He sprinted through the line of trees that marked the end of the forest, his sanctuary. He had known something was terribly wrong. His hometown, a small village with just over thirty people in residence, was burning. He had seen the smoke rising into the sky when he woke and ran toward it immediately, praying that she was okay. He hated that he had to leave Jade alone, unprotected, with Lord Westley and his army raging across Torrin, but he dared not stay near people during the full moon. Aidan slowed as he reached the outskirts of the little town. He walked amidst burning buildings, seeing no one, hearing no screams. At the center of the main square a fountain poured a blood bath into the pool beneath it. Through his blurry vision, amongst the blood and gore he saw one thing with painfully perfect clarity, a tiny hand floating in the placid water.