“You are all from the same farm?”
They looked away, silent. I swallowed heavily as we passed the manor, which was quiet in the darkness. I wondered how the horses were doing, or if Clarice still lived to terrorize the younger girls. Those times seemed like a lifetime ago but was only a matter of months. Was it possible to change so quickly?
“Your face shines like the moon.”
I jerked, but there was no fear or suspicion in her voice; just wonder.
“I admit to not feeling well. I’m flushed.”
The woman unwrapped her own headscarf, exposing ash-brown hair lined with grey. Her eyes were the same brown as Georg’s, but with a touch of gold. She offered her scarf to me, and I took it without hesitation, covering my own hair and face. The shadow of the scarf would hopefully keep my skin from shining whether under the moon or the sun.
“What’s your name?”
“Becca,” she said, offering me a tentative smile.
“I’m Wren.” We clasped hands, giving each other shallow bows. When was the last time I had met another human properly?
“Thank you for the headscarf. I hope I don’t fall ill.”
Becca smiled vaguely at me, as if she didn’t truly believe my excuse of sickness.
“There are rumors that a draken has escaped the mountains and returned to the island.”
I tried to act surprised and confused. The latter wasn’t hard.
“W-what is a draken?”
The few of the others scoffed at me, and Becca swatted at them. I noticed the calluses and cracks in her hands and wished I could heal her.
“I feel lucky to have lived on the farm. There was time to talk to the others. Imagine not knowing what a draken is!”
The others smiled indulgently as I gave a weak grin. I heard a huff from the front of the cart, and knew Benedict and Kieran were listening. We hit a rut in the road and jolted to the side.
“Drakens were the only magickal creatures to stand with us during the Demon Wars, and they all died, the entire species wiped out! Except this last one, I suppose. I didn’t think they lived that long.”
I blinked, not expecting that. Becca mistook my shock for interest.
“Drakens were our only allies. They represent friendship, and alliance. A draken means that there is yet still hope!”
The others in the cage mumbled, murmuring heartfelt agreements. I couldn’t believe it; there were humans who had hope, who wanted to fight! There were two quick thumps from the front of the wagon, and I grinned.
“I have to admit I know more than I’ve let on.” They turned and waited with bated breaths. It’s true: the draken escaped. I saw him.”
Gasps met my grand revelation, even as Becca frowned in confusion.
“You said that—”
“I was afraid of revealing my knowledge, but I think the time is coming we might rise up and take back our city.”
Becca’s eyes went wide, and the crowd pushed in around me.
“What does he look like?”
“Where did you see him?”
“Is he in touch with the rebels?”
I could have laughed in joy; but kept my answers as basic as possible.
“I saw him as he fled the mountain, the hordes on his tail. He made it to Lyoness, which is green now.”
Their jaws dropped.
“He is… his scales are a deep purple coloring, along with the wings, that faded down to the darkest obsidian. Power radiated from him, and strength. He was—he is—one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.”
The wagon jerked to a halt as the heavy gates of Cantrada surrounded us. The men and women withdrew into themselves, and we fell into a stony silence. The city itself was massive compared to the small manors that lay outside its walls. I knew from Clarice and Crullfed that the city was originally built around the bay, once a place of great commerce and trading. Since the hordes took over, trade with the other human kingdoms stopped, leaving to a shortage of goods and supplies. The city was surrounded by a large stone wall, with the river flowing through it to empty into the bay.
“State your business.”
I held my breath as the slippery voice of a vampyre sentinel slithered over my ears
“Transport to the Lord,” Kieran grunted, barely distinguishable with the amount of rasp he put in his voice. The three vampyres eyed us with grins, their keen noses wrinkling in disgust when they smelled us. I hoped they didn’t sniff the drivers.
“Get on then, we don’t have all day.”
Benedict snapped the reins down, and we were moving again. I couldn’t help the dread that filled my chest as we entered the city, surrounded by the enemy. Lykos and vampyres roved the city square in packs, fighting each other and partying in the streets. I had no idea what Cantrada looked like before the fall of humanity, but now it was a dirty, filthy hovel. Trash lined the alleys, and bodies were as common as the refuse
“Sad, ain’t it?” Becca whispered, his hand finding mine again. A woman screamed, and we were powerless to do anything as she burst from a house, her fingers scraping into the dirt. There was a chorus of laughs from inside the house and a hairy arm appeared, snatching her around the ankle and dragging her back inside. The screams got louder.
“We had it good on the farm, didn’t we?”
There was no point in answering.
Hovels lined the broken stone road, the windows black with soot and filth. There were no vendors, no gatherings of folk on their way to market or elsewhere. Only roving demons and their allies, drunk and terrorizing whatever humans had the misfortune to cross their paths.
“There are so few. Surely a city this size needs more humans to run it?” I dared to ask. Becca snorted.
“Run what? Look at the state of it! The Lords keep their slaves penned up. A dead slave is no good to anyone. The ones that are out…well, they must be searching for something.”
“What?”
She only waggled her eyebrows at me. The wagon stopped a
