Riding into Ivorina the town filled with lush forestry now sits in decaying Ivey.

    "What has happened here?" Lonán looks around his cloaked hood swaying with the wind as we trot off to the side. Getting down from his saddle, he pulls the horse beside him, and I quickly follow the feeling of eyes warping against my shoulder. "I feel it too."

    As those words left his throat an arrow whizzed by catching the corner of his hood and sending him backwards into the dirt. The horse bucking up and nearly catching his right hand as he curses.

    Releasing my horses lead, I duck down and yank Lonán back as another arrow flies by his head and into the dirt where his horse once was.

    "Holy Shit!" Lonán breathes, words shaking as we duck behind the nearest building. "Did you see where that was coming from?"

    Nodding, I stand back up and peek around the corner of the building, eyes scanning the other buildings ahead of us until another arrow bounced off my armor. Biting the inside of my mouth, I take a step back and pull my mace from my side, my shield against my gauntlet.

    "You go ahead, I'll go around. Meet ya in the middle."

    Grunting, I shake my head but its to late Lonán turns and takes off around the building. Lifting my shield, I cautiously move down the dirt road, the vines twisting and turning out of the corner of my eyes as though being pulled by strings.

    But as another arrow strikes my shield, I had no time to get a better look all my focus turning to the hidden archer that with every step becomes clearer.

    "TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND THIS ARROW WILL PEIRCE THAT FLIMSY ARMOR!!" A voice pierces the air, a woman's voice, anger, and something something else dripping from her mouth.

    "I say you put the bow down and we have a chat don't ya say?" Lonán now a foot from the woman holds his hand out to her. "we are not here to fight, more on contrary, I would rather figure out what happened here? This place was so lush the last I was here."

    Jutting her bow in direction she draws the string back and for a second the thought of failing the one thing my king had told me tears at my gut. But surprisingly she drops the string back letting the bow fall from his shaking hands.

    "It was them... those damn raiders. T-They did something to water. Everyone is sick even our forest seems to be dying with her people." With a weavering voice, Lonán takes her hand and leads her from atop the building and to the ground floor where I stand in wait.

    "It seems we will have to take a detour. What do you say? We help these poor folk out and get some answers."

    Shaking my head, the mission was clear. We had no time for this. Taking Lonán's arm, I try to pull him back to the horses but his arm seems to disappear like smoke before reconstructing as he takes a step back.

    "I know, I know, but we can't let these people die. What if they move on and do this to another poor village huh?"

    Huffing I hold my hand out, and for a second he seems to contemplate before shaking his head and turning back to step into the building where the woman leans against the entryway glossy eyes watching us, a small spark of hope within them. Begrudgingly I step behind Lonán no other option besides probably knocking him out coming into my mind.

    But with the woman's deadly accuracy I would expect an arrow to the back of my neck before I could throw him onto the saddle.

    "So my dear, where and when did these 'Raiders' come to pass?" 

    "Thank you, thank you..." A small smile graces her sweated features. "They have been staying on the other side of town about a mile out from the Eldridge grove." She explained turning a bit to point towards we could only assume to be the center of town. "Follow the road and you shall see where the decay is at its worse."

    "Understood." Lonán mock salutes in some vain attempt to make the woman smile but it only falls flat as he soon shrugs and motions in the direction we were supposed to go.

    Striding through the town the decay of greenery grew ever more with every step, until only wilted ash laid upon the earth. Squatting down Lonán picks up some of the ash, rubbing it between his gloved fingers.

    "Interesting."

    Slightly confused, I lay my hand on his shoulder. Catching his attention as he flinches away, looking up at me he stands up quickly and pats his hands together to remove the ash.

    "Oh, ugh." For a second he seems to have lost his train of thought before snapping his finger. "Now I remember, the ash. The ash doesn't seem to be just  wilted green but far more human." Lonán explains motioning towards the piles of ash that seem to pile higher with every step. "I- l think we must hurry... before not a soul be left."

    Agreeing with a sharp nod we follow the ash covered ground till it morphed into cobble, the clicking of Lonán's boots being the only noise as the once lively building disperse and hedges reach high into the suns hidden light, the sky seeming to darken in rain clouds as time went on.

~~~~

    Standing in front of a rustic gate, hedges and wilting bushes, trees, and what can only be described as indescribable remains lay at its entrance.

    "Looks like we made it. Let's go say hello," He turns his head to face me a smirking actually peeks through the shadow of his hood. "Shall we?" Purely white canines grin up at me, and for a minute I don't know if I should nod or just walk away. But as he turns into the maze my fate was decided.