Shea mumbled in her sleep, not wanting to get up. Yet, why was she so cold? And since when has her bed become so hard? She could remember having been ordered to change the straw by mother not three days past.

Mother!

She jumped at the thought, glancing around in a daze. Ashes covered the ground, rose up to her knees from her sudden movement. Blackened sentinel trees stood not far away, behind a small hill and couple mounds of rock. Shea had a faint recollection of disintegrating some of them in her search.

How could she not have found anyone? Was she really left all alone in this world?

As she thought that, there was a sound of steps from somewhere nearby. She dashed towards the hill, and over it only to be met with the sight that wouldn’t leave her for the rest of her life.

Beneath the tree’s shadow burrows lay in orderly lines. She didn’t try to count them, but her mind whispered her the answer; forty-two. Each one freshly dug and filled. Beside the three still open laboured a young man.

He was a bit over twenty with sun bleached red hair and loose sand coloured clothes. In his hand he held a shovel, and was filling up one of the holes. It had been started some time ago and finishing it, he bowed and put a scattering of leaves at the top. Then went to another burrow.

It brought her mind back to what those holes were. She floated down the hill, stopping before the first one with a blank mind. It was hard to come up with a single thought and she abandoned the effort as a whole, bending to touch the leaves. They changed under her fingers, turning into bright yellow dandelions.

The colour was in stark contrast against the bleak surroundings but she did not care. Moving from one burrow to another, she left each one with a handful of flowers. They bent in the wind, singing a silent song only they could understand. A shared symphony for the dead.

Images of the past flashed through Shea’s mind as she wondered by whose body she was standing now. One of the farmer girls? That oaf of a man who always looked at her with a strange look but never refused to come in aid to anyone? Maybe the children she had played with just the prior morning?

They had been so joyful as they had splashed in the shallows. A smile graced her lips as she remembered trying to get them out and being pulled in. They had laughed so loudly as she fell face first, rising like an angry banshee. The boys had run off screeching with laughter while Maria, the youngest, had pointed at her and said “You’re wet!” with a grin.

Her innocent expression had been so cute, Shea couldn’t remain angry and chuckled herself. She then proceeded to catch the boys and give them a good dive until they promised never to trick her again. It was another of their no more than a day long promises but she had smiled and herded them back to the village to dry out.

And now they were lying under the soft ground in one of these burrows.

The thought should have struck her senseless, made her go down on the ground and bash her fists into it until she fell unconscious. Yet here she stood, eyes empty of tears. Was she that uncaring? Or had she become numb? Could father’s death turned something off in her?

That event had been so long ago. She had failed to help him, like she had failed the villagers now. What was the point of her ability to shape if she couldn’t help anyone with it? It was always she who survived while others ended up gone.

“May the Lady show them the way,” said a voice near her and she raised her head to meet two dark green eyes. “I thought they would have liked to rest here,” he added, motioning towards the giant trees. They were as tall and majestic as before, but now as dead as the people they had protected.

She nodded, standing up from the burrow she was kneeling beside. It was hard to determine when she had ended up in that position, but what did it matter. This was all just a horrible dream. How could this be anything more?

“Would you like something to eat?”

His simple words were like a knife piercing the veil. Hungry, cold. Before her eyes an image of an old man rose. She had stood with her parents watching from a distance as the man hugged his grandson and whispered quietly. The words were so low, she had to strain to hear them but once heard, they couldn’t be forgotten.

“Live, child. It might look that everything is gone with me dying, but it’s not. I’ll always stay by your side and watch over your shoulder. The Lady is kind, you know that. Live for me and your parents. We’ll always stay by you. Never doubt that.” He had then wiped his own tears, pushing the child so they were face to face. “Live for all of us, so that once Lady claims you, you’ll have hundreds of tales to tell. We’ll sit around the fire and listen laughing. You wouldn’t deny us that, would you?”

She blinked rapidly to clear the tears from her own eyes. This was no end. Her life had just began. She would live for everyone! Her parents would never forgive her if she gave up and joined them early. All they had wished for was for her to have a happy life. This was her time to make them proud, to show that they had taught her well. No matter what, she would survive!

Focusing her gaze on the living world once more, she took a better look at the person beside her. As she had judged before, he was older than her but not by much. His sunburnt hair fell in unruly strands around his head, sometimes hiding moss green eyes. Up close they were much brighter than she had expected, almost shining with the inner light.

