Stanifly

Ex Nihilo

PIPER

& CHERYL LUSBY

The stranger was rambling again - but this time, Piper listened. The contents seemed important, especially since he got to know more about the stranger's world. When the stranger reached out to brush Piper's cheek, he did not lean into it, nor did he jerk away. He simply accepted the touch.

'My name is Piper.' Throughout their conversation, he'd been sneaking glances at the plate of lamb ribs, the alluring scent of roasted meat nearly overpowering his senses. Unable to resist any longer, he bounced over to the plate and sank his canine teeth into utter bliss. Juice washed over his taste buds, a little dribbling out his mouth. The hunger in his belly demanded more and he obliged. The next few minutes saw him inhaling and slobbering all over his food, ravenously stripping meat from bone.

When nearly all the meat was gone, which wasn't that long later, Piper started working on the bones. The calcium snapped easily between his teeth and he chewed, calm and content.

'About earlier-' He didn't look up as he picked up where their conversation had left off, fixated on his food. 'It was very nice of you, but you probably shouldn't do that again. Almost every human here has..."prejudice", you said? You'd spend all your waking hours fighting off everyone with bad opinions on dragons. Not much point.'

---

Cheryl stared at the leather pouch on the floor.

'What the flame. What in the utter flame. Of hell's pit. Just flaming happened.' Unsurprisingly, the pouch didn't respond to her mental inquiries. Wary, she crept forward, reaching for the pouch. She poked it. Nothing happened. Encouraged, she took it, peeking inside.

Silver and gold winked back at her. A gasp escaped her, giddiness washing over her. Rich. With this little bag, she was filthy, meat-stinking rich. There was enough to last her more than a year, if she spent it right. Cheryl frowned.

If she could even spend it.

Whoever wanted Stranger, wanted him bad. Real bad. Bounties hardly even went this high for a single person. Clutching the neck of the bag in one hand, she leaned her chin against her middle knuckles. She needed to think this through.

'Con. He's crazy with magic that even Piper didn't recognise and that he couldn't control. If I piss him off, I'd have to kill him before he does any damage.

'Pro. That's a meatload of money.

'Con. I'd be doing shit I didn't sign up for.

'Pro. That's a meatload of money.

'Con.' She pressed her fingers against her forehead. 'He did try to help at the tavern, even if it was basically useless. He tried when no one else would have. If I bring him in to some mysterious cloaked figure organisation, it would be...'

Unfair. Then again, life was unfair. Life was, and had always been, unfair to her. Unfair to Piper and dragons like him. And now, unfair to Stranger.

She needed to find Piper and go before Sancho threw a fit. Gripping the pouch, she stood up, collected her knife - which had cooled - then paused, looking at the spot where the cloaked figure had been.

'You didn't even tell me where to send him,' she said to the empty room. When no reply came, she huffed. 'If you're gonna run a business, do it properly.'

She left.

Ex Nihilo

PIPER

& CHERYL LUSBY

Unexpected. Truly unexpected. Piper stared at the stranger as he practically barked at the old human, causing any courage he might have had to display distaste towards Piper to vanish entirely. As the old human bumbled around with their requests, Piper considered the feeling that was welling up in his chest. Happiness? Affection?

Appreciation.

Even Cheryl hadn't done anything of that sort for him before. When the old human returned with the food, Piper was treated with another display of that same hostile defensiveness. He risked a glance at the old human as the stranger collected the food. The old human looked away the second their eyes met, fixing his gaze towards the food making place.

'Pick a table for us?' There was nothing but gentle kindness in the stranger's voice. Piper blinked at him, as he had done when the stranger had winked at him, before leaping to the table closest to the long table. He jumped to another table, then another, and so on, using his wings to glide if the distance was longer than jumping could manage. Finally, he settled on a table closest to the hearth, three chairs scattered a little haphazardly around it. He waited till the stranger was close enough before he said anything.

