"Her purpose is to bleed and die. Nothing more."

Despite being held fast by magical energy, a shiver shot down Lucinda’s spine as an unbelievably cold voice reached her ears from beyond her fixed line of sight.

"No! I’m keeping her!" An unhappy pout followed Hlana’s outburst. "She’s going to be my first…"

"Your perversions sicken me," the cold voice interrupted. "What use have you for bedding a woman?"

"I…"

"Ah, signing her up was a waste after all, then?"

Had Lucinda been able to move, her eyes might have shown her surprise at seeing a new figure emerge into the cellar. It was the matronly woman that she had first met at the front desk. The apparent guild clerk.

"Although, if I may, Mistress… This young woman is a Shifter. She may make for a useful ally for Hlana."

Why are they acting like I’m going to help them!?

"You may not," the cold voice replied. "And lose that ridiculous form; we will begin shortly."

"Yes, Mistress."

A shimmering ripple spread across the guild clerk’s body. In a matter of seconds, the matronly woman had been replaced by a mildly effeminate, blonde haired man. With his transformation complete, the man strode past Lucinda and then placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.

"Temel!" the man called out. "Come give me a hand!"

Him too? Ah, someone must have heard that… They saw me go down here…

"Wait!" Hlana shouted. "Mother, please… Maybe if you hadn’t forced me to stay with dearest Daddy all those years, things might be different. But they’re not, and I’m not!"

"You know full well that was necessary."

"I do! And that’s why I kept quiet and played the role of the good little girl. But you can’t blame me for feeling an urge to gouge the sight from any man who lays eyes upon me!" The young woman’s pale hand came up to caress Lucinda’s cheek once more "She’s beautiful, Mother. I want her!"

A stretch of silence fell upon the dark cellar. Lucinda’s hopes that someone might still rescue her diminished as a complete lack of noise from above became obvious. With the revelation that both the clerk and barkeep were in on things, it was not overly surprising, but it was still plenty depressing.

"Perhaps I should have anticipated this," Hlana’s mother said at last. "Very well. Until such time as I find a cure for your… unseemly predilection. You may have her."

"I don’t want a c…"

"Best leave it at that, lass," the transformed guild clerk interrupted.

The angry impetuousness that had appeared on the young woman’s face, gradually gave way to resignation.

"…Thank you, Mother."

"Hurry and secure her in one of the storerooms," her mother replied. "I will not have her distracting you while we work. Temel, Larelm, help her."

Feeling considerable amounts of despair at the nightmare scenario she seemed to have walked into, Lucinda could do nothing as the two men carried her through the cellar. Her understanding of what was transpiring was woefully incomplete; yet, things were clearly not looking good.

"Hope you weren’t including us in that gouging, lass," Larelm commented as they wandered through a magically illuminated corridor. "I quite like being able to see, truth be told."

"Aye, and me," Temel agreed.

"Of course not," Hlana replied. "I know neither of you has any interest in me."

The persistent scent of blood grew in intensity as Lucinda caught sight of a doorway out of the corner of one eye. A short distance beyond that room, her hapless journey came to an end in another. With the hold spell still in effect, her body remained rigid as a board as it was lowered gently onto the cold, stone floor. The magical holding effect was then joined by a more mundane alternative, that took the form of a rope. She was turned to and fro repeatedly as the new set of bindings were wrapped around her entirety; a situation that only grew worse as a gag found its way to her mouth.

"You okay to handle it from here? Mistress will be wanting another to take her place."

"Yep! Thanks," Hlana replied.

Two sets of receding footsteps preceded a soft pair of hands rolling Lucinda’s frozen body onto its side. The action brought her face to face with the instigator of her capture, and summoned a new dose of sickness to her stomach.

"Sorry about all this, Lucinda." Hlana smiled sweetly. "It’ll be okay. A week or so from now, we’ll look back and laugh. Oh, I should hurry before the hold wears off."

Hlana disappeared out of the only door to the small storage room Lucinda was the occupant of. A faint rustling, several muttered curses, and finally a solid thump all reached her before the young woman returned.

"All done. In case you haven’t realised yet: My mother is a very powerful woman, with a great deal of very powerful artefacts at her disposal. I’ve just placed one of those outside your door. It will stop you from shifting, so don’t strain yourself trying."

