An axe shot up silently from within the stockade. It flew in a high arc over the fields to the east before disappearing into the woods. It landed on soft earth with a quiet thud.

Bigfoot scampered out of the brush, grabbed the axe, and fled into the forest.

Next came a saw, it’s thin metal singing softly as it flew through the air. It clanged as it bounced off a tree. Sugar ran over, grabbed it, and took off after Bigfoot.

More tools followed: axes, saws, and adzes. As each one landed, a kuchibu appeared, grabbed it, and ran off. Some tools took two of them to carry.

"Do you hear something?" asked a guard on patrol.

"Like what?"

"Like a thumping coming out of the woods."

"I heard nothing."

Inside the camp, Sirajuddin whispered, Do you feel that?

What? asked Nahash.

That tingling, said Sirajuddin. Like someone is using magery nearby.

Nahash closed his eyes and sat still. He did feel something. Nothing too powerful, but you’re right. Let’s look around.

The two of them flew up a hundred feet and circled.

A tiny light winked below and something went flying off to the east.

What was that? asked Nahash.

It looked like an axe, said Sirajuddin. Looks like it flew into the forest.

Nahash ground his teeth. You keep watch. I’ll rouse the general to sound the alarm.

Nahash descended. Sirajuddin circled slowly, his eyes scanning the fort. He saw the tiny light wink again and dove for it. A saw flew past his wing. He was thirty feet up when the star winked out.

Sirajuddin focused his will and fired a beam of heat at the spot where the light had been. It hit the ground and smoldered. He flew back up twenty feet and waited. A moment later, an adze flew over his head. He spun, mid-air, to see a little star behind him wink out.

Nahash’s general sounded the alarm. Men mustered, stoked fires, and lit torches. The general had them watch for trouble in all directions.

They stared and stared. When nothing else happened for two hours, he called off the alarm.

Sirajuddin landed next to Nahash. The stars themselves are against us, he said.

What sorcery is this? asked Nahash.

The kuchibu took their spoils to the cave where the forest folk hid from storms and dragons.