The trees were proving rather uncooperative to Efrain’s search for the path to Innie’s grove. There were many in places that he did not remember them, and some that were missing.

“I should’ve made a map,” said Efrain, vowing to draft one as soon as possible when he went back to the castle.

At least Tykhon seemed not to mind the cold nor the exertion, so at least he didn’t have to worry about a surly horse. He looked around at the trees, trying to see a landmark or path that he had missed.

“Now let’s see,” he said, looking up to the sky and trying to figure out just where the sun was, “So that way is west, that way north… so, it should be in this direction.”

As he adjusted Tykhon’s course, he heard the faintest sound off in the distance. It sounded rather like laughter, but it was so indistinct that it could’ve been wind in the trees for all he knew. As he progressed through the evergreens, however, it began to draw closer and closer. It was laughter, high, fast - a child’s giggle, somewhere off in the trees.

Efrain sat easy in the saddle - the sounds were a indication that he was at least in the right area. As he continued deeper into the forest more voices joined, some higher and lower, all merging in a chorus. It might have been quite disturbing had Efrain not known the source. Then again, I’m sure that’s the intent, he thought as the voices drifted in and out of hearing. Once he started to feel the buzz of magic in the clearing around them, he reigned Tykhon to a stop.

“You can come out now,” he called to the trees.

For a moment it was silent, then the branches began to flicker in sudden onslaught of light. Spheres of desaturated pink, blue, yellow, orange, and green fire weaved and bobbed through the trees. All came to the small clearing, circling overhead, shedding little curls and orbs of multicoloured flame. Some spun close then snapped away, others maintained their distance, flitting high above in the trees.

“You’re not afraid?” came a child’s voice, a young girl, Efrain thought, although he couldn’t be entirely sure.

“I’m a friend of your mother, little ones,” Efrain said as he examined them.

There was a greater movement in the group, as if they had turned inward to discuss among themselves. With all the fiery offshoots it was difficult, if not outright impossible to judge with eyesight alone. After a few moments between the two dozen wisps, they seemed to come to a consensus.

“We will lead you to the mother,” said an older voice, a boy’s, Efrain thought.

“I’d be thankful,” said Efrain.

The lights rose and skirted through the trees to the northwest, Efrain following slowly behind. More than once they stopped and hovered in the crock of a tree, as if staring back at him. Efrain was sure that Tykhon could navigate through the trees at a much higher speed, but would rather not test his own dodging ability.

It didn’t take long for him to come across the landmark he had been looking for. A ring of charred trees, breaking out into a meadow filled with vibrant flowers, even in the cold of winter. The grasses broke out onto the mountain side, stemming from an outcropping of rock. On that outcrop laid Innialysia, this time with only the merest impression of her cat form.

Streamer and rivulets of fire drifted off her form as the wisp played about her. Embers poured off of her as she drifted to her feet. Her eyes gone from amber orbs to white hot coals turned lazily to Efrain, who quickly dismounted to cross the meadow. She poured over the rock, floating above the flowers, which flattened in the hot breeze given out by the wisp mother.

“Well, I suppose if I appeared in your home uninvited, it’s only fair that you get to do the same,” she said as she curled into a ball of flame, far larger than the other wisps.

“I suppose so,” Efrain nodded, “though you’re welcome at my castle at any time.”

Efrain wasn’t sure if the noise he heard was a snort, chuckle, sigh, or just more crackling of fire. Maybe it was some combination of the four.

“Alright, I’ll bite. Why are you here, Efrain? I hardly remember the last time you came to my meadow.”

“To be honest,” Efrain said, feeling suddenly sheepish at the truth, “I didn’t come her on business.”

The silence was quite unsettling where paired with a massive expressionless ball of fire.

“So, this is… a social visit?” said Innie, a measure of disbelief in her voice.

“I guess so,” shrugged Efrain, “even I have my limits when it comes to isolation. Undead don’t make for good conversationalists. I guess I just wanted to get out.”

“No. No, I suppose that they wouldn’t,” mulled Innie as she swirled around overhead, “I admit, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“And I wasn’t expecting a paladin to crash down from my ceiling, but this week has been a strange one.”

“You’re right about that,” said Innie, “how did she even get up that high?”

“I suspect that will be a mystery that I will never solve,” said Efrain dryly.

“Hm. Well, as it happens, I have a mystery that I could use some help with.”

“Oh?”

“Something’s moved through the woods. Whatever it is, it’s killing the trees.”

“I know. I saw some of them on my way in. I thought it might’ve been a parasite.”

The wisp-mother bobbed in a strange manner that Efrain somehow knew was a shake of the head, or its equivalent.