Moving into a kneeling position in front of Lucinda, Hlana’s eyes roamed over her body, before a hand shot out towards her midsection. However, Lucinda was met with some relief as the other woman seemed to reconsider her hasty action before seeing it through to completion.

Hlana sighed faintly before meeting Lucinda’s eyes. "I meant what I said: you really are beautiful. It was love at first sight for me… I guess it’ll have to be love a week later for you." She giggled at her own joke. Her attention then fell away from Lucinda as the rustling of cloth became audible. Moments later a silver ring appeared before Lucinda’s eyes. "This is the artefact that will make that happen. But you don’t have to worry about that." Hlana’s persistent smile grew wider still. "In fact, you won’t be able to. Hold still now…"

Internally, Lucinda raged against the visible and invisible bonds that held her – all to no avail. She felt Hlana’s hands land upon hers, and then a cold piece of metal descend upon one of her right hand’s fingers. As soon as it was forced into place, an unpleasant tingling sensation shot up her arm, past her shoulder, and then onwards into her skull. It became more intense as its journey ceased, but barely a second later the feeling vanished entirely, leaving Lucinda in a state of considerable confusion. She knew something had transpired, but had no idea as to what.

"There we go," Hlana said as she gently patted Lucinda’s arm. "Oh, it’s going to be so wonderful. By day we’ll adventure together: slaying monsters, rescuing damsels. Then when night comes I’ll rest my weary head upon your bounteous bosom…" Hlana trailed off with a dreamy smile affixed upon her lips.

"Mmmmfff!" Lucinda shouted around her gag as control of her body returned. Finally, her anger and worry were able to be put towards escaping her predicament; yet, with the rope holding her, little came of it.

"Just in time, how lucky!" Hlana patted Lucinda’s arm once more. "There’s really no point struggling. How about if you stay still I’ll tell you more of what we’re doing here?"

Do I even want to know? Does it even matter anymore?

Tears began streaming down Lucinda’s cheeks.

"Aww…" Hlana muttered. "Don’t cry, Lucinda. I told you: everything’s going to be just fine." Hlana scooped up several tears from Lucinda’s face with one finger, then brought her digit up and placed it in her mouth. She sat that way for a time, her eyes fixated on a point beyond Lucinda’s prone form. "Immortality," she announced at last. "That’s what we’re doing. A ritual that will feast upon this town, and make us immortal as a result. You’ll be safe, of course. As long as you stay right there."

No…

Another fit of struggling took Lucinda. There was not much in the way of conscious thought behind her action; rather, it came about as an automatic rejection of the horror she was hearing.

"Maybe you’ve heard of liches? It’s a bit like that, but there was no way Mother was willing to sacrifice her looks to end up as some ugly skeleton." Hlana grinned and spread her arms wide as if to present herself. "Of course, I’m prettier still." She giggled briefly before continuing. "All four of us will be mostly the same, still beautiful that’s for sure. Well, maybe not poor Temel, he’s been ugly since birth." Another burst of giggles erupted from her lips. As it faded once more, she leant forwards and peered into Lucinda’s eyes. "The best bit is… If you’re good, which I know you will be, we can do the same thing again for you." The young woman moved in close and planted a quick kiss on Lucinda’s cheek. "We will be together, forever."

The deeply disturbing thought pushed Lucinda into a panicked frenzy of mental activity, her mind racing wildly as she sought an escape from her horrid fate. But, despite her best efforts, she could find nothing to keep the cold icy hand of despair from gripping her heart.

"Be good now," Hlana called as she retreated to the door. "I’ve got work to do. Oh… I almost forgot!"

Dark lines of magic appeared before one of the young woman’s outstretched hands. The spell completed after three distinct symbols were drawn in the air, bringing a thick cloud of smoke into existence beside her. It rose upwards from the ground swiftly, stopping as it reached a point far beyond her own height.

"I’d like you to meet dearest Daddy."

The smoke exploded outwards to reveal a towering figure had appeared from nothing. Clad from head to toe in black plate armour, and equipped with a dark metal sword and shield, the only hint of what lay beneath was a pair of red, glowing eyes visible through two tiny slits in the fully enclosing helm.

"He’s…" Hlana’s gaze snapped from the figure to Lucinda. "You know Daddy?" Her baffled expression gave way to several giggles. "How odd… But we’ll have to talk about that later."

