Shadow Cursed by May Sage Page 0,58

swore if I ever fathered a half-sprite, he'd kill it, and the mother too."

I grit my teeth. It's not the first time I've heard such a sentiment, but it always infuriates me. I'm a halfling. So is Drusk. What do the lords of the lower courts truly think of us? No wonder Ash was so quick to betray us.

"Your father is a swine," Ina said, turning to Jules. "If he ever says such a thing in front of me, I'll open him up from one end to the next. The gentry are inbred, losing all magic because of that sort of stupidity."

"Can I watch?" Jules asks cheerfully.

Our chatter gets more subdued as we approach the city—I can hear activity above us. Footsteps and talks.

Jules grows quieter, and jumpier. At one intersection, he stops us. "Hang on a minute. Something's wrong."

I turn to him, alert.

"We're close to the surface. We should be hearing things—people outside, shopkeepers, soldiers marching—even if it weren't market day. It's too quiet."

He tiptoes to the path on our right that looks a lot dirtier than the one we've taken. "We should be able to peek into town from here."

We follow him, careful not to make a single noise. Soon, the path ends with another blocked exit—he magics it open, and light floods our tunnel, bathing us in warmth.

We're at a window inside the outer walls surrounding the city, with a view to what looks like the town center, right in front of the stronghold.

There's something blocking the path. It's dark, charred black. At first, I don't understand what I see. Art, perhaps? If one can call it that. I never understood human tastes.

"By the gods," Ina whispers.

I hear Ive retch behind us. I can only stare once I realize.

The charred statues at the gates aren't a mortal's poor opinion of art. They're people. Folk. Shy folk, burned to a crisp, and displayed right here.

They were all thrown together in chains, and then the humans had them set on fire days ago. It can't have been recent, otherwise there would be smoke, and a stronger smell.

This was left as a message. A message for us.

For me.

I lose it.

Darker Woods

Drusk

I can tell what Vlari is about to do less than a second before she moves to leap out the window, rush to the middle of Sandovar, and kill everyone in sight. Just in time to catch her hands and pull her back.

She kicks, swears, and throws punches, screaming at me to let her go. I cover her mouth, and drag her back through the tunnels.

This was exactly what the humans had intended, and I can't give them the satisfaction. I can't risk losing her, either. So I drag her kicking and screaming, taking each hit, keeping her as silent as I can until we're out.

I only let go when Jules closes the path behind us.

She punches me. I let her have the first hit, but I counter the second. "Not even you can take thousands of humans at once, Vlari. One would get to you. An arrow. A lucky dagger. Are you selfish enough to condemn your kingdom?"

She yells and launches at me. I pull my sword, and block her with the blunt side. I know this is about releasing her anger more than hurting me, or I'd be dead by now.

"We have to go. She was too loud," Jules urges us.

I nod. "After you."

He starts to run, and the rest of our company follows him. Vlari is still glaring at me, bloodlust brightening her gaze. "Are you done, or am I going to have to throw you over my shoulder?"

I treat her like a child to make her realize she's acting like one.

"They deserve to pay. They deserve to burn."

I nod. "Certainly. And to see to that, we'd better be alive."

She's shaking with rage, but I see her claws retract.

"Come on. Jules was right, we were probably heard."

We follow after the others, prioritizing speed over silence this time. They find us anyway.

When I hear the dogs barking as they hunt us, I grab Vlari and place her over my shoulder as I promised I would. She's the slowest among us.

"Wait!" I only have time to scream before the ground collapses beneath our feet, and the air crackles, propelling us with a terrible force. My head hits the ground so hard I feel dizzy, and I can taste blood in my mouth. All around me, there's nothing but chaos. I have to blink several times before I understand the