'That was...thoughtful. Of you.' Piper played with the coin in his paws as he sat on his hind legs. His tail curled up around him. 'Thank you.' He put the coin down, then paced along the side of the table closest to the hearth. He sat down again, looking up at the stranger.

'Why? Nobody's ever done that before. Dragon or human.'

---

Cheryl dropped the knife with a curse, shaking her hand. It hit the mattress with a quiet thump, sizzling against the material. She glared up at the cloaked figure.

'The outworlder? Who-' She stopped short, her mind flashing back to the stranger she'd bumped into at the tavern. The crazy guy with untempered magic. 'I should've known he'd bring nothing but trouble.'

It felt as if she was watching a horse collision - her exhaustion completely threw caution out the window. As a result, Cheryl disregarded the warning in the cloaked figure's last statement.

'If you're talking about Mr I-Break-Glass-and-Explode-Fire at the tavern, no. I only take jobs I can handle.'

Alright, that hadn't been what she'd meant to say - she'd never have admitted something like that in her right mind - but it was the truth. Nutjob mages were not on her daily kill list. Plus she had about a meat ton of other things to worry about - like the fact that if Mum's death was planned, there was a chance she was next. Or that all her coins on her person were all she had left of her savings. Or that she was so damn tired, she could hardly give a shit about handling a weirdo prone to magical tantrums and wanted by mysterious cloaked figures. Especially when said mysterious cloaked figures didn't have the courtesy to wait till day or something to ask her.

'If your master's so powerful, why doesn't he do it himself?'

Ex Nihilo

PIPER

& CHERYL LUSBY

"My world." That was what the human said. Was he human? He smelled, looked, and acted the part. But that didn't mean he wasn't otherworldly. Piper knew the stories revolving around Antarean dragons - they were supposedly from space, arriving on Terra after a giant rock had fallen from the sky. Those were the stories that humans told, however, and Piper hadn't actually met one himself so he had tucked the information away for a time when it could become relevant.

He didn't have a reason to disbelieve the human. His strangeness seemed to agree with what he said. He was out of his depth, out of place, and he certainly didn't belong. Coming from another world wouldn't be the craziest thing Piper heard.

At the mention of food, Piper's attention jumped to 100%. He leapt into the air with a few clicking sounds, looping the human once before hovering before him.

'Yes!'

The walk - or flight, in Piper's case - to the smelly food home was uneventful. In that short time, there was nothing more he wanted to do than to settle on someone's shoulder and let them do the walking for him. He'd flown for three days from Ferlois to Sonarlis, then flown back in two days, without stopping, to pass Elena's message. Cheryl had taken four days to get here on horseback and he'd been riding on her shoulders since. He could fly now, but doing so for an extended period made his wings ache. Especially when he was flying for something as mundane as walking to a food home when the human's shoulders were perfectly empty!

If there was anything he could be embarrassed about though, it was this. What was a messenger dragon who couldn't fly? So he followed the human, lagging slightly behind. Annoyance twitched through him with every flap of his wings.

Words could never describe the relief he felt when he landed on the long table with the scared old man. So he chirruped instead, earning a flinch from the old man. Disgust reeked from the few other patrons in the room. He ignored them. Human opinion on his species was something he'd become desensitised to long ago.

His wings now folded in place, he looked up at the human, who was looking expectantly back at him. He glanced at the old human, who took a step back.

'Don't you-' hissed the old human, before cutting himself off. He licked his cracked lips, eyes darting nervously to the strange human. The urge to finish his sentence seemed to clash with his fear of the strange human and Piper watched as the old man clammed up, flustered. How curious. Humans seemed braver when Cheryl wasn't around. He was hardly ever apart from Cheryl, except for when he was working - it had always intrigued him how people stopped keeping their distance when she wasn't there. They acted as if they could actually hurt him.

He turned back to the strange human.

'Tell him meat. Any kind will do.'

---

Cheryl may have been tired, but she hadn't survived 23 years to fall prey to something like this.

