Page 46 of Taken By Shadows

“Oh?” the scarred-faced man drawled. “Is he worth worrying about?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t, Mirl,” the scrawny, cleanshaven one said, his voice trembling.

“No,” Mirl said, levelling his sight on me. “She’s lying. See? She’s shaking. If she had someone who cared about her, she wouldn’t be trying to walk around the city in the dead of night.”

Bleeding Crowns.

“I’m warning you, he’ll be here.” But my words lacked conviction. And they knew it.

They’d closed the gap between us, and I whirled to attempt an exit behind me, but the lines tangled in my feet. Blood rushed into my ears as adrenaline took over my senses.

Something heavy hit me on the back of the head. It was all I could do to protect my face with my hands before I crashed to the ground.

Tender to the touch, my head throbbed as my hand came away tacky with blood when I turned to face my attackers.

“Don’t normally get one so pretty.” My vision didn’t focus before one of them grabbed my hair.

“Pretty? She’s one of them.” Spit landed on the ground in front of me. “They’re all the same.”

Run! The silent plea rang in my head.

But my skull was pounding, and I wasn’t sure I could force my legs to stand.

“Let’s just finish this and be done with it. I’ve still to mend a godsdamned window after that storm. The missus won’t shut up about it.”

They were speaking like this was a chore. Like beating me to the ground was another job on their to-do list.

One of them grabbed my shoulders, and with an unsteady hand, I pushed back with all I had. But my balance was knocked back with a kick to my ribs, and a shattered cry broke across the bay as I doubled over with the pain blooming in my chest. The warnings Jon and Leesha had given me rang through me with each blow that landed. I knew cities and travelling were going to be dangerous, but gods!

“Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be,” one of them said as they readied themselves for the task before them.

I wished desperately that magic flowed in my veins. I felt its absence in me equal to the pain that was now seeping through my chest.

Something was broken inside.

These men were broken too. There was nothing seedy about them. Not lecherous in their pursuit of me. But wholly focused on their righteous judgement. Ridding this city of people like me.

Prejudices were on both sides of the divide, but maybe humans tended to be more short-sighted about it. Short lives meant more fear in them. Fear they’d lose any power they had to the long-lived fae. Fear made people do terrible things.

And fear took hold of me, gripping tighter with each kick and knock they punished me with as I crumbled into the hard slabs beneath.

Bruises flared and bones cracked.

Another deafening smash as a fist connected with my collarbone.

They were breaking me apart. Piece by piece.

But I didn’t stop pushing back. I wouldn’t be silent and let them win so easily. I let every scream and cry rip from my chest before my lungs and mouth filled with blood. Even if no one heard me, I would shatter my voice before they shattered me.

I batted their hands away as they attacked relentlessly.

They must be nearly done, a lilting voice murmured in my head.

Not long left.

My breath was claggy and stuck in my throat. I could taste iron on my tongue, and my teeth felt like they’d been rattled in my skull.

My fingers twitched as the nerves in them withstood another barrage of kicks to my back.