Why am I the only one who gets dragged into her weird plans? Wien mentally sighed, getting a slight chuckle from Ardrin who read his thoughts, which made him freeze after realizing that it wasn't just Taegin who could do that.
I'd better keep my thoughts to myself, then, he thought nervously as his eyes widened in surprise. That's the best one you've had since I met you, Ardrin sent, forcing his words into Wien's mind, causing him to shudder in a brief moment of embarrassment and fear.
Within the hour, the four of them departed Odensby and made their way northeast to the nearest town, as Wien and Trina led them to the last known location. Even though spring was just a few weeks away, there was still plenty of snow on the path, and icicles hanging from the trees' branches.
"So, what do you know about this so-called sickness?" Ardrin asked Trina who rode just ahead of him beside Wien. "Before I answer that: do you think it's not a sickness?" she asked with visible confusion. "No. I don't, but I want to hear your thoughts on it first, so I can have a better idea of what I'm looking for," Ardrin noted plaintively.
"Ah, I see. Well, the only things we seem to know about it is that whatever is causing it has seemingly drained the life out of anything it's come into contact with," she said grimly, causing both brothers to look at her with visible concern. "Sorry to interrupt, but we'll be arriving soon," Wien noted, pointing in the general direction of their destination. "Let's hurry," Taegin urged, digging his heels into his horse's sides to pick up his pace.
As they rounded the corner of the path, they found the remains of a small farmhouse that looked as though a loose boulder from the side of a mountain had crashed into it. "Fy faen i Helvete! What happened here?" Trina gasped, putting a hand to her mouth in shock. "The farmer who lived here said that it happened nearly two days ago. This is the most recent one we've heard of, but there's more to it than just the destruction of his home," Wien noted gravely as he and the others dismounted.
They approached the rubble cautiously, observing both the ground and the surrounding trees for any signs of damage. Ardrin put his hand to one of the trees and pushed mana into it, his eyes flaring with violet as the golden tendrils danced within his irises wildly.
Taegin similarly put his hand to the ground, feeling the response of the earth-attribute mana momentarily, before moving on to the rubble. He briefly closed his eyes, sensing the air around him as he bent it to his will. Trina and Wien did what they could to aid in the search for any signs that would indicate what had happened, but all they found were a handful of pig remains scattered about their pen.
"Ugh, I'm starting to see what you mean by it not being a sickness," Trina said, holding the back of her gauntlet up to her nose. "It both is and isn't," Taegin said, reopening his eyes. "What do you mean, Master?" Wien asked with visible disgust as he turned away from the gory pen. "It seems that our visitor brought something terrible along with him; something I'd rather hoped we wouldn't find here," Taegin continued, getting a nod of confirmation from his brother, noting he'd found the same.
"A visitor? You mean something, or someone, did that? I heard rumors that there was someone powerful wandering the northern lands, but this is something else," Trina said, gesturing to the caved-in side of the house. "Yes, though I thi-..." Taegin cut himself off, seeing the pig remains strewn across the pen.
"Did you find anything?" Ardrin asked, backing away from the trees and noticing his brother's look of confusion. He followed Taegin's gaze and immediately recognized what he was looking at. "Thran? But what are they doing here?" Ardrin asked hushedly, getting a glance from Taegin that suggested he didn't know either.
"Whatever they're doing, it had to be because someone brought them here," Taegin noted, putting a finger on his chin with a furrowed brow. Trina and Wien looked at him in confusion, but after a few silent moments, Ardrin spoke up. "I think I know how they got here," he said, observing the wreckage momentarily, prompting Taegin and the others to look at him.
"There are still traces of Leech mana present in the wreckage, but for whatever reason, those traces also contain Tyrant mana," he said gravely, prompting Taegin to nod in agreement with his assessment. "I thought so, too, but why? What purpose would they have here in Hjal-..." he trailed off as if suddenly realizing the obvious.
"Leech and Tyrant mana? Taegin, I know it's been a long time since I was an active Synner, but what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Trina asked, moving toward him with Wien close behind, but Taegin held up a hand and shook his head. "I'm not going to ask you to come with us, but I'll have more time to explain on our way to Valdis. If you want answers, that's our best chance at finding them," he said urgently.
"We're with you, Taegin. I'd rather see this situation over with sooner rather than later. Wien, mount up. We're going with them to Valdis," she replied, getting a hesitant nod of confirmation from the young man.
"Looks like you're getting dragged around again, boy," Ardrin noted with a wry grin.