“I would be glad to,” she answered finally with a smile that was more of a grimace.

He chuckled at her attempt, then waved towards the ruins. “I’ll go pick something, wait for me there. If you can, start a fire; the nights now are chilly.” Hearing her small, okay, he left. Five steps away, he turned back. “Name’s Iago.”

“Shea.”

“Nice to meet you, Shea. I hope we can become great companions!” he shouted over and after giving her a mock salute, left.

She stood in her place for a moment before moving in the direction he indicated. At the edge of the burrows she stopped and looked back. Forty-two burrows, each one holding a person she’d known and loved. It was the same as seeing her whole life buried under that heavy earth.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered to the people lying there as much as to herself. “I’ll live for all of us. The memories we shared, I’ll carry them everywhere with me. Not one of you will be forgotten! I promise it!”

Her voice flew over the burrows but no answer came. Even the wind seemed to have stilled. Not a sound could be heard.

“I promise,” Shea repeated to the chill air and then turned away. New things were awaiting her and she would not dwell on the past. She couldn’t.

Running to where the stranger had told her to wait, she collected a few not fully burnt branches and put them in a pile. They weren’t great firewood but there was no choice. Most of the things that could burn, had done so. There was a reason for all that ash swirling around her feet.

She then looked for something to start the fire but there was nothing at hand. They had had flint at home but one look at the temple made her certain she had no wish to look there. If anything had survived in the building, it was buried under tons of stone.

As she pondered what else she could do, the stranger returned. He had a couple of cheeses in his hands and a jar of her mother’s best strawberry jam. She didn’t say anything as she took the items from him and put them near the supposed to be fireplace.

They ate in silence once he got the fire lit and then prepared to rest. Noticing that Shea had nothing to her name, he sighed and passed her his cloak. It was of fine weaving, warm and comfortable to the touch. When she tried to refuse him, he glared at her saying she needed it more. His expression was quite scary so she didn’t dare to argue.

After wrapping up in the cloak she tried to sleep but it evaded her. Watching the stars she turned to see Iago had his eyes open too. Upon noticing her gaze, he shifted to face her.

“Do you ever wonder why this all happened? What had we done to deserve this?” she asked.

His first reaction was a bitter smile before he turned on his back to stare at the night sky. “Nothing at all,” he said in a faint voice. “That’s the tragedy of human life. We suffer when undeserving, and are rewarded for actions that should be punished. It’s funny really, once you think about it. No wonder being the bad guy is everyone’s favourite occupation.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“But I am,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve lived in the capital and that’s what life was there. The good and innocent were used and abused while the unscrupulous ruled the place. When anyone tried to upset the structure, they were shot down before they even knew what had happened.”

Shea pushed herself on her arms to stare at him. “Have you tried it?” There was a strange intonation in his voice that spoke volumes if she could only determine about what. It was neither disgust nor anger, nor mockery but a strange mixture of the three.

“No... But I’ve seen others do, those poor fools. They should have minded their own business and left the world to its own. Nah, I don’t want to remember. Let’s sleep.” And he turned his back against her, falling asleep minutes after.

She tried to follow but her mind was too alert. Thoughts of her people, what the children had felt joining their families so early plagued her mind. Memories mixed with imaginings, turning her mind into a grizzly mess of colours and feelings.

At some point they turned into nightmares. She was seeing the kids moving through the ash, growing hungrier and more tired by each moment. They whispered encouraging words to one another, believing that someone was going to find them.

Night came and they fell to the ground, shivering in their thin clothes. It had been warm during the day time. Now it was freezing. They huddled together, Maria between the two elder children. Still, there wasn’t enough warmth to make it comfortable.

She started crying. Her wail soon followed by Boris, the younger of the two boys. Levi tried to calm them down but his words lacked conviction. There was no hope in his tone but grim certainty that it was all over. They were going to die.

Shea watched it with tears streaming down her face. She was like a ghost, unable to do anything but watch. Her mind riled at the wrongness of it, the horror. She screamed at the children, promising to come, that she was right there. Her hands clawed at the invisible chains holding her in place.

But she didn’t move a step. Her throat grew hoarse with the shouting, yet none of the children looked her way. In the morning they started walking back, not having an idea they were moving backwards. Not able to hear her warnings, promises, threats.

