I stared blankly at the aftermath of the spell. The clearing was deathly quiet. I felt my weapon fall from my hand and land softly on the ash-covered ground.

Crispin sniffled as he churned the Borealis around in his pot. We were up before dawn, greeted by an angry red sky. Crispin was making ice cream.

The news of an emergency announcement from the Birdfolk Council spread through Alderheart like the approaching flames. By the time Speaker Bita emerged from her chambers to address the crowd, almost everyone in the town was in attendance.

Back outside in the Scorched Grove, we gave Crispin a wide berth. He swung the ice staff Borealis around, tentatively at first and then with ever-increasing gusto.

We crossed the Bridge of Confidence and found ourselves in a deep chamber that had been hollowed out from the earth beneath the Scorched Grove.