The second she'd sensed movement, she'd bolted upright, hand darting to her belt. Moments later, she would curse herself for falling into habit, for acting before properly assessing the situation. The figure that stood before her could not have been human. Not with that height and not with that much mana surrounding it. Not unless it was a flaming mage messing around with their fancy bullshit and for flame's sake, did they have to pick her for their little flame around?

'You lost?' she said, a terse edge to her voice. She was in a crouch, one hand braced against the wall behind her. Mentally, she berated herself for the fool mistake she'd made.

Pointed towards the cloaked figure, her other hand gripped a knife when it should've been wielding a mana shard.

Ex Nihilo

PIPER

& CHERYL LUSBY

At his outburst, Piper gave no response. Why should he be concerned with a threat that was no longer present? Cheryl often was, but he saw no reason to adopt that habit. Unnecessary fear was a hindrance. Seeing the stranger's agitation, he chose not to say any of his thoughts. When the stranger finally returned to the more relevant topic of trading the watch, Piper raised his chin, amused.

'You lie,' responded Piper, 'I sense no mana from that watch.'

Even as he sent that message, a trace of doubt crossed his mind. The human was a strange one, after all. Maybe where he came from held mana-concealing materials? Even so, that didn't mean anything until the stranger could show him some of its "magical" capabilities. He jerked back his head as the watch was thrust in his face and his middle pinched, demanding him to stop dawdling around and take it already.

Magical or not, it didn't matter. The offer the stranger put forth was one in his favour and Piper wasn't about to wait any longer for another meal.

'I agree to your terms. As long as the information you ask me to share will not upset Cheryl,' he added as an afterthought.

Cheryl. He hoped she was doing alright in her home.

---

The entire house had been ransacked. Cheryl swore under her breath as she stood in the middle of yet another room that looked like a herd of elephants had gone through it. Repeatedly.

Assholes.

She hadn't had time to peruse the house before the funeral - had wanted to be out of it more than anything then - but she remembered how orderly it had been. Carefully maintained. Clean. Neat. Cheryl had felt out of place in a house that she had hardly been in. In the times where finance was the biggest of their worries, Mum had almost always been exhausted from working so much. Yet, she'd always had a smile to spare whenever she saw Cheryl. She'd ask Cheryl about her day, thinking her daughter played outside with the other kids. Cheryl had always avoided the question.

They loved each other, but they had never been close.

The room she was in had been hers, a long time ago. She'd given it to Elena. It was small, only room enough for a bed and a chest. The chest yawned open, scattered garments spilling over the edges and pooling on the floor. The thin mattress on the floor was kicked to the side, hay peeking out at the seams.

She tugged the mattress straight with the toe of her boot. Then she knelt down, collapsing on her back.

All the money was gone. She didn't know if it had been Sancho and his dogs or Elena and she didn't feel like asking the option who was still alive.

She was just so tired. Since the funeral, no, since she'd gotten the letter, she'd thought that she'd cry sooner or later. That the sadness would well up somewhere within her, that she'd...feel something. So far, the only thing welling in her was anger - and even that felt obligatory. She rolled onto her side, leaning her head against her arm. She had to leave soon. Head to Rareckel. Get money. Find the bastard who'd done this. She had a pretty good idea who it was; she just needed proof.

She'd go. Soon.

Her eyelids dipped lower.

Ex Nihilo

Piper

Piper knew that look. It was a look Cheryl wore sometimes, when she was trying to convince the other person of something or to get something from them. Whether what the man was saying was true or not, Piper couldn't care less. He could just leave Sonarlis altogether and forage for food in the surrounding forest. It would take more energy than he had right now, but it'd be better than arguing with a human. Why couldn't they ever keep things simple?

His mind thought back to when he'd been observing the strange human at the smelly food home. What would Cheryl do? The answer was with him even before he could mentally complete the question. He'd seen the pattern so many times, it was obvious at this point. Use what he had over what the other person didn't.

