They were a week out of the village and had reached the outer borders of Gramnul District. “Now we turn west,” she said as she pointed out the border. Zeke looked in that direction where he could see a large riparian forest, dark and foreboding, and hills marching off to the horizon. He shivered and thought he heard a noise in the wind; like the sound of flapping sails. He looked up to see dark shapes circling in the growing dusk.

“To the wood!” Bru cried as she crouched ove...