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Mycra Sentorious

What Followed: Part I

No one noticed when Lily Baker’s rhythms tumbled into turmoil. Mycra watched the human’s lashes flutter. Watched her spin around. Watched her leave the fire and sneak into the maze of trunks darkened by the morning’s shadows.

And so, as the Brotherhood of Assassins devised a plan for which Shadow Fairy would transport which traveller, Mycra slipped away on silent toes to follow.

Lily must have been moving fast—Mycra couldn’t find her right away. She smelled the changes in the air, followed the trail of warmth and worry. She hoped the human wasn’t vomiting, but it seemed she may have been by the vibrations in the…

Mycra froze by a crystal rock face. She heard Lily’s rhythms again, but something was wrong. The scents bled together with a familiar terror and, though something inside Mycra told her to flee, she leaped around the rock onto a stone path, reaching behind her for her spear.

There rested Lily Baker, collapsed. Her eyes were closed, her flesh was blueing, her breathing was shallow.

“Lily!” Mycra dropped beside the human and shook her shoulders. She turned to scream into the woods, to call for Lily’s allies, but a net of sticky web came over Mycra, and a hand slapped over her mouth.

She thrashed as she was wrangled like an animal, the ropes tightening with every movement. Her spear was torn from her hands, and a dark, icy voice whispered into her ear; one she’d hoped she would never hear again.

“Welcome back, Dreamslipper. You’ve been busy.”

“I’ll destroy you,” she said through his fingers, “if you take me back there.”

A light chuckle followed. “Come Massie. Let’s take our prizes back to Father.”