“No, it’s a… what’s the term? A discrete presence. I first noticed it some days ago - I wasn’t tempted to investigate.”

“I didn’t feel anyth- no, wait. There was something. A wave of magic, nearly knocked me over. That was this morning.”

The fires swirled, changing colour as the wisp-mother drifted from side to side.

“Is that so?”

“You didn’t? It was significant. I haven’t felt anything like that since I was near a Angorrah alchemist’s forge-works. I wonder if any survived the purge?”

“Efrain,” said Innie, irritation present in every syllable.

“Right, right. Sorry. So what do you want to do?”

“What I ‘want’ you to do is get back up on that ‘horse’ of yours and come with me to look for clues.”

“I guess I should’ve figured that I wasn’t going to come to dessert platter,” said Efrain, as he turned around.

“You don’t eat,” said Innie.

As he remounted on Tykhon, there was a woosh and crackle behind him. Innie, now a considerably smaller and less fiery black cat, hopped up onto the saddle. Tykhon turned around to stare at him, something like discontent flickering in its slitted pupils.

“I promise this won’t be happening often,” said Efrain apologetically as he took the reins, “right, where too?”

“There’s a clearing seven hundred steps to the south-east. I want to get your opinion on something.”

Efrain applied the reins, sending Tykhon to trot through the trees, back into the snow. As they passed beneath the boughs of the pine and cedars, Innialysia spoke.

“So, where did this creature come from? Another one of your experiments?”

“A gift from Carnes. They seemed keen to send my on my way,” responded Efrain.

“Your ‘way’? And where, pray tell, does that go?”

“I have no idea, but if it involves any more paladins, I’ll personally strangle Carnes myself.”

“Now that,” laughed Innie, “would be a considerable task. That child is durable for all their dainty affectations.”

“Oh, I know. They probably wouldn’t even bat an eye. But what exactly did you want me to-”

He stopped as they broke out into the clearing, the floor of the forest covered in shattered trunks and yellow pines.

“Ah,” he said, stopping before the mess.

“This is the one,” Innie said as she hopped off to walk along a downed tree. Efrain joined her a moment later, dusting off the snow from the trunk. To his surprise, he found it dessicated, bark splintered and cracked, not a single pine or cone on its branches.

“Well, I certainly know what you wanted to show me,” he said as he straightened to look around. Claws on the trees at the edge of the chaos confirmed his suspicions.

“I don’t think a parasite would fell trees in a line,” Innie said, nodding toward the edge of the clearing. There was an slight divot in the forest, where tree after tree lay on its side.

“Nor from the bottom up,” said Efrain as he hopped on top of the log pile to get a better view.

“Mmh. Either way, if I was a betting girl, something very big went through that way.”

“You know, I think you might be right. But that doesn’t explain this,” Efrain said, as he picked up a pinecone, blacked and withered, which promptly crumbled into ash, “it’s like…”

“Like the life’s been drained out of it. And that, is why-”

“You need me,” Efrain finished for her.

“Correct. I don’t know of any creature near this place that could cause such an effect.”

“Well, it’d have to be quite large,” said Efrain.

Innie did not respond to his intentional obtuseness, but her tail did begin to twitch. Efrain figured that it might be better not to test his luck.

“Large and strong enough to down trees… drains the energy out of its environment…” Efrain tapped his forehead as he ran through the list of possibilities.

“A considerable number of creatures fit that description, but the only one close to here would be a volcanic wyrm,” he said, glancing back to the north, and the peaks of the Giant’s Spine.

“Hm. It’d be a long way from home.”

“True. And I’d expect more burning in the general vicinity,” Efrain said, gesturing around the clearing.

“Could it be sick? Couldn’t use its more incendiary tools and crawled here to die?”

Efrain tilted his head as he considered the possibilities, then shook it.

“No. I’d expect it to nestle closer to magma if it was seeking energy. There are too many hurdles for one to come not only to the surface, but all the way down to the valley. Their whole live cycle is around the magma flows.”

“Fleeing a predator then?”

“Predator? There’s not many things that would dare to… wait,” Efrain said, spying a glimmer through the snow. Stepping over the logs, he brushed away the snow to grasp the object.

It was a crystal and something was very, very wrong with it.

Just by looking at it, Efrain felt a churn of nausea in a stomach he no longer had. Colours oozed their way across its black surface, like an oil spill in torch light. Suddenly, he realized that he could no longer feel his hand, and let go of it quickly.

“Innie, come and look at this.”

The cat dropped from her perch, and came to his side to stare at the thing. Once she past Efrain boots, sniffing as she went, her hackles rose as she backed quickly away from it.

“What is that?” she hissed.