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Towards the centre of this flat lay the wreckage of a trader’s wagon, surrounded by scorched ground where white ashes spun in s anywhere

Pearl leading, they strode into the strange burned circle

The ashes were filled with tiny bones, burned white and grey by so underfoot Bemused, Lostara crouched down to study theaze was on the wagon or, perhaps, so just beyond it At her question he shook his head ‘No, lass Rats’

She saw a tiny skull lying at her feet, confir his words ‘There are rats of a sort, in the rocky areas-’

He glanced over at her ‘These are-were-D’ivers A particularly unpleasant individual named Gryllen’

‘He was slain here?’

‘I don’t think so Badly hurt, perhaps’ Pearl walked over to a larger heap of ash, and squatted to sweep it away

Lostara approached

He was uncovering a corpse, nothing but bones-and those bones were all terribly gnawed

‘Poor bastard’

Pearl said nothing He reached down into the collapsed skeleton and lifted into view a small chunk of metal ‘Melted,’ he il Mage cadre’

There were four additional heaps similar to that which had hidden the chewed bones Lostara walked to the nearest one and began kicking the ash away

‘This one’s whole!’ she hissed, seeing fire-blackened flesh

Pearl caether, they brushed the corpse clear fro had been mostly burned off, and fire had raced across the skin but had see much more than scorch the surface

As the Claept the last of the ash fro, Lostara leapt back, one hand sweeping her sword free of its scabbard

‘It’s all right,’ Pearl said, ‘this thing isn’t going anywhere, lass’

Behind the corpse’s wrinkled, collapsed lids, there were only gaping pits Its lips had peeled back with desiccation, leaving it with a ghastly, blackened grin

‘What remains?’ Pearl asked it ‘Can you still speak?’

Faint sounds rasped fro Pearl to lean closer

‘What did it say?’ Lostara delanced back at her ‘He said, "I am naument there-’