The whirlwind slowed.
It didn't stop suddenly, instead it wound down the way it had wound up, the rotation easing, the mass of mixed soil and dust descending gradually back toward the ground, the material settling in layers as the movement stopped driving it upward.
The colored dust disappeared into the soil as it came down, absorbed rather than scattered, leaving no visible trace on the surface.
Then it was just a field again.
But not the same field.
Darion walked forward, Garren a step behind him. The ground under his boots felt different immediately, it had more substance to it, less like walking on compacted dust. He crouched and pressed his hand flat against the surface.
