“Is Joe around?” Sky asked.

  “Joe? No, he’s with the guild… oh, there he is. Joe!” the guild receptionist shouted.

  Joe turned his head to see Sky. It had been long, but her face was one he couldn’t forget—especially with the recent commotion. The guild hadn’t changed since the last time Sky was here; everything was exactly the same.

  “I wouldn’t advise you to move alone. Follow me,” Joe said. He turned to the receptionist. “No one you haven’t seen should make it past here. I was never here.” He headed up the stairs with Sky trailing behind him.

  “You have a lot of explaining to do, Sky. Dakota’s part I get to some extent—I already knew—but…” Joe started, opening the door to the Guild Master’s office.

  “Can you help me with something first?”

  “No,” Joe replied, taking his seat as Sky closed the door. “Not until you tell me why Azeya, Leon, and some incredibly fast person are looking for you.”

  “Look, me, Leon, and Azeya are connected because of Jack,” Sky said, taking a seat. “And the other person? I honestly don’t know.”

  Joe took a second, resting his hand on his head. “It can’t be that simple.”

  “I told you. Now I’m asking if you can help me find a nice place—somewhere far from Zurehn and Os’thera.”

  “But why would you always be in hiding?” Joe asked. “Why not just talk to them?”

  “Joe, will you help me?”

  “The missing piece, Sky,” Joe pressed. “Give me the—”

  There was a knock—a hard, heavy knock—just before a voice rang out. “Joe, I know Sky is in there. Open this up before I knock it down!”

  “That’s Azeya. If it’s that simple, then let me open the door.”

  “Okay then,” Sky replied, walking toward the window.

  Joe stood up and walked toward the door, but he stopped when he heard Sky speak again.

  “Joe, a question: do you think monsters are created or born?” The question halted Joe, his hand already on the door handle.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Wait…” Joe whispered. Then he heard the sound of shattering glass. He only caught a glimpse of Sky’s movement, her little half-white dress disappearing out the window.

  On the other side of the door, he heard footsteps—running footsteps that quickly faded away. Joe jumped out the window after her, squeezing through the frame before landing on both legs. His eyes searched for Sky, but there was nothing.

  ........

  He grabbed her by the wrist, punching her face with just enough force.

  “Open the barrier, lady. Don’t make me ask again,” Varok said. He switched positions, pinning Tork down. Her arm was held at a brutal angle, pulled vertically up while her face was pressed into the grass.

  “I’ve already told you, I’ll let you walk out alive. Just don’t make this harder,” he said, wrapping his hand around Tork’s fingers.

  “Why would I?” Tork replied, spitting bloody saliva. “Ambushing an old woman now, are we?”

  There was a sickening snap. Tork’s shout filled the air, while the tree trunks merely swayed in the wind.

  “Over… over my dead body,” Tork panted, taking deep breaths between her words.

  “Why protect a girl you barely know? It’s madness.”

  “Damn fool. If you saw what I saw, you would…”

  Varok snapped the arm again, twisting it until the shoulder dislocated with a loud pop. “Open the damn barrier,” he growled as Tork cried her heart out. She took another minute to stop the screaming.

  “Want me to snap the other one?” he asked, grabbing her other hand as her shouting died down to a whimper.

  She was still in Veilwood. With night falling, the chances of her screaming and no one answering were a solid ninety-nine percent.

  “Do your worst,” Tork said through her tears.

  “Huh. Time to eat,” Varok said. He stepped away just enough—his mind never tracked the movement, but suddenly he was airborne. Something with brown and black feathers had snatched him up. It had been silent until it was right on him; its talons were clamped on his arm, carrying his entire weight with long, powerful wingbeats.

  ‘What the fuck? Fuck you,’ Varok thought. He used his free hand to grab the leg holding him and, using his raw strength, snapped the bone. The creature shrieked, sending him into a straight free-fall.

  As he looked up, he saw the eyes—dark, massive eyes that turned away just before another creature passed right near him. Both birds were the size of a man and identical. More importantly, the second one grabbed Tork by the shoulders, flying high into the clouds with her.

  Just as Varok struck the ground, his shoulder was crushed hard. Talons pierced through his flesh, but his reinforcements arrived just in time. Four Duskwolves jumped onto the big bird, nearly stopping it from taking off. The creature flapped with enough force to clear the grass from the ground, causing small trees to bend one hundred and eighty degrees. The Duskwolves were biting deep while Varok once again caught the bird's leg. His head was spinning and his body was strained to withstand the force, especially being at the center of the struggle. His eyes were shut and his ears began to bleed, but the wolves didn't let go. Duskwolves have one of the strongest bites in the world, and it usually worked like a charm.

  More Duskwolves arrived, but by then, the bird was nothing but bone that shriveled into dust. There were ten Duskwolves in total surrounding Varok; some licked at his wounds and wiggled their tails, while others howled, their calls echoed by more duskwolves in the distance.

  “Uhhhh, my shoulder,” Varok groaned, the heavy breaths of the Duskwolves drawing closer as he spoke.

  ..........

  “Come on, Ell. I know this isn’t your body. I’ve only let it slip so that I could gain your trust.”

  “Is that so?” Ell said, backing away.

  “I don’t have time. I’m not even sure how much time I have left,” Rheis replied. “So let us go, and we won’t leave this place in blood.”

  .........

  “Seems like I lost her,” Sky said, walking through the trees of Veilwood.

  “Not quite, actually,” Azeya replied, appearing from the front. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a good chase.” She was dressed in black soft jeans, looking perfectly composed.

  “What do you want from me?” Sky asked.

  “You knew Jack. You and the other boy. How? Let’s start there.”

  “He knew us from childhood. He helped us grow up,” Sky said. “He kept us like his own children.”

  “That much I know. He tried to protect you. The question is why he didn't tell us—because before there was you, there was us,” Azeya said.

  “That was up to him. I have nothing to do with that.”

  “Oh, but you did, Sky. We’ve known Jack for most of our lives. Damn it, some of his bad manners even rubbed off on us. And it’s been a long time since he was able to fully wield the twin blades.”

  “That’s how…”

  “No, see, I was hoping for this. Now I have to beat it out of you,” Azeya said, walking toward Sky. She pulled on a pair of black gloves. “Impress me, and I won’t make it too painful.”