[Child of the 7th Age]

They were now on the east side of the Running River, an area that was far less familiar to them than the western banks. Swiftly they followed the muddy tracks that led away from the water and met up with a path continuing towards a wooded copse. The trees and bushes were smaller here and spaced wide apart. It would have been possible for a small boy to wriggle through without too much difficulty.

Elanor felt her heart thump feverishly as Arlinn picked up the pace, frantically pushing the branches aside in his keen anxiety to find his son before any further mischief could befall him. They had been going on like this for only a few moments when Elanor spied something familiar at the side of the trail. A small jacket was caught up in the thorns of a spiny gorse bush.

"Look, papa!" she called out, racing forward to her father. In her arms, she cradled the precious article of clothing. Although wet and dirty, the jacket was intact, showing no signs of blood or ugly rips. She bent down and let the dogs pick up the scent. They responded by sniffing the ground and hurrying ahead.

The jacket was clearly recognizable as one that used to belong to Eli. Willow had recently given the jacket to Eric, since he always lost so many clothes and she hesitated to buy him anything new.

Without a word, the party resumed its chase. This time Elian sprinted ahead, trailing closely after the dogs. He ran down the path some fifty paces, rounding a bend where the path continued on towards a strand of pines. These were much more imposing than the ones they had just pushed through. Covering the ground was a thick carpet of needles. Eli trudged more slowly up the steep hill, which was also blanketed with pines. He hoped that the slightly higher vantage would enable him to spot his cousin, despite the grove of tall trees.

But before he could make it all the way, Hawkwood and Ruff began baying out a warning a few paces ahead, clearly excited by whatever they'd found. Elian raced towards the barking hounds, fearful of what might be causing the ruckus. He halted abruptly at the top of the hill, staring out in disbelief. A few pines still stood but many of their branches were severely singed or snapped in two, hanging down to the ground. The floor of the forest appeared burnt and scorched, leaving large patches of earth that were barren and black Not an animal or plant remained alive. It was as if a maniac had attacked and rearranged the very bones of the earth.

Yelling back over his shoulder, Elian cried out shakily, "Arlinn, Rhysdan, Elanor, I'm up here. Come quickly....."