Wait a minute…
“Hey…” I frown, taking my rucksack off and digging through it, searching for the extra pear I bought. When I can’t find it, I ask, exasperated,“Are you serious? I just gave you a bunch of coins! Can’t you buy your own damn pear?”
He finishes off the fruit, licking the juice from his fingers. Then he tosses the pear core into the air. It halts, hovering in front of my face. In seconds, it’s no longer just a core.
It’s been restored to a whole pear and looks exactly like the one I just bought.
How is he this good with his magic? With his skills, he could’ve joined The Divine or at least become a city guard.
I disregard those thoughts and snatch the pear out of the air. “I don’t want your sloppy seconds.”
And, for a second, I swear he almost smiles.
…
We trek silently through the streets of Meriva until we reach the end of the Commons and enter the Scraps.
“What are we doing in the Scraps? Shouldn’t we be heading toward the bridge that takes us through the southern half of Ruvain? I looked up the route on a map, and it showed that we have to cross through Ruvain to get to Gadonia, which will lead us to Elphar.”
The sheer thought of passing throughRuvainis terrifying. No good comes from that kingdom.
“Have to make a stop before we go that way,” Thane says.
The deeper we walk into the Scraps and the closer we get to the trees lining the border, the more the atmosphere shifts from busy and uplifted to drab and weary. The canal disappears, leaving only streets riddled with weeds between ruined cobblestones. It smells like pee or fish…or both.
I’m certain the thick black smoke billowing from some of the chimneys is the cause of the phlegmy coughs echoing through the run-down buildings and alleys.
For the first time, I stick close to Thane, who’s pulled his mask up. I force a smile at the hollow-cheeked Scrappers sitting on the side of the road. Some have dark streaks on their hands and faces from working the coal and wood factories. But all appear tired, even the children.
Beastials live among them, too. I’d figure more would take their chances in the forests than starve here, but I suppose even beastials aren’t all that great at surviving out there alone. Not with the wilder beasts roaming Thelanor.
A young girl with messy pigtails sitting next to a broken barrel catches my attention.
“Just keep your eyes ahead,” Thane says in a low voice.
I’m confused by his statement and the urgency in his tone.
I glance at the girl again. She’s standing now, smiling sadly at me. I toss her a subtle wave,offering a smile, to which she cracks a full smile and reveals rotting teeth.
My skin immediately prickles with unease. Something about her grin causes my smile to slip away.
And before I know it, she’s running swiftly in my direction.
Chapter 8
The girl snarls like an animal as she shoves Thane away with all her might, then grabs hold of me, attempting to drag me away. I gasp as my legs stiffen and my stomach feels weighed down with a thousand rocks.
Her skin that was once pale, nearly translucent, has transitioned to a putrid green. Her dark irises are now rimmed with red, and what should be the whites of her eyes aren’t white at all, but a sickly yellow.
What the shadows is wrong with her? How has she changed from an innocent girl to…to…this green thing withclaws?
She grabs my wrist and manages to press the tips of her claws into it. Any deeper and she’ll puncture my skin. I scream and push a hand against her chest, trying to free myself, but it proves near impossible.
Her teeth extend, saliva dripping down pointy fangs. When she hisses, her goopy spittle launches my way and splatters on my clothes.
In the next breath, the silver blade of a sword catches in the sunlight. Thane steps between me and the creature, bringing the edge of it to the green thing’s throat.
“She’s not yours to have,” Thane growls, pressing the sword deeper into the creature’s skin and conjuring thick, inky blood. “Now leave us alone or I’ll cut your damn head off.”
