The group left the blackened clearing behind, the forest slowly swallowing the stench of ash and blood. No one spoke for a while, their footsteps crunching softly on the undergrowth.
At last, Serelyth broke the silence, her voice low but sharp. "I noticed something… in the hands of one of those goblins. A tool. Not their kind of craft—too fine for them. It looked like a farmer's."
Lira's head snapped toward her. "A farmer's? Then there must be a settlement nearby."
"Or what's left of one," Thalanir muttered, scanning the shadows between the trees.
Serelyth's eyes narrowed, thoughtful. She turned her gaze skyward. "Little fire, do you want me to check it from the air?"
Lira nodded. "Yes. If there's a village, we need to know."
