I heard something in the middle of the pack before I could turn.

"The boy has vanished... There is no sign of the boy.

Maya and I exchanged a troubled look and hurried into the jungle, hoping to locate Elias before the helpless youngster was eaten by anything or someone. The forest didn't feel right.

The fog was still hanging in shape around the trees. The air was too calm and too cold, with a hint of iron and moss.

"He can't have gone far," Maya said.

"He's four," I said. "He shouldn't have ...