Kasala paused, looking over at the burning wreckage of the hut. With a wave of her hand, she called down a shower of sleet that quenched the flames, before turning to her mistress.<br/><br/>"Nothing, my lady," the elf said, evident confusion in her voice. "The Orcs attacked Pinna's hut, took her captive and made off with her into the forest. They... could have levelled all of gravesford with numbers like that..."<br/><br/>"Since when do Orcs make surgical strikes?" Giselle grumbled in frustration. She cast a look at Kasala, who still had not drawn the cloak closed around her, and her frown deepened.<br/><br/>"I do not know," Kasala replied. "But it is evident that they White Tusks wished to take her alive. Which, I suppose, is reason to hope."<br/><br/>A handful of men in hastily-donned guards' uniforms came running down the road. Father Belderone seemed to be shuffling behind them a ways back "Wh-what's the problem!?" their leader cried.<br/><br/>"Th-they're gone," the guardsman on duty stammered back. "Orcs. They took Pinna."<br/><br/>The other guardsmen lowered their heads. "I'm sorry," the leader said. "We donned our armour as fast as we could."<br/><br/>"I think they got Lenore, too," the man continued. "My partner, on bridge duty tonight," he explained to Larissa. "She thought she heard something. Went to check it out. I was about to go look for her when Pinna's house went up." The enormity of this evening seemed to be crashing down around him, and he leaned heavily on his spear as he began to tremble.<br/><br/>"We have lost much this evening," came the voice of Father Belderone. "We will lose more if anyone ventures into the forest this night. Rest for now. In the morning, we shall rally the townsfolk and decide what is to be done."