Eliza Twitchel & The Haunted Forest

Eliza Twitchel & The Haunted Forest--Chapter 10

                         The Destruction of Sprudlende

Quinn, Talan and Eliza sat on their horses atop a grassy hilltop overlooking the village of Sprudlende, its earthen homes with thatched roofs charred and smoldering. 

Quinn turned to Eliza. "Stay here. No reason you should see this."  He glanced at Talan, who nodded grimly.  "That goes for you too, brownie."

That suited Eliza fine.  Looking down at the village, she already had a good idea what the two men would find and she wanted no part of it.  Even from this vantage point, she could see what looked like tiny bodies lying motionless on the ground.

Fayne sat perched on a boulder, staring down the hill at the village. Quinn gave the bird a glance, then dug his heels into his horse's side and galloped down the side of the hill, followed by Talan.

"What do you think happened?"  Eliza asked as she stared at the village.  

Grizzle climbed up the Tinker's crest, holding onto its mane to get a better look.  He surveyed the village, shaking his head.  "Sprudlende was home to a thousand gnomes.  I don't see a single one alive."  He looked back at Eliza, his brown face etched with worry.  "This is the queen's handiwork, mark my word."

Eliza felt sick to her stomach as she searched the blackened village for signs of life.  "All those people: Why would she do this?"

Grizzle sighed as he scoured the village. "Do not try to understand the mind of the troll witch. It is as sick and twisted as Mairwynn's tree."

Talan unshouldered his bow as he and Quinn entered the village.  Their horses clopped noisily over bare, scorched earth, past dead goats and sheep riddled with black arrows.  Chickens darted in front of the horses, clucking madly, many with singed feathers.

Talan dismounted and crouched down, examining deep wagon wheel tracks.  He stood and followed the tracks with his eyes.  "They headed east along a straight path."

Quinn grunted and nudged his horse forward, following the wagon tracks deeper into the village.  The stench of charred homes and burning flesh caused him to cover his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his robe.

Tracks from barefoot gnomes ran in all directions, chased by attackers on horseback and wolf, trampling flower and vegetable gardens that dotted the village.  Gnomes lay where they fell--holding rakes and shovels, pierced with black-feathered arrows—many ravaged by teeth and claws.

"Hello!" Quinn called.  "If you are hiding, come out! We are friends!"    

Talan stopped alongside Quinn.  He pointed to a black arrow sticking out the back of a gray-bearded gnome dressed in a nightshirt.  "Those are gobbling arrows."

Quinn studied horse tracks.  "They had help: Redcaps most likely.  I'll wager the wagons were loaded with prisoners." He pointed at a set of booted prints three times as large as a man's foot. "An ogre was here."

"Fanghorn." Talan spit on the ground and surveyed the charred huts. "This makes no sense. The gnomes have no enemies. Why attack them?"

Quinn stared at the dead gnome.  "I've seen this before; in my world. It is just the beginning. War is coming."

War. Talan could hardly believe it. An uneasy truce had held since Ru'elawen stole the queen's secret weapon. What could have driven her to abandon peace now?

"Help!  Help me!"

Quinn and Talan snapped their heads around, searching burned-out huts.