They saw the smoke from afar. It was billowing along the slope in a thick and heavy mass. Hellrien quickened her speed. When she saw the remains of the farmhouse she felt a nasty taste in her mouth. Gust of wind brought along the disgusting smell of burnt flesh. There was a small girl running around the yard, golden locks waving in the wind.
”Aunt Thornley!” the girl screamed desperately.
Rose ran to her. Ingrandor looked at the girl and the woman and shouted:
”Who did this? Were are your parents?”
Hellrien ran to the front yard. The farmhouse had been burnt down to the plinth. The fire was already beginning to burn out as it had extinguished all fuel. Only charred stone walls remained. Hellrien turned and heard the girl talking hastily and quickly.
”There were three of them - three men! Daddy went out to talk to them! I heard how they yelled at him! Then mommy went out too!”
”Where are your parents now?” Ingrandor asked.
Hellrien turned and began striding towards the shed out back. Heat struck against her face. In the middle of the remains of the shed her eyes spotted the charred remains of three chickens and two pigs. There were boiling hot iron objects glowing in the ashes too, among which she recognized at least a bent plough. Next to it her gaze spotted something else.
It was a half-burnt boot. Hellrien tried to dig deeper among the ashes and pieces of wood. Some charred object went apart from her touch, and under it there was a human shape. Then another.
”Where are those men now?” she heard Ingrandor’s voice from the yard.
”They also have a small boy!” said Rose’s voice. ”Sissi, where is your brother? Where is George?”
”There is nothing here”, said Ingrandor. ”I'll look for tracks!”
Hellrien stood up and went to look for Ingrandor. Wind cascaded smoke and ashes on her neck. She found him hunched down near the front yard, looking for tracks.
”I think I found her parents”, Hellrien said quietly. ”No sign of the boy.”
Ingrandor nodded without looking at the girl and the woman and looked around once more. ”Let's see if we can follow them. They have surely left tracks.”
Pretty soon he stumbled upon some tracks, but they were smaller than what he had anticipated. The footprints seemed to belong to a small boy that had been running back in the direction of Thornley’s farm. Ingrandor followed them for a few yards before he stopped and turned at the others.
”I see footsteps”, he said, ”how tall is the boy?”
”Not tall, he's maybe eight years old”, said Rose.
”It should be him then”, said Ingrandor, ”come. Let's find him, stay back though.”
Ingrandor swung his sword and used the motion to turn around and started moving somewhat between a walk and a jog as he followed the tracks that led out of the yard to the grassland. Hellrien followed after him. Behind them stood the two females leaning against the wind as the yard got gradually covered with ashes.
