Rejji ran and caught up to the girl and led her around. There was not much to be salvaged as just about everything burnable had burned. Rejji was able to gather the fossils he had been saving for the last six months, but he almost didn’t bother to collect them. His dream went up in smoke with the village. Many of the huts were still smoldering and the scouting expedition was over quickly. Rejji led the girl back to the wagon and handed the fossils to Brontos.

“You might as well have these,” Rejji offered. “We were planning on ordering parts for a boat so I could fish in the sea. We don’t need to order anything from you though. Just take them.”

“You two get up on the wagon,” ordered Brontos as he spurned Rejji’s offer.

“What about the burials,” asked Rejji? “We can’t just leave them like this.”

“We must,” responded Brontos. “I will explain why as we ride. You must trust my judgment on it until then.”

The girl hopped onto the seat of the wagon, but Rejji stood firm.

“I am not leaving them without a proper burial,” insisted Rejji. “If you are in that much of a hurry then go on without me. I can do it alone.”

Brontos bit his lip pensively before speaking. “If you bury them, lad, others will die. I have seen much in these last six months. Many things I would rather not talk about, but I will because you need to know. But we must move out now. If you bury these villagers, others must take their place. Get on the wagon and I will explain while we ride. If you don’t like my explanation, I will bring you back.”

Rejji was puzzled but he trusted the old man. He nodded his head slightly and climbed onto the seat and Brontos wheeled the wagon out of the village.

“These killings have been going on for close to a year,” Brontos began as they headed up the road. “At first they were rather random and bizarre events that nobody could make sense of. Lately though they have become more frequent and more is known about them. The started up in the Kramath River valley, as far to the northwest as you can get and still be in Fakara, so I avoided going there.”