Before he could say anything, a new scent caught his interest. His head jerked up, white pupils homing on the second strange human...no, not human. Something he didn't recognise. Mana wafted from the figure, distinctly humanoid and yet missing all the features that made a human. Piper tensed, tail curling around the sconce.

Then it vanished.

Now that it was gone, Piper turned back to Jack, unconcerned.

'Yes.' He thought again about the watch and the coin in his paw. 'But more importantly, your...watch. You call this a little coin, but you don't have any like it, do you? You are a strange human, with strange clothes and strange magic and strange things. Will you use intimidation every time you want to trade something, like you did with the scared old human?'

Then again, if the watch was really worth a lot, one measly silver coin did seem little. He thought harder.

'I'll give you another one', he finally sent, 'but only after you trade.'

Ex Nihilo

Piper

The human seemed startled, but he didn't start yelling or running away in fear so that was a good sign. Piper cocked his head at him when the human paused. Was he expecting a response? Should he say something? The human had talked to him before but hadn't wanted him to respond then.

Oh. Never mind. The human was talking again. So much babbling. Piper lifted up a hind leg, scratching the back of his ear. Out of everything the human was talking about, the term "girlfriend" stuck out. He paused. Then he kept on scratching. "Girlfriend" was an unfamiliar term. The way he said it made it sound like Cheryl was his mate. Gross. This human really wasn't right in the head. Dragons and humans were two completely different species. He put his foot down and started preening the underside of his right wing.

Once the human stopped talking, his tone indicating some sort of question Piper had missed due to complete disinterest, Piper spat out another plucked feather. Shaking his head to free his mouth of any remaining fluff, he looked back at Jack. Nothing else to do but speak. He could always try invading a food home later, though it might annoy Cheryl.

'You talk too much.' He raised a paw to show the silver coin tucked in his claws. 'Do you want to trade?'

It occurred to him afterwards that the human might be more amenable to do so if Piper was polite. And ignoring the human's many words would have been rude. It wasn't Piper's fault. Hunger meant not listening to unimportant words from crazy humans. Still, if he wanted food, he had to make the human happy. He lowered his paw, thinking. What had the human said? Piper had only caught the part about Cheryl being his "girlfriend", which he assumed meant mate, which was still disgusting. Maybe the human had been asking more questions about their supposed courtship?

'Cheryl's not my mate.' He wrinkled his nose. 'She's human. And too big. Pygmies only mate with other pygmies.'

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

& PIPER

Dark. Cold. Empty.

Cheryl Lusby could hardly recognise this place that was meant to be home. How could she, when she'd spent nearly all her life away from it? The door opened silently, giving out only the smallest of creaks. She glanced at its hinges. Well-oiled. Her gaze moved up to the unlit torch by the doorway, then flicked towards the centre of the room. In the darkness, she could just about make out the hearth. She strode over to it, kneeling down. There wasn't much firewood left, but it wasn't like she was staying long.

'Fire.'

Piper got his head out from under his wings and spat. Instead of spittle, however, a tiny lick of dark red flame shot out towards the fireplace. Fire consumed dry wood, burning dark red. Despite the dark colour, it lit the room as well as a regular fire would. The room was a little more than dimly lit now. She stood up, looking around. The living room was a mess. Not in the way that someone hadn't bothered to maintain it; the haphazard way the furniture was placed and objects scattered indicated something else far more irritating.

Sancho and his dogs. They'd been here, messing with things that weren't theirs while she'd been at the funeral.

'Hungry,' sent Piper as she took the torch from the doorway. She didn't say anything until she lit it with some of the fire from the hearth.

They were both tired. Cheryl had left Ferlois the second she'd heard about Mum, riding straight to Sonarlis. Piper, who'd just flown back from Sonarlis, had taken to riding on her shoulder since then. Guilt crawled around the edges of her mind. His wellbeing had completely escaped her.