When sun started setting they saw home in the distance. Neither made a sound, the defeat in their faces evident. Ash had pushed through their clothes and into their body. Eyes, noses, ears were filled with it, and that brought coughs, sneezes that shook the little bodies.

“No, don’t! Please!” she screamed with tears dripping down her face as her body was kept in place. Darkness had fallen and she saw the children dropping to the ground, Levi reaching for the ash with his hand.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” came a voice from beside her and she stilled, uncomprehending. “Open your eyes, it’s going to be okay.” Now she remembered the voice. It was the man she had met after waking up in...

Her mind reeled from the wash of memories as she returned to the living world. It made her heart race and found her breath ragged. Remnants of the nightmare clung to her, bringing the horror with it.

“I-,” she started saying but her voice was hoarse. It pained her to use it.

“No need to explain yourself,” Iago murmured, hovering above her. His expression puzzled her but she didn’t have the energy to try and figure it out.

Moments later he passed her the bowl. She pushed herself up, taking it with gratitude. The taste was such she almost dropped it down as she turned to take a better look near the fire. Instead of water it was warmed milk.

She opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head, returning to his side. Unsure of how to react Shea returned the bowl to her mouth. Warm liquid ran down her throat leaving a pleasant after taste.

It pushed the memories back and the nightmare receded. She could remember the feeling of desperation, powerlessness but no longer recall the details. Something she was glad for.

The next few minutes she sat and drank, not thinking of anything. A certain peace settled in her mind and sleep beckoned her. She yawned, putting the bowl beside her as she brought the covers closer around herself.

In seconds she was asleep.

Morning brought heat with it. Ground close to steamed around her and the few clothes she had on felt like a wool coat. Breathing turned torture of its own kind from the humidity. She rose from her bed unwillingly to see Iago gone. His side was empty of any signs of someone having been there.

Could she have imagined him? No, there he was walking over the hill with two packs in his hands. Upon reaching her, he passed the lighter one to her. “Do you have any preference of where to go?”

She thought for a moment while taking the pack and strapping it to her back. In her whole life she had never left the village. Well, there was that outing once but it was so long ago, she could no longer recall the details of it. Besides that, she had stayed under the trees’ protection and never dreamt about more.

Only the tales about the capital had been a change. They always made her wonder how different her life would have been had she been born there. Would she have been a noble? Maybe even a princess? Silly imaginings of a young girl, but she would like to see her dream place at least once. “Could we maybe got to the capital?” she asked without certainty.

From his words yesterday, it was clear he held no warm feelings for the place. Would he refuse her?

“Why would you want to go there? It’s nothing but ruins,” he asked with a stare that made her feel uncomfortable. It was as if it was staring right through her!

The confidence required to answer him in a straight tone was more than she had. “I-I I always wanted to see the place! Besides, other people should be there! It’s a good place to look for other survivors! People would have to flock there!”

He continued his stare for a bit longer before nodding. “It does, and fine. We can go there if you really want to.”

“Great!” she squealed, almost jumping in place. She was finally going to see the capital! Her dream city! Then something he said resurfaced in her mind. “It does? You’ve seen other survivors?”

“Yeah,” he answered hefting his pack and starting to walk. She had to sprint to catch up with his swift steps. “I’ve met a couple groups while leaving but didn’t stop to chat.”

“Why not?”

He was silent for a bit before replying. “I wasn’t ready to have companions. Everything was just too raw.”

Shea hurried to move before him and turned so she could see his face once he answered her. “How long have you been travelling?”

“Around two weeks? The madness didn’t hit everywhere at once. It started at the capital and then proceeded in all directions from there at an unhurried pace.” His eyes narrowed, looking straight ahead as he continued. “Once I saw it happening in the distance, The Scourge. That’s what I’ve heard people calling it. The great levelling.”

“But what needed levelling?” she asked, returning to his side and matching his pace. “Nothing extraordinary had happened recently or the news would have reached my village. We were small but rumours travel on wings.”

“No one knows. They’re just giving the monster a name,” he answered and she left it at that.

This conversation was making her feel worse by the moment. It was good to not be alone but the man beside her had the grimmest outlook on life she’d ever seen. All that ever came out of his mouth was negative!

She didn’t want to get infected by it and didn’t open her mouth even when they sat down to eat in the evening. Once more they ate in silence and this time she slept through the night without any terrors waking her up. It would have been a good night’s rest had she not been woken up early in the morning by the blazing sun.

