Chapter 26
Smoke and Rain
The flames were so intense and the smoke so thick, Brenddel had a hard time seeing his remaining ships. Of the small fleet he brought, only his ship and five others were still in the air. To get away from the ever-widening smoke, he had ordered the ships to break formation and fan out into a rough circle around the large area, scanning for survivors. They were to use their bells if they saw any sign of life besides animals. It had been hours, and he had heard no bells at all. The forest was just burning.
Not for much longer, he thought. Brenddel heard the first drops of rain, followed moments later by heavy tears from the sky. Brenddel wondered if some god was sad that he had burned down the giant trees.
Brenddel felt nothing. It did not seem like Mantuan was