As Hlana stepped away from the room, the plate-clad figure took her place in the doorway. The two menacing pin-pricks of light from his eyes were soon all Lucinda could see as Hlana’s magical light source and resumed giggling, both gradually faded away down the corridor.

Shapeshift: Brown Bear! Shapeshift: Cougar! Shapeshift: Cat!

More tears emerged onto Lucinda’s cheeks as her negative emotions grew in intensity. Never before had she been so helpless, so bereft of possibilities. But it was not only her own fate that troubled her, for she had no difficulty believing Hlana’s threat made against the town.

She struggled against her bonds again; yet, her attempts only served to heighten her despair and bring more sobs from her muffled lips.

“Friend?" Marrow’s faint voice sounded in her mind. "Friend!?"

At least Marrow’s safe… Unless…? What did she do to me!? Something…?

Try as she might, Lucinda could not remember the source of that troubling aspect of her captivity. Even the thought that something was amiss was difficult to focus on, and became more so the more she tried to pin it down.

"Friend?"

"I’m here, Marrow… I’m… here."

The hairs on the back of Lucinda’s neck stood up suddenly as the faint sound of ominous chanting reached into the small room she occupied.

They’ve started? Then… it’s too late. Even if I could escape…

"Friend! Circle!"

Lucinda was treated to the mental image of Yalia reading a letter, alongside Marrow’s proud declaration.

"Thanks, Marrow. You did… good."

"Summon?"

"I told you to rest."

"Friend? Hurt?"

"I’m… not hurt. It’s just…"

Ahh, what can I even tell her? It’s hopeless…

"I love you, Marrow."

"Friend. Love!"

The attached emotion sent through their bond was a small comfort. One that brought a sad smile to Lucinda’s lips even as more tears poured down her cheeks.

"Friend! Marrow… Help! Marrow help friend!"

"Marrow, you…"

"Marrow help friend! Marrow help friend!"

Shapeshift: Giant Spider!

Though her long distance communication with her animal companion had come to a close, Marrow’s encouraging words had pushed Lucinda towards making some attempt to escape her situation. With the limited options available to her, that meant trying to find some way around the artefact that was blocking her attempts at shifting.

Shapeshift: Horse!

…Still nothing. It’s like I’m not even a Shifter any more! Just a helpless nobody tied up in a cellar.

Shapeshift: Black Bear!

Immortality… Is that even possible? And how? Blood and killing people? …How did I not notice she was a Necromancer!?

Shapeshift: Lynx!

The effect of Marrow’s encouragements were rapidly giving way to more despair as Lucinda’s persistent efforts to accomplish something of note continued to fall flat. However, with the ominous chanting of the mysterious ritual still ongoing, and a number of shapeshifts left to try, she saw no harm in sticking to her attempts.

Shapeshift: Dragonling!

For a brief moment, Lucinda experienced a very real concern as to the state of her own sanity. It was the most likely explanation she could conjure for the sudden change her body had begun to undergo, even despite her wish for it to do just that. But as the familiar sensations of skin turning into scales, wings sprouting from her back, tail sprouting from her rear, and all the other minor alterations required to complete the transformation took place, she was forced to conclude otherwise.

It worked!? But how…? Ah!

Lucinda’s eyes snapped to the plate-clad figure in the doorway to her prison. Great relief flooded her body as she saw it standing silently in place, the fear of a swift end to her chance at escape evaporating along with it. Unfortunately, additional despair did not take long to find her.

I’m still trapped… Just because he’s not going to kill me, doesn’t me he’ll let me go…

With the last remnants of the rope loosely draped over her, Lucinda sat back on her haunches as her mood plummeted once again. A few moments more, and she stretched out forwards, bringing her head to rest upon her forepaws. Lying there in silence as the chanting continued onwards in the background, she stared longingly at the small gap between the eerie guard’s legs.

There’s no way I could beat him. He must be undead… But he looks so much stronger than any I’ve fought. How would I even hurt him?

Yalia's gift? .… Ah, no. It’s still upstairs. Dammit!

As Lucinda’s eyes lingered upon those of the unnatural figure before her, a recollection of Hlana’s words eventually came to her.

She said I’ve met him before? Could it be…?

Taking a moment to properly cleanse herself of the rope, Lucinda then shifted back to human form.

"Klarl?" she whispered towards the twin red pinpricks hovering in the dark room before her. "Is that you?"