It was as if she was sitting too close to a fire but could not move away. The fire was everywhere, scorching her skin. It was hard to concentrate through the heat, and her mind grew hazy before they had even started the day’s walking.

To her relief, Iago passed her a bowl of water. It had remnants of ash in it unlike the previous evening but she didn’t mind much. The glorious liquid brought a sense of life into her being and with clearer head she started walking.

Sun shone upon them like a vengeful goddess as sand cooked them crisp from below. Shea’s slippers felt like they were made of embers with each step she took. Her skin had blistered from the heat and lips cracked. The rare wind brought even more warmth while sweat drenched her, using up the little remnants of water left in her body.

“Could we take a break?” she asked in a wheezing breath. Even talking was a challenge, requiring energy she hadn’t to spare.

Iago walking ahead of her faltered in his step but then shook his head. “Just a bit more. We’re close to the ruins.”

She had lost the count of times she had heard those words with a different reason why. They hadn’t taken a break midday when the sun had been most brutal, but neither were they stopping now that it was growing weaker. Weaker in a sense that it wasn’t like in the noon, not that it made her feel any less like a torched bug.

But it was too tiresome to argue. Words required her to open her mouth, form sounds and then listen for a reply, try to understand through the haze in her head. No, it was much easier to just lower her head and try to keep her feet moving. One before the other. Now once more. It would have to end at some point. That man couldn’t walk forever either.

Or so she hoped.

Soon after leaving her home she had fallen behind, but he had never slowed his step. Well, maybe slightly so she wouldn’t be left too far behind. It was hard to tell with his back always being a similar distance away.

When her feet gave way, strong arms caught her. She looked up to see Iago staring down at her. “We’re here. Just need to get inside from the upcoming cold, okay?”

Shea nodded mindlessly, ready to crawl inside if she had to.

“Great. Let’s go!” he said with an encouraging squeeze of her shoulder and she was left to stand on her own feet.

It put her off balance for a moment but to her amazement she caught it. While she kept marvelling at that, a voice came calling her to jump down. Opening her eyes a crack more, Shea took a slow look of her surroundings.

Sand, ash and more sandy ash. Sun had went to sleep and moon rose to illuminate the world in a pale imitation of light. All it did was give everything a creepy factor. Was there something moving or was that just her mind playing tricks on her? What about that shadow? She could have sworn it had swayed.

Wait, that was her own.

She was close to falling once more. Where was that Iago?

“Come on, Shea!” he called again and she saw his head popping up a couple of feet away.

Two steps and she was standing next to it, Iago having returned back inside. She lowered herself for a better look but the hole was coal black. Reaching with a hand, she tried to touch anything that could help her get down but found nothing.

“Just jump. It’s not that high.”

The words took their time registering in her brain and she stared at the hole with a blank look. Jump in? That was suicidal. What if she broke something?

Wind raised ashes and threw them in their face before leaving with a cackle. She tightened the cloak around herself, feeling the chill permeating her thin robes. Staying outside was no solution, and she wasn’t capable of figuring out a better one.

She pushed herself off the edge.

Air whooshed past, her body twisting and turning before slamming against the ground. The sound alone made her wince. It had been much higher than she had expected. Whatever, she was down here, away from cold and heat. Time to sleep.

“Shea!” Iago roared, slapping her.

It made her eyes flutter open. “What?” she muttered sleepily. “I want to rest...”

The words were so hard to concentrate on. They slipped past her grasping mind like fish in the river until she wasn’t certain she’d said anything at all. Not that it mattered. She could sleep now. The day was over.

“Don’t you dare die on me like this! Wake up!” someone screamed in her ear. She tried raising her head to turn it but the effort was too much. Keeping her eyes open was the limit of her power. It should have probably alarmed her but she was too out of it to mind. Why couldn’t she just rest a bit?

“Stay awake! I need to heal your broken back! Don’t you dare fall asleep before I’m done!”

The voice sounded angry and she tried to follow its commands. It wanted the best for her, right? She couldn’t recall. Who did it belong to again?

It kept on going and going, shouting and ordering her in turns. The identical commands were amusing for but a moment until she realised it were keeping her from letting go. Again and again it brought her back from the edge of falling asleep. She was seriously going to get angry!

