I
Spring had come relatively early, and heavy rains in the early spring had brought an amazing abundance of new growth to the Forest of Argent. Although Argent was still wild and pristine in comparison to its neighbors, Mardan to the north and Tourant to the south, the wet, warm spring had brought a vigor to the forest that instilled a sense of awe even into Argent's residents. Enormous oaks sprouted verdant, broad canopies, while saplings sprang up seemingly overnight wherever the sun shone down to the forest floor. Thick, almost impassable undergrowth covered the ground beneath the leafy ceiling, providing an abundance of food for the animal inhabitants of the forest. The River Embléz, which flowed through the very heart of Argent, ran deeper and faster than it had in years, owing to the heavy thaws in the mountains, and even the smallest creek in Argent seemed to be deeper and wider than it ever had been. The beautiful spring seemed to promise a summer of growth that would far outshine any season in recent history.
Which made the current situation even more bizarre.
"A fire?"
"A fire," Leith confirmed, sniffing at the wind blowing in from the southwest. The elf stopped for a moment, considering the overgrown path before him in the dim, half light of dusk. "An unfortunate wind, as well. It will carry the smoke and fire towards the treant groves."
"A fire in these conditions will never last long," Custennin observed, making his way slowly along behind Leith. Leith turned back to his companion, considering the slightly shorter elf for a long moment.
"Where did the fire even come from?" Leith asked, keeping his voice low as he turned back to the forest ahead of him. The western reaches of Argent were scarcely populated even by elven standards, forming a huge, unspoiled forest where only a few druids and rangers truly knew the lay of the land. While the powerful goblin nation of Trzebin dominated the mountains on the northwestern fringes of the sprawling forest and had openly declared themselves enemies of the elven nation of Argent, it was rare to actually see a goblin anywhere inside Argent's rather blurred borders. Custennin considered his partner's question for a long moment, brushing a few strands of silvery blond hair from his face as he thought.
"You think it's unnatural?" Custennin guessed, though it seemed as though the elf had already had suspicions of his own. Leith nodded as he tucked a strand of his own platinum hair behind his pointed ear.
"Goblins, maybe," Leith said. "Though when we do see them, they are not as stealthy."
"We are still a mile from the fire or more," Custennin decided, considering the faint smoke on the air himself. "We will probably see them once we track the smoke to its source. Then we track them and pick them off, one or two at a time. Without goblins to keep the fire going, it will die out."
"Why are goblins starting fires now?" Leith asked.
"Because they hate us and want to destroy the forest," Custennin pointed out. "If Krysztof cannot have our land, he will make certain that no one can have it."
"Be careful, Custennin," Leith said, picking his route through the underbrush and stealing forward. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"I never take Krysztof's goblins lightly," Custennin reassured his partner. Leith nodded, and the two elves disappeared into the forest.
Leith picked his way masterfully through the dense growth, barely moving a twig and making no sound as he crept through the forest. Many times in the past he and Custennin had slipped through the forest unheard and unseen, able to surprise even the wariest hobgoblin warrior or the most vigilant human explorer. While most elves had little knowledge of the northwestern reaches of Argent, preferring instead to let the treants govern themselves, Leith had both gained the friendships of the sentient trees and learned the magnificent forest's secrets. His extensive knowledge was exactly what made him so certain that the fire was unnatural; the wet spring and the location of the fire, along a large network of creeks and streams, seemed to be naturally impossible. As Leith closed the last of the distance to the fire, he grew more and more on edge, until he could finally see the conflagration in full.
The fire had burned several acres of land, but as Leith and Custennin found it the inferno seemed to be in the process of dying. Trapped between two streams joined together in a roughly Y shaped course, the flames were already growing dimmer, and few embers jumped across the streams to light new fires outside of the water's natural break. The last light of dusk had already faded to nothing, but the flames dancing along the streams provided more than enough illumination to the site. Leith paused for a moment as he considered the flames, then turned back to his partner.
"It seems the water will stop the fire here," he said quietly, wiping at his emerald green eyes as the smoke shifted towards the two rangers. Custennin nodded, squinting his own eyes in an attempt to keep the smoke from blinding him. "But to be sure, we-"
Custennin held up a hand suddenly for silence. Leith dropped low to the ground, nocking an arrow quickly as he searched for whatever it was that had set his partner on edge. For what seemed like eternity the two remained silent and hidden, waiting for anything to reveal itself in the light of the fires.
Finally, Leith was certain that he had seen something. Whatever it was, it could be no elf; it was far too large, and seemed almost misshapen against the lurid background of the fires. No bear or deer made such a revolting silhouette against flames, and slowly the elven ranger drew his arrow back to his cheek, ready to strike down the abomination with a single, well placed shot.
He never had the chance to let his shot fly.
In an instant Leith was engulfed in flames. A towering wall of fire ripped through the forest underbrush, catching the two rangers in its deadly path, even as a pillar of sinister orange and red flames erupted under each elf. Leith was barely able to scream in pain before the elf, as well as his partner, had been burned to cinders in the sudden inferno. Seemingly oblivious to the danger the elf had posed, the abomination shuffled out of the firelight, disappearing into darkness as a new fire began its slow, relentless march to the east.