'Here.' She tossed a silver coin at him and he caught it with a deft paw. 'Get yourself something.'

A soft churr in response, a flap of wings, and he was gone. Now alone, Cheryl looked towards the deeper interiors of the house.

She sighed.

---

Piper could smell Cheryl's exhaustion. It was a strong scent; if they'd been in the wild, some animal would have come, thinking she was easy food. In a way, she was. But they were both slippery and Piper marvelled at how they had escaped death more than once with nothing but her wits.

He knew his species wasn't particularly intelligent. That was what all the humans said. Pipios - good for following orders and nothing else. Piper was content with that. At least he could help Cheryl.

The one person who'd showed him mercy in a place where there had been none.

Cool air soothed his wings. He was a streak of white against the black sky, hungry eyes darting everywhere as he soared over the village. Few humans were out; those who spotted him reeked of either fear or disgust. He watched them scuttle back into their stiff, blocky homes.

The lack of human activity also meant a lack of food - at least in the open. When Cheryl let him free like this, he could usually snatch up something from the market, leaving behind his payment for the humans to find after they calmed down from their outrage over the thievery. He'd been more than a little startled the first time it happened, but Cheryl had told him it was alright. He paid for what he took so it was still legal, whatever that meant. Humans and their funny clan rules. So complicated.

He could try going into one of the homes that offered food to humans who went in. Then again, it would be harder to fly out and they might blame Cheryl if he fought someone. Most things he did, they blamed on Cheryl. Sometimes, he felt like attacking humans who did that, but Cheryl usually didn't want him to, so he didn't.

His middle rumbled. He settled on the edge of a sloping roof, shaking his head vigorously.

'Mrr,' he grumbled, displeased. For a while, he was content to sit there. Wriggly silhouettes occasionally passed overhead. He stared up at them, watching them fly by. Another type of pygmy, wingless ones who could fly. So much mana - he could sense it even at this distance.

It was a little later before he noticed a vaguely familiar scent permeating the air. Further down the street, something glinted at him. He perked up.

Food!

He raised his wings, then hesitated. The last time he'd spoken with this stranger, the stranger had, as Cheryl would put it, 'lost his meat'. Clearly, the stranger was someone Piper should stray clear of.

That little gold trinket winked at him once more.

Piper took off, landing neatly on the sconce jutting by the home's entrance where the stranger was. He puffed out a small flame, lighting the torch in greeting.

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

K I M B E V E R I D G E

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Location | Sami's stolen RV
Interacting with | Sami @BrutalBx, Emi @NeoAC
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'If you say so,' said Kim, humour colouring her tone.

The conversation was cut short when Umbra arrived in a bundle of overexerted nerves, barely managing to get a sentence out before fainting. Considering her state a minute ago, Kim half-expected Emi to freak out or blow up into a rabid ball of concern. Instead, her mood skyrocketed back to her usual cheer and when Emi began looking around for something, presumably Umbra's soda, Kim simply pointed at the fridge. She watched, more than a little baffled, as Emi attempted to rouse Umbra.

Just as she was about to offer her water bottle to squirt Umbra back into consciousness, something more pressing came to mind. Namely, the sound of the RV's engine starting up. She squinted at Sami, who'd gotten into the driver's seat when she wasn't paying attention. Didn't he realise that Umbra was unconscious? Not to mention-

'Not to rain on your parade or anything-' She glanced around the RV, eyes skimming over the faces present. Then her gaze returned to the windscreen, staring into the outside. Which was moving. '-but I think we're short of one.' She looked down at the pair on the floor. 'Is she alright, Em? She didn't knock her head or anything on the way down, right?'

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

Strange music jarred Cheryl from her stupor and she took a step back. Her mind whirred fast in the next few seconds.

A set up. Of course Cheryl wasn't responsible for Mum's death - the hell would she obtain from killing off the one person she'd risked her life for all these years? Sancho had to be dumber than she'd thought, buying Elena's lies like that. Under all that false bravado, he hadn't changed a bit.

