Reidar leaned low over the wolf's back as it went through the forest. Ahead, Lena led the way, checking every trunk and root for Lysa's marks.
A faint scratch caught his eye. "There," he said.
Lena jerked her wolf left. They followed the traces until they reached an area where the ground grew churned, and the soil was torn in wide swaths. Reidar's army flanked them.
The wolves slowed. Vines drooped everywhere, and the ground smelled of burnt earth and ozone. Scattered bits of sprite shells pulsed among the wreckage.
Reidar dismounted, kneeling amid the debris. There were other kinds of marks among the them: boot prints.
"Human tracks," he said, tracing the faint outline. "Mixed with monsters."
"Maybe it's Lysa…" Torren said.
"I doubt it." Jorik had a grim look. "If this was Lysa coming here, there was no way she would have been able to leave alone if Reidar's army was alive. Either she came later or didn't come here at all." He paused.
