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Stepping from the shadows, I let out a low hiss. The gargoyle whips around, eyes flaring gold. Recognition jolts across his features. “Korrin?” he snarls, voice echoing in the ruined hall.His wings flare wide, immediate suspicion in every line of his body. “You— what are you doing here?”

I see the clan mark on his bracer, confirm he’s one of ours. My heart twists with an old, almost-forgotten loyalty. But I swallow it down. “Lower your voice,” I growl, stepping closer. “Or I’ll finish what you came here for.”

He sneers. “Traitor,” he spits, eyes darting around. “You vanish, the Alpha sends us to find you, and now I see youkilled an elf we were allied with.Are you insane?”

Cold dread surges. The clan allied with dark elves?They truly are working together to hunt me.“Those elves are scum,” I say, voice dripping with disgust. “You’d join them to kill innocents?”

He laughs, wings rustling. “There’s no innocent in a High Purna or a rogue gargoyle. The Alpha’s orders are clear: bring you back in chains, and kill the purna if you’ve found her.” His gaze roams the corridor, searching for a hint of Elyria. A snarl builds in my throat.

“I won’t let that happen,” I say flatly, shifting into a fighting stance. My wings spread for balance, tail lashing behind me. The old battle-lust thrums in my veins, but it’s tinted with righteous anger instead of blind obedience. “Leave now.”

He bares his fangs in a vicious grin. “Or what? You’ll kill me too?” A humorless laugh echoes. “You can’t hide your betrayal, Korrin. The Alpha will flay you alive for this.”

My chest constricts with both fear and fury. “Then so be it,” I snap. With a single powerful leap, I strike. He’s ready, blocking me with a swipe of his claws that rakes my forearm. Pain flares, but I bare my teeth, ignoring the sting. We slam together in a tangle of wings and muscle, each trying to gain advantage.

He’s strong, comparable to me in raw might, maybe a shade less experienced as an executioner. The corridor walls ring with the impact of our blows. I grapple him, hooking my tail aroundhis leg, forcing him off-balance. He tries to slice my side, but my hide deflects most of it. The old instincts flood me:Find an opening, strike fast.

Our wings clash, scraping stone. He roars, half-trying to subdue me alive. Perhaps he thinks he can drag me back to the Alpha. But I know the only outcome is lethal. I can’t risk him calling the others. I lash out with a brutal punch, my claws raking across his chest. He staggers, hissing in pain.

“Stop this,” he growls, eyes wild. “You’re throwing your life away for a worthless human.”

My anger ignites to a white-hot fury. “She’s not worthless,” I snarl. “She’s more than you’ll ever be.” Summoning all my strength, I slam him into a fractured column, hearing the crack of stone. He slumps, momentarily dazed. Before he can recover, I lunge, sinking my claws into his ribcage. Blood spurts, hot and sticky. My stomach twists, but I don’t hesitate. If he lives, he’ll betray us.

He gasps, eyes wide with shock. “Tra… i… tor…” The word sputters in a gargle of blood. Then he collapses, wings folding like a broken bird. A wave of nauseating guilt hits me.I just killed one of my own.But I had no choice. Elyria’s life demands it.

“Korrin!” Elyria’s voice echoes from behind me. She emerges from the shadows, chain in hand, face etched with equal parts horror and relief. She sees the gargoyle’s body, the gore around my claws. Her lips part, trembling. “You… you did it.”

I stand there, chest heaving, blood dripping from my fingers. The clan mark on his bracer glints ominously, reminding me of the oath I’ve just shattered beyond repair. “He would have taken you,” I say, voice raw, “or alerted the entire clan. I— I couldn’t let that happen.”

Her throat works, eyes glistening. “I know. You saved me.” She steps closer, swallowing hard. The acrid smell of gargoyleblood hangs in the air, a savage testament to my final break from the Alpha’s rule. My insides churn, but when Elyria reaches for me, I let out a shuddering breath and take her hand.

“We should find the others,” I rasp, shaking off the fugue that tries to claim me. “There’s still one elf—maybe two—lurking around.”

She nods, knuckles white around the chain. “Let’s… let’s end this.” Her voice shakes, but determination fuels her. We can’t leave them free to hunt us down.

Before we can advance, footsteps echo from a hallway to our right. We spin, tension coiling. The final dark elf emerges, crossbow raised. He spots the gargoyle’s corpse, the pool of blood, then me with my claws still stained. His eyes flare in shock. “You… you killed him?”

I snarl a warning. Elyria grips my arm. The elf recovers quickly, leveling his crossbow at me. Time seems to slow. If he shoots, I might dodge, but Elyria’s at risk. My wings flare in a protective arc, shifting to shield her. The elf’s finger tightens on the trigger.

A sudden rustle behind him: thethirddark elf, the one we lost track of. He emerges from the corridor, sees the scene, curses. The tension spikes. We’re outnumbered two to one. But I sense their fear—they just saw me kill a gargoyle single-handedly. That might buy us an edge.

Elyria’s nails dig into my arm. “Korrin…” She breathes my name, voice taut. She’s no fighter, but she stands tall, refusing to cower. Fierce pride surges in me.

The elf with the crossbow snarls, “Surrender, gargoyle, or we put a bolt through your heart. Then we take the girl.”

My blood roars. “Try,” I say, voice rough. “I’ll rip you apart like I did your friend.”

His eyes flick to the corpse, lips tightening. The other elf readies a throwing knife, stepping wide. They mean to flank me.My heart hammers—two elves with ranged weapons could be lethal.I must strike first.

Elyria senses my intention. She tugs the chain to brace herself behind me. “Korrin?—”

“Stay back,” I growl.One chance.I fake a lunge to the left, prompting the crossbow elf to shift aim. Then I pivot, wings snapping open, hurtling to the right. The second elf, armed with a knife, hurls it at me. It grazes my shoulder, stinging. I ignore the pain, barreling into him. He screams as my claws rake his abdomen. He tries to slash me with another blade, but I grab his wrist, twisting until the bones snap. He collapses, wailing.

I spin just in time to see the crossbow elf fire a bolt. It streaks toward me.No time to dodge.With a desperate move, I raise my arm, letting the bolt slam into my forearm’s thick hide, wincing at the impact. Pain flares, but the bolt doesn’t fully penetrate my stony flesh. The elf curses, fumbling to reload.

I let out a feral snarl, launching at him. He tries to backpedal, but the corridor’s cramped. I seize the crossbow, yanking it aside as he scrambles for a dagger. My tail whips around, knocking his legs from under him. He hits the floor with a gasp, dagger clattering away. Without hesitation, I stomp down, hearing bones crack. He howls in agony.Kill him,my old training insists. But I pause, chest heaving.Is it necessary?

The elf glares up at me, blood trickling from his mouth. He glances at Elyria, eyes alight with hate. “This is purna scum,” he spits. “She’ll doom us all.”