"This place is lonely."

Ashley glanced at her sister as they walked. Maya had the hood of her cloak up, her face hidden.

"Yeah," Ashley said. It was several days after fleeing the farmhouse, and they were travelling north. The road was straight and long, the fields surrounding it flat and bare, the grass growing in scraggly pale green clumps, the few trees spindly and somehow discomforting. In the distance on either side of the path were thick forests leading to stumpy hills, and ahead and behind was only the road, stretching out into a kind of misty nothing. The clouds above hung low and grey, as they had for days now, threatening to burst at any moment.

"Are you cold?" Ashley asked. Maya shook her head.

"Just lonely."

"Hey, I'm here, ain't I?"

"I don't mean that."

What Maya did mean, however, she didn't explain. Ashley looked at her, worried, then shook her head and focused forward. Up ahead there were a number of large, jagged rocks to the left and right of the road, the smallest of them twice the size of Maya and Ashley put together. They were covered in pale yellow lichen, the ugly patches reminding Ashley of a mangy dog that had once belonged to a friend.

"Are you hungry?" Ashley asked, as they came closer to the rocks. "We've still got apples—"

Maya was shaking her head. Ashley squinted at her, then focused on the road ahead once more. I really hope there's something at the end of this road, she thought. Anything, really.

"Ash ..."

"What?"

They were passing the rocks now, walking in their shadow—Ashley stopped and looked back at her sister.

"Why did you stop?" she asked. "Come on, you can't be tired, let's keep going for another hour or so before—"

"I think," came a voice from behind the rocks, soon revealed to belong to a tall man wearing dark clothing and holding a long sabre, "that she stopped because she heard one of my men unsheathing his sword."

Ashley grabbed Maya and pulled her close as a dozen men stepped out on to the road, in front and behind. Those who hadn't already drawn their swords were now doing so, their eyes hard and cold.

"Ash—"

"It's okay," Ashley whispered to her sister, her eyes on the bandit leader standing before them, a smile on his long, unshaven face.

"Well met," he said, with a chuckle echoed by his men.

"We ain't got any money," Ashley said. "Or any valuables."

"Oh, I don't know about that," said the bandit leader, his smile turning into a grin. "I'd say what you're holding there might have some value."

"Ash," Maya whispered, as she felt her sister's hold on her tighten, felt Ashley's body growing uncomfortably hot.

"You know what they say," the bandit leader was continuing, his eyes on Maya. "Even a girl with nothing is always worth something. Isn't that right, bright eyes?"

"Ash!"

With a roar Ashley had lunged forward, bringing her fist around to slam into the bandit leader's shoulder as he brought his sword up, his grin replaced by a look of shocked pain as he realised that his cloak had burst into flames—he yelled out and began beating at it, dropping his sword to try to get the cloak off before the flames spread. Ashley was already rounding on another bandit, dodging his slash before grabbing his sword hand with both of hers, her growl of anger joined by his cries of pain as his hand began to crackle and burn.

"Ash! Help!"

Ashley whirled around, already running as she saw two of the bandits moving to grab Maya—she leapt on to the first, bringing him down in a hard tackle, hands pressed firm against his chest, his screams horrible as she burnt through his tunic to the flesh beneath, then she was up, cried out as she felt a blade cut through her back, twisted around and kicked up, felt her boot connect with something then she was twisting again, regaining her footing—she glanced at Maya, saw fear and shock in her sister's eyes but knew she was safe—Ashley cried out again as another sword slash nicked her hand, turned to face this new attacker and brought her hands up, clenched into fists, the air around them blurred with heat, and the bandit looked into her eyes for only an instant before turning and running.

"What the hell kind of demon are you?"

Ashley turned to see the bandit leader standing, his cloak lying on the ground behind him, his shoulder burnt but otherwise unharmed. He was looking at her with disgust and loathing clear on his face.

"I haven't done much good in my life," he said, as he advanced on her, "but putting down whatever kind of monster you are has gotta count in my favour."

Ashley gasped as she just barely dodged the bandit leader's first attack, darting to the side then trying to close the gap between them, this thwarted by a quick, clean flick of his sword that opened a gash in her shoulder.

"Ahhh!" she cried out, as he followed this with another slash, this time catching her in the leg.

"You may burn with hellfire, demon," the bandit leader growled, "but you don't know a thing about real fighting."

Ashley snarled as she lunged at him, but he danced aside and just barely missed opening the side of her neck—but as Ashley recovered from dodging he planted the heel of his boot in her side, sending her sprawling face-first into the dirt road. Before Ashley could get up she felt a heavy weight on the back of her neck, and she cried out as the bandit leader pushed his boot down hard.

"ASH!"

Ashley heard her sister's tearful cry just before the intense pressure on her neck vanished. She lay there gasping into the dirt as Maya stood over her, little knife in her hand, staring up at the bandit leader as he clutched at his arm.

"You little witch," he growled, before grabbing Maya by her neck and throwing her to the ground, "I'll deal to you after—"

The bandit leader's words were cut off as Ashley threw herself into him, both of them crashing to the ground, his sword flying from his hand. They rolled together, both struggling against the other, then the bandit leader cried out as Ashley got a grip on his arm, her hand burning hot against his flesh, and then she was on top of him, her face twisted with rage, bringing her fists down against his face again and again, crying out with every awful impact:

"DON'T! TOUCH! MY! SISTER!"

"ASH!"

Maya ran forward, trying to ignore the bandit leader's horrible screams—her sister's entire body was now surrounded by a hazy wave of heat and her clothes were beginning to smoulder.

"ASH!" she cried out again, but she could see that her sister was lost in her own private world of fury. She looked around desperately for something, a stick, anything, but there was nothing that she could see, just the unmoving body of one of the bandits, the others having fled, and the bandit leader's screams were liquid now, too awful to bear, and Maya launched herself at her sister, felt the heat against her skin as she knocked her off the bandit leader and brought her to the ground.

Ashley's mind cleared in an instant as she looked up at her sister's face, her hot rage cooling, leaving her aching and sweating and desperately tired. She let Maya help pull her to her feet, and, after a glance back at the fallen bandit leader, his face scorched and burnt, Ashley let her sister pull her by the wrist, and together they ran.