No sign of movement or other response made itself known to her, but as she thought back through recent events, her conclusion seemed ever more likely.

"…I’m sorry about what happened. I wish we could have helped you somehow. Ah, maybe Waflaw couldn’t beat Hlana’s mother, but we could have at least tried if we’d known what was happening!"

Lucinda fell silent as her long forgotten regret at the events that had taken place in the small mountainside village resurfaced. The grotsquely bloody morning that had awaited her and Waflaw in the depressed man's house just prior to the start of her search for an animal companion, was far from a pleasant memory. However, the distressing recollection did not get far before a more recent memory seized her attention.

Wait… That bit about eye gouging… Did he do something to her? That could help explain why she’s so… off. Or was that just her mother’s influence? Ah, even if that’s true…

Her train of thought derailed as the pair of red eyes she had been staring at suddenly moved. With only her human vision to rely upon, it was difficult to determine what had caused the adjustment. She waited a moment, fearing an attack was finally incoming. Then, when that fear proved false once more, she shifted back to dragonling form.

The sight that awaited her improved vision sent a pulse of hope through her body. The plate-clad figure was no longer blocking the door, having instead moved back to the far wall of the corridor beyond.

He’s letting me go? Or Hlana is? No, that can’t be it… Not after what she said…

Lucinda’s dragonling body was racked by a violent shudder.

Maybe I’d rather die… It’s not much of a choice.

It took Lucinda a short time longer to muster the courage to proceed, and even then her journey to the door of the small room started off haltingly. A few steps, a short wait for the incoming sword strike, and then a few more steps when it never came. In that manner she gradually crossed the room.

The chanting grew louder and clearer as she emerged into the corridor, but still no attack from the plate-clad figure descended upon her. Just to the left of the door she found the strange artefact that had caused her so much grief: a small but grotesque statue sitting on a wide circular base.

In response to a rush of anger within her core, her dragonling teeth snapped out to land upon the object before her. A brief thought of how terrible an idea such an action might be flew through her mind just prior to her teeth contacting its surface, but it was not enough to stop her. The hard metal her biting found, however, was.

Maybe I don’t need to destroy it? Why put it so close unless the range is short?

With the thought of returning to the small store room for even a moment proving to be too much, Lucinda instead carried the weighty artefact further down the corridor, away from the source of the chanting, and also the exit. Depositing it as quietly as she could, perhaps a half-dozen metres from the storeroom’s door, she then returned and warily walked past Hlana’s summoned undead creature, who was still standing guard in the exact same spot.

Intent of determining the limit of the statue, she travelled further along the corridor at a steady, careful pace. However, as she reached the next door along, the powerful stench from within brought her to a sudden standstill. Already having a reasonable idea of the cause was not enough to prevent her curiosity from winning out.

Lucinda froze as her eyes caught sight of the grim scene beyond the door. There were several bodies piled haphazardly in the centre of the room, though far worse than the sight itself, was her recognition of some of their identities.

Mulgra… Emalin… They got you both?

Fresh tears sprung from the corners of her dragonling eyes, but neither that nor the dread in her heart could prevent her from looking over the other bodies. Though undeniably tragic, she did experience some small relief as she found only one other person she knew: the guild clerk during her last visit, Frim, who was still recognisable even despite the empty, bloody sockets that dominated his face.

A desire to keep moving eventually brought her from the sickening sight and to the end of the corridor. Without poking her head out too far around the corner, she determined that the ritual was taking place opposite the entrance, and that only a small amount of illumination was present in the short distance between her and escape up the stairs.

Shifting to human form, Lucinda was relieved to find the range of the shift-blocking artefact did not reach her current location, allowing her to shift to lynx form and activate her stalk ability. At a snail’s pace, she crept around the corner.

Hlana and the three others were stood in a circular formation, each spaced evenly apart. Of the four, Hlana, her mother, and the pretend guild clerk were methodically drawing black symbols in the air, while the barkeep, Temel, revealed himself to be the source of the dark chanting. Between them sat a large basin of blood that appeared to have been dug into the cellar’s floor, and a small pedestal with a roughly melon-sized sphere that looked like a dark, smoky ball of glass resting atop it. In a most disturbing fashion, streaks of blood from the pool were periodically shooting through the air towards the sphere, and then disappearing into its surface.

