“Are you all right?” Lockhart voiced his first concern when he arrived, Captain Decker beside him. The women nodded. “We wait until the light is better before we investigate,” he decided, and Mingus, Roland and Captain Decker saw the wisdom in that.

Back in camp, they made what breakfast they could out of the leftover deer and greens, and Lincoln distracted them all by suggesting they pack the camp and be prepared to move out quickly, just in case. The way he phrased it the others could hardly argue.

The sun had come well up by the time Lockhart, Mingus, Roland, Captain Decker, and Boston made for the faint wisps of smoke that still trailed into the sky. Lieutenant Harper wanted to go with them, but Captain Decker ordered her to stay and defend the camp.

“Yes, sir,” Katie responded, but she did not sound too happy about it.

Boston started out front. She thought for a second that only she could pinpoint the location, but then she saw the smoke, remembered the roar, and slipped back to a safer place between Lockhart and Roland. They had to separate a little when they got to the trees at the bottom of the hill. Boston immediately came across a great, old tree that got torn up by the roots. Lockhart pointed out several smaller, young trees that looked broken and crushed to the ground, like they had been stepped on.

“This is not good,” Mingus said. He examined the trees and bushes that were burnt and singed. Some of the trees still smoked, though none were outright burning.

“Over here,” Roland called.

They found the ghoul sitting with his back to a tree, dying. He bled, Boston guessed, though it looked more like slimy green and purple sauce than blood. The ghoul looked up at them and made a sound that could only have been laughter. Boston felt the hair rise on the back of her neck at that sound.

“This is definitely not good,” Mingus said.

“Your unicorn?” Captain Decker asked, but Boston shook her head. That was no unicorn sound she heard in the night.

The ghoul looked up at the captain and laughed at the word unicorn. The captain responded by shooting the ghoul. It deflated and compressed and left a green smudge on the dirt while the captain spoke.

“Mercy killing.”

“We might have gotten some information.” Lockhart scolded the man. Mingus mitigated.

“No, we wouldn’t.”

They started back up the hill to the camp when another roar could be heard in the distance. Fortunately, it seemed some distance away.

“I hope that’s a dragon,” Roland spoke softly, and Boston looked at the man, believing he must be crazy.

“A dragon spirit would be better,” Mingus heard his son with his good elf ears and responded.

“And if it is not?” Lockhart asked.

“Definitely not good.” Mingus said it again.

~~~*~~~

The travelers arrived at what looked to them like the first real village they had seen. Instead of tents, they found makeshift dwellings built of bamboo and grasses. They looked crude, to be sure, and easily taken down, but solid enough. They were also easily burned from the look of some of them.

“Strangers. Strangers!” One man saw them, yelled in panic, and ran off. A few women screamed and ran into their huts. Lockhart halted their progress somewhere near the middle of the village, a village deserted by the time they stopped.

“Nothing like a first-class welcome,” he said.

“Why are they afraid of us?” Boston wondered out loud.

“They are certainly afraid of something,” Roland added.

“Some people are just afraid of anything they don’t understand,” Lincoln suggested, and Lieutenant Harper stepped up to agree, but Mingus spoke first.

“No, they are just rabbits. Scared rabbits. So, son-in-law, welcome home.”

“Father!” Alexis objected, but Lincoln just ignored the elf.

Six elderly men appeared at the end of the row of houses. They did not look too brave. They came forward in a group where they might not have come by themselves. The eldest spoke when they were near. “Are you of the goddess or of the beast?”

“Neither.” Lockhart spoke plainly enough. “We are travelers and seek only shelter for the night. We will move on tomorrow.”

The men turned to each other and began a whispered argument.

“Tell me about the goddess,” Lieutenant Harper butted in, and the men paused so the eldest could speak again.

“Nagi-di is the goddess of our village. Some say she has sent the beast because she is angry with us. Others say a jealous, rival god sent the beast. We have prayed every day and made offerings to the goddess for her help, but we do not know if she has abandoned us. Please, are you the help, or have you come to kill all that the beast has not destroyed?”

“We are here to help,” Alexis spoke up, and Lockhart turned on her.

“What is it with you and Boston? You are not permitted to offer bread or help or anything else that commits this group in any way without asking permission. Is that clear?” He was not happy.

 Alexis dropped her eyes but said nothing as Mingus stepped forward with a question. “What kind of beast?”

The men took one look at Mingus and took a big step back, but to their credit, they did not turn and run. They simply appeared afraid to answer. A boy came around the corner and pushed right passed the men. He looked like a young man of about fifteen and one of the men yelled at him.

“Keng!”

But Keng ignored the man, ran right up to Boston, and gave her a big hug. “You guys got here just in time,” Keng said. He let go of Boston and turned toward Mingus. “It’s a bogy beast,” he said. “I was beginning to think it would be the end for us all, but here you are.”

“But if the beast is the end of the story, we might mess things up if we help.” Lincoln felt concerned about changing time.

“Maybe,” Keng admitted. “But I don’t think it is supposed to be here. I haven’t seen its master, but you know they are never far away.”

“Master?” Lockhart asked.

Keng looked at the man and paused before he smiled. “Not the masters, like that. I mean the bogy man.”

“What is a bogy beast?” Captain Decker wanted to know.

“A bogy man’s dog,” Mingus answered.

“A lesser spirit, up to twenty feet tall or long with razor sharp claws and teeth and it breathes fire. Nearly impossible to kill, the database says. It does look sort of like a bear.” Boston added the last for Lieutenant Harper.

“Definitely not good,” Mingus added under his breath.

“So, you will stay and help?” Keng asked. He looked up at Lockhart again and Lockhart reluctantly nodded.

“But my first duty is to get this crew home,” he said. “If it becomes impossible, we are out of here.”

“Understood.” Keng turned to the men. “They will stay and help, but we need to treat them well while they are here.”

The man who yelled at Keng stepped free of the group and slapped Keng in the ear, hard. “You have no business telling your elders what to do.”  He immediately turned to the travelers. “You are welcome here, and Nagi’s blessing be upon you.”

“Come out, come out.” Other men yelled. “They are sent by the goddess and are here to help.”

Alexis stepped up to Keng to make sure that he was all right. Boston moved up, too, but her lips were moving. “Come out, come out wherever you are and meet the young lady who fell from a star.”

Keng had a hand on his ear, but he smiled on hearing that.

The travelers set up camp in the middle of the village. The people brought some of their food but did not stand around to stare. They especially avoided the elves and some, no doubt, felt the elves were as dangerous as the beast. One of the elder men commented on this.

“How is it that the spirits of the earth do your bidding? Are they safe?”

“We have a common goal,” Lockhart said, with a sideways look at Mingus. “And no, they are not safe, but they will help.”

“But you have them so well trained,” another man commented. Roland had to step in front of his father to prevent an incident.

“So, tell me, do we have to hunt the beast?”

The two elders looked at each other, surprised at being asked such a question. “Why, no,” one finally said. “It has come to the village twice in the night.

“Though it did not come last night,” the other said, thoughtfully.

“Yes, something must have distracted it,” the first concluded.

“Us,” Lockhart said. “Only a ghoul got in the way.”

Not long after that, they heard the not too distant roar.