“Stupid girl.” Thegn watches a small squad of grunts plunge into the hazy fog hanging over the rubble, ready to attack. He smiles when he sees one fly back out sideways before smacking against a wall. There’s no way that roof collapse would end her, especially now that she’s reached this state.

The smile fades and he puts on a grim face. She still has to die. As much as he enjoys seeing her work, it’s a problem that she’s started to wield Durga’s powers. The world can’t know she exists. It’s bad enough that he let her existence slip to the Karui. Death delivering death is the only way to ensure she’s safe for another generation.

Thegn glides right, searching for an updraft to help carry him skyward. He needs a moment to regroup. He tests his wings by flexing them with half a flap. They’re pretty sore from where she’d been clinging to them.

You must admit that she got you pretty well.

“Is this idle babbling of yours going to become a regular thing? Because I could do without it.”

We can discuss the renegotiation of our arrangement later. For now, you have greater concerns. Caffiel gives a tug on Thegn’s left shoulder. This side.

“That’s my hood, old rodent! Not a set of damn reins. Mind your place.”

Respect your elders, young one! Just have a look. It appears that our green-skinned friends have released phase one.

Thegn turns his head just in time to see the small group of Umbrati open a panel on the mesh cage. The buzzing from the cage becomes exponentially louder as a cloud of darkness bursts from the open panel and up into the sky.

“Fucking locusts? Really? You think they would’ve learned their lesson the last time they tried to use those foul bugs.”

Maybe they appreciate the irony of attacking Death with a plague.

Snorting in disgust, Thegn flaps his wings and redirects himself on a straight course with the oncoming cloud of insects. “May as well finish them all. Drive the point home right from the start.”

Pulling his wings tight, he dives right into the pitch-black cloud of insects. From within the deafening buzz at the center of the plague, Thegn twists his body and extends his wings. A gale of wind launches from his spinning motion like a wall of air. There’s enough force to explosively crush and scatter all of the insects from their tight grouping. A mist of vaporized locust juices replaces the swarm of actual bugs that had surrounded him. He can feel the thick goop of their guts dripping all over him.

Thegn can’t help but grin. “Too easy.”

Don’t be so sure. Do you smell that?

Thegn sniffs. The goopy guts feel a bit thicker than he remembers, but he can’t really—

“Shit!” The word comes out impulsively, and echoes across his mind again when he sees the flaming arrow flying right at him.