Tearing her eyes away from the bloody ritual at last, Lucinda began again towards the stairs, even despite the sickened feeling that was permeating her body.

I have to get help… Somehow stop…

"Girl," the cold voice called out, halting Lucinda in her tracks. "I do not know how you escaped. But know this: your only hope of staying alive now, is remaining exactly where you are."

"Lu…"

"Focus, Hlana!"

"She could interrupt the ritual, Mistress," Larelm said.

Hlana’s mother released a cruel, harsh laugh. "She would not dare."

Discarding her failed attempt at stealth, Lucinda continued towards the stairs at a more hurried pace.

"So be it. Enjoy the last few precious moments of your life while you can."

Trying her best to ignore the harsh threat, she kept onwards to the stairs. However, she only made it half way up to the closed door above before troubling thoughts brought her to a stop.

Could I disrupt it? They’d kill me… no question. But… what if I can save the town?

A potent wave of nausea passed through Lucinda’s body as she realised she had no choice but to make the attempt. Still in lynx form, she turned to face the ritual and began casting her Animal Ally spell. Her paws shook with worry as she worked through the spell’s steps, but she managed to bring it to conclusion all the same.

From out of nowhere, a smaller lynx appeared; however, before Lucinda could even give it the order to attack, it immediately winked back out of existence.

Crap… Another artefact?

Lucinda swiftly recast her spell, only to encounter the same unwanted result. Hissing in frustration, she then paused as she considered how to proceed. The thought of trying her dragonling breath would have been tempting if not for her decision to avoid revealing that particular form, and the proximity it would require; instead, she reluctantly settled upon a direct magical attack.

Not trusting her aim enough to hit the sphere, Lucinda began casting her Scorching Orb spell with the closest ritual participant, Larelm, in mind. That Hlana’s mother had made no further threats or warnings distracted her somewhat as she tried to decide what such a reaction might mean. By the time the spell was ready, she was still unsure.

The small orb of fire shot across the short distance between her and her target, while Lucinda’s pulse raced as she imagined the horrible fate that awaited her even if she succeeded in her intent. However, as the magical projectile closed in upon Larelm’s exposed back, a translucent, shimmering wall appeared from nowhere. It devoured her attack on contact, leaving no trace behind of its existence. Lucinda’s heart sank at the sight, but before she could react further a dark bolt of electricity shot out and struck her dead on.

Pain erupted through her body as another cruel bout of laughter emerged from Hlana’s mother. "Idiot girl."

Several seconds of feline screaming passed before Lucinda managed to regain her wits. Checking her health she saw the attack had done little damage; yet, the sight of an unnatural blackness evident in the missing part of the red bar came as a deeply troubling discovery.

Ahh, they wanted me to attack it! How did I not see that?

Lucinda’s soured mood soon grew worse as a fresh jolt of pain racked her body, and along with it, another dark-tinted reduction to her life force. Realising the full magnitude of the catastrophic failure her attempt at disrupting the ritual had wrought, there was no longer anything left to keep her desire to flee at bay.

Shifting back to human form, she darted up to the door. Her hand fumbled at the handle as another painful surge tore through her body. Trying again, a curse exploded from her lips as she found it was locked shut.

A shapeshift later, the door collapsed under the furry weight of her brown bear form, sending her staggering through into the kitchen beyond. She was barely back on her four feet, when her expectations of how things might be above ground took a turn towards the negative; the all too familiar scent of fresh blood on the air a clear indicator of trouble.

Peeking through the door to the tavern room was it all took for her suspicions to be confirmed. The space was occupied by easily a dozen armour-clad figures; all of whom were red-eyed undead. Lucinda ducked back out of sight as quickly as she could, though not before noticing the creatures beyond wore a far more varied selection of arms and armour.

Shit! What now?

She stood frozen by indecision, her desire to escape clashing heavily with her fear of the small army between her and the guild’s exit. Only the inevitable arrival of another jolt of pain proved enough to break the stalemate. Shifting back to human form, she cast a hasty Heal spell in an attempt to stave off the continuing damage she was receiving. However, as the warm glow of magical energy spread through her, no change in her health bar took place.

No… No…

Lucinda sped through a second casting of her spell, but when it too failed to produce any discernible effect on her wellbeing, mortal terror flooded her mind. Standing rooted to the spot, it was only after several more jolts had afflicted her that some semblance of rationality returned.

