest! Brannormer!"

The guild did as it was commanded, they left everything where it was, enclosure and tents, tables and fire pits. They gathered their weapons and left back in the direction of the city.

"The Brannormer will burn everything in their path. We need great magic to stop them. It took a great dryad king, and his people to destroy and bury them before. They almost destroyed this land in the past." Valandria yelled at us as she helped a group gather their horses and leave. "We must gather our power in the city, we must try to stop them."

I didn't argue, I followed her lead helping those around us, and then when she was satisfied the majority of the guild was gone, she climbed onto her horse once again and started for the city of the dryads, Bellator and I behind her.