Undeserving of any last words

Embers, ash, and pillars. That was all that was left of the ancient edifice that had once stood in the position Cinnia, Denzel, and Mya were standing on.

"One step ahead of us... Fucking son of a—Agh!" Cinnia balled her fists and kicked a pebble in front of her, sending it flying. She ran her fingers through her hair and sank to sit on her heels.

A muscle in Denzel's jaw ticked. He wanted to break something, to kill someone but he had to keep his anger in check. There had to be another way.

"When could he have done this?" Denzel murmured to himself as he stepped further into the rubble, not minding the smoldering ash that licked at his shoes.

Mya moved ahead of him, kicking away crushed stones and waving her hand in front of her to block away the dust that threatened to suffocate her.

Some minutes later, they returned to where Cinnia still sat, her fists shaking in her lap.

The look on their faces said it all. The tree was gone. Cut down and burnt to a crisp. Only a single root r