Maybe it’ll wear off before I… die? I have to hope… Ah, the temple! I can warn them, and get healing! I need to hurry…

Taking another peek into the room beyond revealed nothing had changed. However, a sudden plan to attempt charging through regardless ended abruptly as the sound of a man’s laughter reached her. She tensed as the sound, but then relaxed again as she realised the source was from somewhere outside of the building. Looking up at the small window in one corner of the kitchen area, the desire to shake her head at her own lack of awareness proved too great to resist.

It is dark outside, I guess it’s not… Ah, I’m wasting time! Shapeshift: Cat!

A leap to a hanging piece of meat was an easy first choice for escaping the room. Clawing her way up it with only some difficulty, a slightly precarious journey along a shelf lined with bottles was her next. From there, a perfect hop down to the window sill was all it took to bring her outside in the night air. Performing another leap down to the small gap between the guild and the adjacent building, Lucinda then dashed off as fast as she could in the direction of the temple.

The streets were not overly busy, and the darkness was hardly a problem for her feline eyes. As such, the only hindrances her journey suffered were the continuing jolts of pain, and an ever persistent fear that her efforts might still prove pointless.

She reached the temple with only a third of her health remaining, and no signs that her affliction was done with its sinister work. To make matters worse, darkness had begun encroaching the corners of her vision, just as a weakening weariness had suffused her body.

A lone man stood outside the temple doors, a torch held up in one hand. Uncaring of anything other than getting help for herself and the town, Lucinda shifted into human form as she approached.

"Help!" she exclaimed, her breath short after her ceaseless dash. "Necromancy… in the guild…"

"A bold claim for a young woman out alone at this hour," the man replied.

"Please! I need…"

"You do look a bit worse for wear, I’ll give you that." The man hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "Go on then. I’ll let the Clerics sort this out."

Staggering through the door the man held open for her, Lucinda’s eyes snapped to the first person she could find: a tall boy, sweeping between the pews.

"Please, I need healing! Necromancy…"

The boy had directed a welcoming smile in her direction, but upon mention of the foul magic his eyes had shot wide in obvious alarm.

"Ne… Ne… Necromancy!?" he stammered. "I’ll… I’ll…" The boy spun about. "Arflel! Cleric Arflel!"

Another jolt of pain ripped through Lucinda. With some luck she managed to catch onto a nearby pew as her knees gave out. She was still slouched against the polished wood when a middle-aged, brown-haired man appeared before her.

"You do not look well. You claim Necromancy as the cause?"

"Yes!" Lucinda replied with all the conviction she could muster. "There’s a ritual taking place under the guild… I tried to stop it…"

The man held a hand in front of her and began a divine chant. His stern expression gave way to concern as the spell completed.

"That is most certainly the effect of some foul magic. Unfortunately, it is also beyond my ability to heal."

"I don’t have much health left…"

"Fear not. The High Cleric is not long to his bed." The Cleric turned to address the pale-faced boy standing just a short distance behind him. "Boy, run to the garrison and inform them of her words. Make sure to stay to the main road, the hour is late."

"Yes, Cleric!"

"Please hurry… The town is in danger…" Lucinda said.

"Hold tight," Arflel said to Lucinda. "I will get the High Cleric."

The Cleric strode off quickly towards the back of the temple. Being barely capable of movement, Lucinda had little else to do but watch him and worry about the ongoing ritual. She was still watching him when the distant robed figure began wobbling in a very troubling fashion; yet, that curious sight soon revealed itself to be only a precursor to a fierce shaking of the very walls of the temple.

"Jalavot’s crown!" Arflel uttered in a disbelieving tone as the shaking continued to grow in intensity. "Wake the High Cleric!" he bellowed. "Wake the…"

A horrific, piercing scream unlike anything Lucinda could ever have imagined ripped through the air. The sheer intensity of it was staggering, as if the otherworldly screech was hammering away at her brain from inside her skull. Her hands shot upwards to protect her ears instinctively, but it was a futile gesture.

The ritual… No… No!

The hideous screaming continued unabated. After an agonising few seconds, Lucinda’s sight was nearly entirely dark. After another few, she could barely think through the insurmountable pain. After nearly a dozen, her conscious mind was barely functioning at all.

A great last surge of will was all Lucinda could manage before the darkness swallowed her.

"Marrow…"