The fire remained dead.
John stared at the pile of blackened wood.
Nobody had touched it.
There had been no wind.
No rain.
Yet the flames had simply disappeared.
Darius slowly lowered his hand.
"That wasn't natural."
"No," John said.
He looked toward the girl.
She was sitting beside Sylvara, wrapped in a blanket. She looked exhausted, but she was awake now.
The girl noticed John staring.
"What?"
"What's your name?"
She hesitated.
"Mira."
"Just Mira?"
She nodded.
John crouched in front of her.
"All right, Mira. I need you to tell me exactly what happened."
She looked down.
"My father and I lived near the western mountains."
"How long?"
"All my life."
"And your father?"
"He was a scholar."
Darius immediately became interested.
"What kind of scholar?"
Mira glanced at him.
"He studied old ruins."
John exchanged a look with Darius.
That was already too convenient.
"Did he know about Project Evolve?"
Mira shook her head.
"No. He didn't know that name."