Then a stab of pain in her back. It was so sudden and sharp, she screamed. At least now he wasn’t the only one being shouted at! Her wandering thought was short lived as the pain reached her again. Agony spread it’s sticky fingers all over her back, covering her in burning torture.

Then the world went black.

When she opened her eyes, hard ground was the first thing that met her eyes. It were broken golden tiles, revealing greyish stone underneath. Sharp edges glared at her and she wondered how she had thought sleeping here would be a good idea. A few turns and she could find her face slashed by the edges.

The thought was an unwelcome one and shivering, she pushed herself up. Her body was stiff, back aching from sleeping by just dropping down wherever. She smiled to herself, wandering when was the last time she had been so exhausted. Not any time in the recent past, that’s for sure.

Turning around, she saw light coming down from above. Sun must have risen some time ago and the heat above would be scorching once more. She was glad they weren’t out there but it was strange. Iago had seemed to want to always be on the move, sleeping-in didn’t seem to fit him.

Had he felt sorry for her and decided to take a rest day? It was so nic-

Her brain shut off the at sight of blood right under the hole. There was so much of it, a passing lake. Slow, in timid steps, her memories returned. The cold outside, darkness inside, too long flight and landing on the back. Pain, then nothing.

Her hand crawled to her back and she touched it with eyes closed shut before her. Nothing. She couldn’t feel anything out of place. It was as if there hadn’t been any injury to begin with. This made no sense! She could well remember her thoughtless plight down! Who jumps down head first?

“I see you’re awake, I’m glad,” came Iago’s voice from a corner.

Shea shifted in her place and opened her eyes to stare at him. He was in the shadow for the most part but it didn’t hide the black eyes, lines on the face that hadn’t been there. In a day he had aged by at least five years, if not more.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said with a shake of his hand before she could stand up and rush to him. “I’m fine.”

It might have fooled her, had his hand not trembled uncontrollably. “You’re not fine at all! What happened?” she asked moving to stand before him.

Now being here, she was no longer certain how to proceed. She wanted to help him somehow but there was little she could. It was him who had had all the answers these last few days.

Burying people to put them to rest, entering her home’s ruins to find food. When they were thirsty, he shaped water or milk for her after a nightmare. And... And when she had fallen, he had healed her using up all he had.

“It’s fine, I’m telling you,” he murmured closing his eyes for a very long while before opening them back. “I just need to rest a bit, the shaping had exhausted me.”

“Okay... I’ll... I’ll wait here.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her once more and his head fell on a shirt he’d used for a pillow. Half a minute hadn’t passed before he was deep in sleep.

Shea watched his rhythmic breathing for a moment, then turned away in disgust. This was her fault, she had reduced him to this. It was time for her to put a meaning to their companionship. She couldn’t let him take care of everything and do nothing herself. Not only was that unfair, how could she look her parents in the eyes after living her life like that.

Opening up the pack she had carried yesterday, she quickly found his bowl and scooped some ash. When wind rose above, it threw some in each time and they drifted down akin to lazy snowflakes. There weren’t that much of it yet but if they stayed longer, it was a possibility to get buried in them

No, they weren’t going to stay that long here. The moment Iago felt better they would pack up and leave for the capital. It had to have more survivors and they could share their sorrows, help each other so nobody had to overwork themselves. They would help each other get through what happened to the world.

But now she had to help the person next to her. First and foremost was water. She hadn’t shaped it before but it couldn’t be much harder than changing stones. Everything followed the same principle, after all.

‘Calm yourself and reach for the Energy currents,’ her mother had always told her. ‘They are always there, within you. Approach the pond they reside in without hurry or trepidation, relaxed. Touch it and let the Energy course through your being, enter each little corner until you feel like bursting. Then form the desired object in your mind and touch the one you have with your hand. Physical contact eases the passage of power.’

She waited for her heartbeat to return to normal, then took a deep breath and reached for the bowl of ash. Energy flowed through her, forward into the dust and in front of her eyes shaped them into a liquid. It was clear and fresh, bringing a smile to her face. She had succeeded! As a reward for herself, she took a small sip.

And spit it all out, turning the bowl over. Whatever was inside resembled water as much as wool clouds. They might have similar shape and colour at times, but they weren’t the same in the least. Her throat ached from the disgusting liquid and she spit a few more times, trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

Filling the bowl with ash again, she tried once more. Calm down, reach for the power and then shape. No sign of ash but a tiny drop was too much. She wretched soundlessly on an empty stomach, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Why was she so useless? Iago could shape human body, repair what he hadn’t seen or touched but she couldn’t make water! Something so familiar it was horrifying. It should have been a child’s play! Her mother had always told her she was powerful. Not only that, she had turned dozens of boulders to dust when searching for survivors, so why didn’t it work now?

