An explosion nearby roused Tennebris from her pile of crates in a dark alleyway, only frequented by rodents and cut-throats—both of which she was ready to deal with. Loud noises in these parts were to be ignored after all; seeking them out led to problems. If you were lucky, your life was the only price to pay for your curiosity. However, the second explosion gave her pause. The third one? Earth-shattering. Far too loud to ignore.Ss the unkind and culturally ignorant called her, Tennebris was Devil-Touched. A slur for her and all Diabli. The Diabli are far from ordinary with bat-like wings, stretching as wide as the Diabli are tall and prehensile tails that on scarce occasions come to an arrow point but are usually barbed. Tennebris with rare fortune, had the arrow-tipped variety.

  Every single Diabli also have horns: some straight, some curled, some twisted, and each as unique to the person as their fingerprint. Tennebris was missing hers. Seeing other Diabli left her with a pang of emptiness, knowing she would never belong. When she was growing up, some of the other children would taunt her with the nickname ‘Hornless’.

  Tennebris also had a pair of wings, as you’d expect any Diabli to have. However, due to an unfortunate incident they no longer granted her flight. Cursed at a young age, her wings would catch the air around her but never allowed her to fly.

  She longed for a sky that would grant her the freedom of movement she should have had by birthright. Unfortunately, the sky did not reciprocate her desire. She became enraptured by birds for a short time as child, only to have that interest removed, just as her horns had been.

  Tennebris had never lived a life of luxury. The situation she found herself in tonight was no exception.

  “Just mind your own business girl, this has nothing to do with you,” she reminded herself, feebly attempting to hold back her survival instincts. Every nerve in her body told her to move, that it wasn’t safe, that staying here would only lead to her demise. “Ok ok, fine. Whatever. But if you’re wrong about this—“ she mumbled to herself.

  As Tennebris rose out of the makeshift shelter of empty crates, a stinging scent of firewood bit at her nose. It was strong enough to lend the impression that something far more destructive was to blame. The pungent aroma of the fire that had grown to consume multiple buildings and houses was the only thing she could smell.

  “The city’s on… fire?”

  Orange, red, and white lights, dancing across the sky Tennebris so badly yearned to soar through were stark contrasts to the dark, damp domicile that she had decided to call home for the night. She glanced at the ramshackle pile of boxes noticing it had collapsed due to the intense shaking of the ground beneath it. Either way, she was no architect, and far from an engineer. Her makeshift home was meant to last the night and that was it.

  “Oh gods, what is that?!” she shouted down the alley.

  An insectoid creature was chittering and clacking in her direction as her vision adjusted to the mix of firelight and darkness. As it charged toward her, she was suddenly left with a choice: stand her ground and fight, or flee. Seeing as the only real weapon she had on her was a dagger, she dashed out of the alleyway towards the flames of the now-burning city.

  As she exited the alleyway she spun and drifted on her heel, the rough cobble and rock of the road digging into her rugged shoe. Sharp stones and scattered rocks drove themselves into her barely protected feet. Arcs of pain shot up her leg as she spun around to look behind her. Not that she noticed the pain, with her focus on the insect who decided to renovate her new home.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  She gave it a more appraising look as she came to a stop and pulled her trusty albeit useless dagger from her belt. Snapping its incisors in the air, the insect took an aggressive stance. It couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 feet tall while it was crawling on all six legs. However, if this thing decided to stand up—“NOPE!”

  Tennebris had elected to run. Clearly not equipped to handle whatever this thing was, she dashed away as fast as she could. “Hey!” A gruff voice called out as she bumped into a guard. Emblazoned on his shield was the city’s crest. It had a golden laurel at its borders, with a rose as its center. Highborns and important individuals had a golden laurel, and a blue rose.

  “I—“She squeaked, barely turning to reply. The guard’s sword caught the firelight that was starting to engulf the area.

  This was the poorer side of the city. Though the fire may have been started by the insects and the ensuing chaos, it was worsened by the emboldened citizens of the city’s rundown ward. Some tore into ramshackle buildings looking to pilfer whatever they could resell. Others were simply looking for their next meal.

  All Tennebris heard next was that same guard’s agonizing screams as the insect that was chasing her took his life. His bisected body, and his horrified eyes bulging from his skull were the last things she remembered before she could tear herself away.

  Tennebris continued running. The rush of wind filled her ears as she passed many guards engaged in battle. She heard their screams as they fought for their lives. Between the guards or the bugs, she wasn’t sure who was going to win this skirmish.

  Occasionally stopping to catch her breath in the shadows wherever she could find them, Tennebris sprinted. Pausing mere seconds to assess the situation and move on. She had worked jobs like this before. Typically, she was a lookout or a distraction for whatever heist Lorien was trying to pull off.

  Tonight, she was putting those skills to use, dancing across the macabre scene doing what she could to avoid contact with either faction. Tennebris didn’t want the insects or the guards.

  Tennebris had run-ins with the city guard from time to time but never for the right reasons—She shook her head quickly, trying to refocus her mind.

  “Now’s not the time for reminiscing, I’ve gotta keep moving,” she scolded herself, detaching from the cover of the shadows. No sooner had she left than she found herself tripping on something she hadn’t noticed.

  It was the body of a fallen guard. Whether by virtue of not paying attention, or it being hidden in the chaos, she found herself falling before she realized what had happened.

  Crashing down to the ground, Tennebris’ chin smacked the hewn stone. Her head bounced, coming to a rest after a second painful impact. Peering behind her through squinted eyes, a brief feeling of remorse washed over her. It was an odd feeling considering it was over a dead city guard. One she had recognized from one of the many times she had been arrested. She felt she could have done something to save him, but it was clearly too late now.

  Regardless, she had to move on by any means necessary. Overcoming a pang of guilt, she crawled closer. “I don’t think he’ll be needing this anymore,” she said, pilfering a shortbow and some arrows. After fastening the quiver to her side and the bow to her back, she surveyed the area.

  In this small crossing was a pocket of respite. Scattered around her were dead bugs and puddles of dark liquid that she assumed was blood. Huddled together was a now-dead family of three. They weren’t dressed like urchins but weren’t royalty either. They spent their last moments in each other’s embrace before they succumbed to an attack from the insects. Whoever this guard was gave his life defending this family.

  Her fists tightened as the weight of their last moments settled in her mind. She felt driven by anger to resume her regimen of jumping over rubble and dodging in and out of shadows. Using the cover of night was something she was used to, she just wished it was for scoring a meal instead of running for her life. She hadn’t eaten for two days.

  Lost in thought once again, Tennebris only realized she had arrived at the main square when her eyes fell on the worn, smoldering, ruined gates which stood prominently in the city square. Strangely, the square was completely unoccupied. No guards, no bugs, just bodies of those that gave everything in defense.

  “Is this what my plan was? Leaving the city?”

  No sooner had Tennebris asked herself the burgeoning question than she realized she was now set upon by two insects who had found their way into the square. They had seen her already, so hiding wasn’t an option. Running was on the table, but where? Apparently, this was her destination the entire time, but what was her plan?

  “I guess we’re doing this.”