Lucas heard the screaming before he smelled the smoke.
Celia’s scream cut through the forest like a blade straight to his chest. Terror exploded through him and he took off running without thought, without hesitation. Jake, Kiernan, and the rest of the New Dawn warriors thundered after him, their footfalls pounding against the forest floor, but Lucas barely registered them.
They were in the forbidden stretch of forest. The one his father had always refused to patrol unless absolutely necessary. Lucas had only been here once before, long ago, but he knew exactly where they were headed. He could feel it in his bones. At the center of this place was a wide patch of barren earth where nothing ever grew. No grass. No saplings. Just dirt and ash and silence.
As they broke through the tree lin