She was a shaper. Why was she so useless? Her hands lowered as she bent over the ground, smashing the bowl. It broke in two and Shea’s eyes filled with a new wave of tears. They blinded her as she picked the pieces and putting them together shaped.

“Please, please, let it work!” she murmured to herself, afraid to see what monstrosity she had created this time. To her shock, the bowl was in one piece. She brushed the tears off, turning and looking at the bowl from all directions. It was good as new, though, a line marred the inner bottom. Iago would know she had broken it.

Carefully she put the bowl back inside and stood up resolutely. If she couldn’t make anything, then she would go and find it. Iago was too tired, so this time she would go and explore the ruins herself. Her heartbeat sped up at the thought, possibility of something going very wrong flashing through her mind but she picked the tools and lit up a torch.

Fire in hand, she faced the darkness in the opposite corner of where Iago slept. The corridor was wide and seemingly endless, swallowed by blackness few strides in. Torch enlightened the edgy walls, brushed off paint and ground littered with parts of the ceiling.

She walked forward, trying to make sure not to get lost. First it was a turn left, then right. There was a room on the way but it was blocked by a fallen beam. It was being held half way up by a pile of stones, holding some of the ceiling still up so she hadn’t dared to shape anything there. With her luck today, it would all come crashing down on her head.

In the middle of the path, a fountain rose up. It depicted Lady Mother sitting on a rock in the middle of a pond, fishes surrounding her with their mouths raised upwards. They were most likely meant to squirt water but nothing was coming out. Their jaws were open to the ceiling as if screaming pleas to the Lady, while she sat forgotten in the middle of them.

Shea bent her head in the Lady’s direction before moving around the fountain. It was a stunning design, made of gold and set with jewels but none of it held any value now. She could eat neither gemstones, nor expensive metals which made them worthless in her eyes. The single day of travel had taught her enough to know better than to get any unnecessary weight.

Still, when she saw a silver necklace with a sapphire lying on the ground, she couldn’t resist. It was a simple chain with the main gem and a couple smaller ones on the side gleaming in the torchlight. It was too beautiful to be left abandoned in this forgotten place. She picked it up and put around her neck, beneath her shirt.

When she reached another room, a strange sound caught her attention. It was as if of wings flapping, but not bird’s. No... It was softer, a muted snap snap

Her eyes widened in slow realisation and she whirled around to see a being standing behind her.

Scorpius watched the female, standing on one of the stones littering the ground. He hadn’t interacted with humans before but the hatred in her eyes surprised him. It was worse than he had expected.

“So, came for a meal, leech?” she quested in a shaky voice after his prolonged silence.

“I wish you no harm,” he said in what he thought would be a friendly voice. It sounded ominous even to his own ears. He hadn’t talked for too long.

The female before him stared in shock, then cackled, clutching at her sides. “No harm? No harm? You’re a monster, a killer! Leech!”

Undisguised disgust in the last word made him wince. Like all nosferatu, he loathed that name the humans had given them. It was as if they considered them nothing more than slick, repulsive worms that sucked blood and should be eradicated for the greater good.

“I need help,” he said. Maybe if he tried acting as them, pretending to be human like he might win her favour? How did one even do this friendship business he’d heard about?

“Liar!” she hissed at him, backing a step into the darkness behind her. “You want my blood to survive! You’re nothing but a bloodsucking monster!”

His face crinkled as he thought. What else could he do? He’d tried telling the truth, acting like a human... What other approach was there?

Problem was, he’d never entered a human city. From the moment he’d left his clan, he’d stayed to the forests, attacking a traveller once in a while and then leaving without a trace before he woke up. Simple lifestyle he was satisfied with until the madness entered the land.

His survival had been a stroke of luck that was becoming a distant memory. Hunger clawed at his throat. The scent of the female’s blood intoxicated him but how could he get her to share it with him?

Most puzzling was that she was shaking before him when it was him who’d followed them from the beginning, not daring to close in. They were both shapers, one thought and he would lie dead, and most humans were set on exterminating his kind.

