“Salamander, grant me favor, show me footprints made most recently.”
A little lizard shot from under her robe.
“I was wondering where you kept the little fireballs,” Finnán quipped.
“Hottest place this side of Alcyone,” she retorted.
The salamander ran around them in ever-widening circles, leaving bright spots in the shape of human footprints on the trails. The set of footprints heading to the south glowed the brightest.
“South, little salamander,” Sionann said. “Follow the warmth.”
The Elemental headed along the line of trampled grass at a fair clip.
The three humans followed, having to walk at a brisk pace to keep up. They dropped into a dell, a stream coursing along the divide, and then ascended the other side toward a copse of tree. The thicket of alder showed evidence of occupa
