"If there are no tracks," he said, his voice carrying the weight of an unwelcome conclusion, "then it seems the flying spirit beasts passed overhead and spread their poison from the sky."
Sienna looked up instinctively.
Against the mountain slopes, several dark specks could be seen circling in the distance like black stains on the horizon.
Harold's explanation made sense.
And that only made the situation feel even more oppressive.
Sienna pressed her lips together.
Ground beasts were troublesome enough.
But if they also had to worry about creatures descending from the sky, then their enemies were no longer attacking from one direction, but from every direction at once, like rain finding every crack in a roof.
Her mood sank.
Then, suddenly, Mirella's voice rang out across the valley.
"Young Miss! Come quickly!"
The urgency in her tone snapped both Sienna and Harold from their thoughts.
They rushed over.
What they saw stopped them in their tracks.