Hunger had made him show himself. The female had been his choice since she seemed like the weaker of the two. Also he’d heard they were more compassionate, less inclined to kill anything marginally dangerous on the path.

But here she was, hating him with all her being yet terrified of a single move from him. It made no sense.

Who was the aggressor and who the victim here?

“I wish to make a deal,” he said, trying to meet her eyes. But she was looking at his body, waiting for any sign of movement. It was as if she hadn’t even heard him. “I said, I-”

“Heard you,” she hollered as her head snapped up. She’d tried for a hard tone but by the end it had grown shrill, her fear spreading like a web around her. It made him weary. Was here another enemy? Someone he wasn’t seeing?

As he carefully surveyed his surroundings, the lack of life, she dropped to the ground and picked a sharp looking stone. Its top was aimed at him like a dagger.

“You’re right,” she hissed, “but don’t worry, I’ll be your opponent. You won’t get to me easy!”

As the last words left her mouth, she dashed forward. Having lived through his share of hunters, Scorpius instantly knew she was no fighter. This was a mad dash, no calculated attack. It had no chance of posing him any harm.

So, what could she be thinking?

He dodged the rock and turning into a bat flew out to hide in another building. Sun and hunger was torture but he didn’t want to fight. Not yet at least.

“You-” Shea screamed out to the empty air, swinging her stone back and forth without any target. The leech was gone. He’d just up and turned into his animal form, leaving without any trace.

Her heart pounded as she made sure that was the truth. In no direction could she distinguish any movement. Bleak walls, parts of them lying on the ground and large amounts of undisturbed ash and sand.

Then her mind flashed to her companion. He was sleeping in exhaustion, powerless to defend himself. Leech might have understood that and that’s why he’d escaped.

Without another second wasted, she straightened and ran out. Eating paces with each move, she was back to the room in no time. As she tried to get her bearings back, she listened for the dreaded sound. Leech had to have come here.

But there was nothing.

She raised her head to see Iago sleeping, no, he was lying by the wall but his eyes were open, staring at her. In the dim light their narrowed visage made her feel afraid, like there was danger lurking in their depths.

“What happened?” he asked in a quiet, fully awake voice.

Shea pushed herself off, an embarrassed smile on her face. “I went to scout around but when walking back I stumbled on a stone and set a ceiling tumbling down. Sorry for waking you up.”

For a moment more he watched her, then closed his eyes. “It’s fine. Be careful if you go out.”

And then he was asleep. She stared in wonder as his breathing evened out, his chest raising and falling in a steady rhythm. How did he do that?

Was he that tired? Or was this a secret skill of his? At that thought she smiled, a recollection of pretending to have many with the children resurfacing. Sadness welled up but she pushed it away.

Now she was the protector. The man had taken care of her before, this was her time to repay him. If the leech even thought of appearing, she’d kill him on sight. No waiting for him to talk more.

Her grip tightened on the stone in her hand. Why had that monster survived? They were murderers without a conscience, doing whatever they could to keep living. Taking lives was every day business to them. A plague to human kind.

She clenched her teeth, imaging sticking the stone through his rotten heart. It was shameful of her to have hesitated when she had noticed him. She should have attacked without having listened to a single word, and then maybe he’d be dead. World cleared of the last monster.

Was he the last? She shuddered at the thought. No, he must be the last. If so few people had survived, there couldn’t be much more of the leeches left alive. Impossible. They were no sturdier in body, even if faster and stronger.

It took Iago till the evening to wake up. She watched him stir and sit up, fully awake. He seemed to repeatedly miss that sleepy, lying around doing nothing stage.

“Has anything happened while I slept?”

Shea shook her head. “It was quiet outside.”

“Have you eaten?”

After her no, he reached for the packs and brought out the food. It was the sausages and cheese from her home. They ate them in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

After they ate, Iago picked the bowl. Shea kept her eyes on the ground, not wanting to meet his. To her surprise, he filled it with ash and shaped without asking a single question.

“Should you really shape?” she asked instead, taking the bowl from his hands. “You were so exhausted before.”

There was surprise on his face as she raised her eyes to meet his. Then he smiled with such warmth, she felt her cheeks light up. “Were you worried? Thank you,” he said in a soft voice, “but I’m fine. The sleep now was more than enough to restore my energy.”

“Great,” she murmured, raising the bowl to hide her face. Somehow it had grown very warm in this place.