The ride from the capital to Oakhaven took two hours on royal wind horses. These magical steeds hovered a few inches off the ground, their hooves never touching the ground. They moved faster than a rushing river, obscuring the green trees and open plains into a smear of color.
Kairos rode at the front. The wind whipped his dark hair back. He didn't feel the usual nervous flutter in his stomach. For the first time in his life, riding toward a monster attack didn't feel like a desperate gamble. It felt like a simple job.
Smoke painted the eastern sky. It wasn't the clean, gray smoke of a normal wood fire. It was a sick, unnatural purple black cloud that stained the clouds.
"I see the village!" Ignis shouted over the rushing wind, pointing ahead.
Oakhaven was a large, peaceful farming settlement built near the edge of a dense forest. Usually, it was surrounded by neat rows of golden wheat. Today, the wheat fields were completely trampled and burning with corrupted flames.
