The scream ripped through the night like a torn cloth, high and sharp and full of a fear that made my blood cold.
It came from the direction of the village, somewhere between the eastern gate and the market, and it did not stop. It kept going, rising and falling, until it was cut off by a sound that I did not want to name.
I did not have time to think.
My body moved before my brain caught up. I grabbed Mia by the wrist and pulled her behind me, my other hand already on Tempest's hilt. The blade came out of its scabbard with a sound like a snake waking up, and I stepped in front of her, putting myself between her and whatever was coming.
"Stay behind me," I said, my voice low and hard. "Do not move or scream. Do not do anything stupid."
"I am not going to—"
A sickening, wet thwack echoed from the dense jungle to our left. Then came the sound of snapping bone. Before Mia could even draw a breath to respond, a shape exploded from the bushes.
It was a Moldclaw. Grade 2, Low rank.
