Justin's throat tightened. His gaze wandered to the giant demon axe stuck in the tree nearby. He closed his eyes. In the distance, through the bright and colorful life forces of the jungle, he saw the great, hulking shadows of cythraul-dozens upon dozens of them-surrounding Esthean, launching bursts of blackness down into the crater. Spears of light shot back up at them. Justin was seeing the battle in real-time. As he watched, he heard a chorus of hooting overhead, followed by a rustling in the trees. Without looking, he knew that the primates he had seen nesting in the ruins of Esthean were fleeing through the jungle. At least someone had made it out.
"How many people are in Esthean?" asked Justin.
"One hundred and twenty, at most," said Kallorn.