They ran wheezing, exhausted, darkness falling into the deep black of night. Onward they fled, their pursuers never giving them but a mere moment's rest.
"Wait, wait," Lem put a hand to his dark forehead wiping the sweat away. "We need to go back to the beginning to figure this out. There is something I'm missing here."
Red froze in place and turned to face Lem.
There it was, her secret. Almost on the tip of her tongue. She wanted so badly to tell him everything. How Val'Rend kept finding them. Why he always was just around the corner. It didn't matter how fast they ran or how far they went. He would always be there, hot on their heels, his despicable displacer beast at the ready. She clutched her sword in hand. Beside her, her wolf-dog growled almost as if she were in agreement.
They'd been fleeing the drow slavers for hours, their tentacled, six-legged, catlike displacer beast never too far behind pushing them along.
She opened her mouth to explain, but then the wretched displacer beast was among them, tentacles lashing out as it yowled. Red found herself flung back when a tentacle caught her in the stomach and sent her flying. She saw stars as hit a tree and fell to the ground. Stunned but managing to hold onto her sword she rolled onto her feet, springing up just in time to see her beloved wolf hybrid Sitka facing off with the displacer beast.
The dog had no chance against the demonic creature.
"No!" Red shrieked leaping towards the pair just as the tentacles flashed downward. Blood spilled across the dirt as the tentacles latched onto either side of Sitka and the hooks pulled apart, splitting the animal at the sides. Sitka let out an agonizing cry that Red had never heard before going silent and limp.
Red stopped moving forward as she stared at her longtime companion, a gift from the only blood relation she'd had from her mother's family.
"Nooooo," the raw cry ripped from her throat.
Three drow warriors moved in, their grins the only parts of their faces visible under their cowls. Lem drew his black sword as the displacer beast turned its attention to him He moved to place himself between Red, the creature, and the incoming drow. The blade hummed in the dark, and Lem tightened his grip on the blade.
A fourth drow warrior taller than the rest came from behind the three, moving swiftly he appeared out of nowhere. Taller than an average drow male, his height alone betrayed his human heritage. He pulled his cowl back from his face, a grin of triumph splitting his dark face. His long white hair was tied back from his face, tattoos marked his neck and she suspected his shoulders. A scar marked his cheek and his eyes held a crimson glow.
Red would have known him anywhere.
"I told you, I'd find you, Sabriel." He smiled. But the smile didn't reach his eyes.
