We kept walking among the trees for quite a while longer. The forest slowly returned to normal; the sound of the wind through the branches, some distant bird, the crunch of our boots on hardened snow and mud.
Daren continued in front, pushing branches aside with his spear as he moved forward with steady steps. Claire walked beside him, still somewhat quiet after everything that had happened. Rowan and I walked a bit behind; no one talked much, I think we were all tired.
After a while the terrain began to feel more familiar. I recognized some rocks and a fallen trunk we had seen the day before while tracking the first grimrats.
"We're doing well," Rowan said while looking around.
Daren nodded without stopping, "yeah, I remember this place."
Claire let out a small sigh of relief, "perfect, I want to get there before it gets dark."
We kept moving forward for several more minutes. I stretched a little as I walked, trying to loosen the muscles in my arms; after everything that had happened, my body felt heavy.
"At least we got some fangs," Daren said suddenly.
Claire glanced at him sideways, "Are you seriously thinking about that right now?"
"And why not?" he replied with a shrug, "they almost killed us, the least that could happen is that it was worth it."
Rowan let out a small laugh. "He has a point."
I smiled a little too, "how many had we gathered yesterday?" I asked.
"Twenty," Daren replied immediately, "and today we killed several more."
Claire frowned while thinking, "although we left some bodies behind…"
"I'm sure we still have more than twenty, I picked up some while we were resting," Daren said confidently, "not bad at all for our first hunt."
We walked in silence for about two more hours. As time passed, the trees began to space out more and the light of the sunset became clearer between the branches; that could only mean one thing.
We were close to leaving the forest. A few minutes later we finally saw the edge of the road that led back toward Briarwood.
Claire let out a long sigh, "finally."
Daren stopped for a moment and rested the spear on his shoulder, "well… we surv—"
"Do you smell that?" Rowan said while frowning.
"Yeah…" I answered. It was a faint smell, harsh, like burned wood that the wind carried from somewhere far away, barely a trace in the air, but enough to make my nose wrinkle.
The four of us turned at the same time, looking toward the direction of the village. For a few seconds we saw nothing.
The road rose gently from the edge of the forest toward the clearing where Briarwood stood, but from there the trees still blocked much of the view. Only dark treetops could be seen moving with the evening wind.
Rowan was still frowning.
I inhaled deeper through my nose. The air was cold, damp from the snow that melted during the day… but among all that there was something else.
Something dry, something harsh, like when wood burns for too long.
Daren tilted his head a bit, also smelling the air, "I don't smell anything."
Claire did seem to notice it. She stood still for a moment, looking toward the road that went down to the village.
The wind shifted. This time the smell became more evident, burned wood. It wasn't strong, barely a trace, as if it came from very far away, but it was there.
Claire cursed under her breath, "fire."
I looked again toward the clearing between the trees, "maybe someone lit a big campfire."
"Not at this hour," Claire replied immediately.
Daren moved forward, "let's go."
We left the forest walking faster. No one said it out loud, but we all quickened our pace. The path descended between a few scattered trees and dry bushes. With each step the smell seemed to grow a little clearer.
My stomach began to feel strange.
The silence of the forest faded behind us as we advanced. Now other sounds began to reach us, very distant at first, too confused to understand.
A thud, something breaking… maybe it was just the wind. We kept going down.
The sun was already very low and the orange light of the sunset filtered through the long trees of the clearing. That light usually made Briarwood look warm from the distance.
But this time something didn't fit. Rowan was the first to notice it and stopped.
"Do you see that?"
I looked where he was pointing. At first I didn't understand what I was seeing. The horizon above the village seemed… blurry, as if the air was trembling.
I blinked.
Then I saw it.
A dark stain slowly rising behind the houses.
Smoke.
Still very far away, but clearly smoke.
Claire let out a short breath. "No…"
Daren narrowed his eyes, trying to see better, "What the hell…?"
We kept walking, now much faster.
With every step the smoke became more evident. It was no longer just a column; there were several, rising twisted by the evening wind.
Soon we stopped walking and began to jog.
Then to run.
The path descended toward the clearing and our boots struck the hard earth and dirty snow as we moved faster and faster. The smell of smoke became much stronger now, harsh in the throat.
There was no doubt anymore.
Something was burning.
And it wasn't small.
The wind blew from the valley and brought more sounds with it. At first they were only confused echoes, but little by little they began to separate.
A scream.
Then another.
I felt my chest tighten as we kept running.
Rowan heard it too. "Did you hear that?"
No one answered, but we all sped up.
The edge of the forest fell behind us and the land opened completely in front of us. From there the road descended toward Briarwood between some wooden fences and fields covered in old snow.
Smoke rose in thick columns above the village, dark against the orange sky of the sunset. Some houses were already wrapped in flames, and the fire illuminated the center of the settlement with a restless glow that moved between the roofs.
Claire froze for a second. "What the hell…"
Daren dropped his hunting spear and gripped his sword tightly, "Let's go!" Claire went after him.
"Wait!" Rowan tried to stop him, but it was useless. "Shit, Luke, let's go."
We went down the road almost out of control, breathing with difficulty from the cold and the effort. As we got closer, the sounds of the village became clearer and clearer.
People shouting.
Horses neighing.
Wood breaking.
A spark of fire flew through the air and disappeared in the wind while we were still some distance away.
"This isn't just a fire," Rowan said between breaths.
My heart pounded as I watched the village getting closer and closer. The first houses on the edge were already in sight. One of them had its roof completely in flames, another seemed to have been knocked down.
When we reached the first wooden fences we saw several people running from one side to another with buckets of water. A woman dragged a small child away from a house that was burning through a broken window.
The air was full of smoke.
A man ran past us with his face covered in soot. He didn't even look at us. "Help the ones at the barn!" he shouted as he kept running down the street.
Daren stopped for an instant, looking at the chaos in front of us.
Then, from the center of the village, another sound came.
Metal clashing against metal.
Rowan and I turned our heads in that direction. And then, through the smoke of the main street, figures began to appear moving.
They weren't just armed men covered in armor.
There were armored beasts alongside them.