275 Elemental

It was night when I came back to the lake. Heda had woken up by then. They were staring at the fire that was still raging though the forest. Wind had picked up, causing fire to spread even further. We heard beasts scream and howl in the distance, but none of them made their way to the lake. 

Heda turned toward me as soon as I got closer to the champions. "What did you find?" she asked. 

"Nothing," I replied, downcast. "Something's wrong. The forest must be swarming with beasts right now." 

"They are all around us," Heda replied. She looked around scanning the burning woods with her green eyes. "They're far from here, but I can sense their hostile intent locked in on us." 

"How many?" I asked. 

Heda shrugged. "Too many to count, fire is keeping them at bay at the moment." 

I scratched my head. "There's no boat around. We can't reach the lab by crossing the lake." 

Heda's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"