Chapter 91 - A grisly meadow
Rosa stared up at the reddened sky. “A nightmare…?”
“Remaining here is still an option,” Scarlett said.
The woman turned to her. She shook her head. “No. I’m coming with.”
“…Very well.”
They walked forward towards the forest ahead of them. Scarlett created a pair of small flames to lend them some light, though even with that, she had a much harder time finding her footing compared to during the day.
The deeper they got, the thicker the scent of charcoal hanging in the air got. When they reached the other end of the forest, exiting out into the glade where Freymeadow lay, a gasp left Rosa beside her.
The entire village was on fire.
Smoke trailed up from many of the houses, some of them nothing more but charred skeletons of their original frames, flames licking at their remains. Even the stone wall sheltering the village had been toppled over and scorched beyond recognition in spots, surrounded by sleets of seared, dead grass. The enclosure for the sheep had also burnt down, nothing left but a smoldering piece of rubble spread out over the field. The animals themselves were nowhere to be seen.
Rosa wore a horrified expression. “W-What the Blazes happened here?” She blinked, then turned to Scarlett. “We have to get the others. There could be people that need help!”
Scarlett gave her a long look. “There are none to help.”
The woman stared back at her. “…You knew this was going to happen.”
Scarlett stayed quiet.