Sifting through the ashes

Malakyte carefully stepped over the still smoking ruins of the keep. Everywhere she looked she saw destruction. Even the stones were burned. There was no doubt about it, the only thing that could wreck such complete destruction was dragon fire.

She sighed and once more turned to the northeast, to the dark land in the distance. Would her old friend have changed so much? What had happened in the years since Everwind?

She sniffed the air once more, hoping to get a hint of who might have done this. She did not like jumping to conclusions, especially such obvious conclusions. The farm had been right at the very entrance to the dark realm. Sighing at the only scents, brimstone, ashes and death, she shook her head. No clues there.

The questions remained. Did she have a rogue among the dragons, could this be the work of some new unknown dragon or was this something done at the instigation of the dark queen, the mate of her old friend? She wanted to be absolutely certain before taking any action.

For a long time she watched the shadows of the clouds as they slid over the distant island. It seemed the only way was to ask for herself.