This only confirmed that this went further than Elena. The caretaker couldn't have cooked up something like this on her own. 'And', a part of her grudgingly admitted, 'she wouldn't have much reason to do something like this without outside influence.' Her few interactions with Elena years ago had reflected a capable young lady with a demeanour others might have called "sweet". Cheryl called it "sickening naivety" - but that was probably what Mum needed all those years. Someone who actually knew to care for her and love her the way she deserved.

Someone who could give her everything Cheryl Lusby couldn't.

At the stranger's shout, Cheryl gritted her teeth. Turning around, she flung a hand out towards him.

'Stop that-whatever it is you're doing, idiot! I had it under control!' she snapped. Without waiting for his response, she twisted back towards the door. It hung open, revealing the pitiful, scattered mess of the town's guards. Sancho was still gathering himself, dazed from his tumble down the tavern's steps. The guards, however, were still on their feet and as soon as Cheryl stepped through the door, they raised their spears. The unison of their movement and wariness of the action showed that they could be somewhat competent after all.

Too bad Cheryl was better.

In her walk to the door, she'd opened the clasp of her second belt pouch, closer than the one she'd gotten her money from. It had to be - its contents were far more important than some old coins. Now, she stood at the door, one hand tucked into that pouch.

Then she glowed. Wisps of pale turquoise rose above her skin. Green pupils flashed, almost as if electrified. The guards hesitated at the display, some gasping aloud, but to their credit, all of them stood their ground. She walked down the steps and Sancho, who'd just gotten to his knees, scuttled back on his ass.

'No-don't do this! Please!'

The guards stepped closer, then stilled when Cheryl raised a glowing hand.

'Come closer and and the life of your Chief Guard falls by your hands.'

They did not move again. Her gaze flicked down towards Sancho. His face was as pale as a scroll, almost ashen in her light.

'Give me three days.'

'Wh-what?'

'I'll prove that it wasn't me who killed Velva Heilman.' Detachment. It helped numb the cold emptiness of grief, grounded her from running from reality. 'In three days, find me in Rareckel and you'll have your proof. Do we have a deal?'

Sancho hesitated. Cheryl cocked her head. Then a bark of laughter escaped Sancho, hysteria colouring its edges.

'A deal? The moment you're out of my sight, we'll have a fugitive on our hands! You really expect me to trust you?!'

The corner of her lip curled upwards.

'Yes. Because if you don't...' Fingers alight with turquoise twitched. Sancho gasped as a gust of wind blew through the area.

'Since you're such a fan of rumours, I'm sure you know what I can do.'

The area was void of but a few people, commoners who had not the presence of mind to think of running away. Siphoning out all other expressions that had previously been aimed towards her, there was a collective tension that ran through every witness of the display:

Fear.

Cheryl relished in it.

Sancho nodded weakly. 'Three...three days.'

'Good.' In her pouch, she let go of the mana shard and the wisps returned into her skin, as if sucked in. The light dissipated. Piper started cleaning the underside of his wings, the scrape of his rough tongue against his feathers audible against her ear. 'Remember. Rareckel. And call your dogs off. I'm going home.'

With that, she stalked off. Now that the light show was gone, the disgust had returned. She could feel it emanating from every civilian she passed, nearly drowning out their fear. The whispers started up again.

Let them whisper. She knew the truth.

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

& PIPER

Cheryl jerked back at the outburst, her eyes wide. A low growl sounded from Piper. Throughout his tirade, Cheryl tensed, ready to react if he attacked. It was only when his glass shattered did she flinch, shielding her face. When she lowered her hand, the mead was still standing. By itself.

'What in the seventy pits of hell just happened?' She frowned. 'And why the hell does he keep mentioning beans? Weirdo.'

The stranger himself seemed confused, behind his fit of anger. When he finally spoke up, she scowled.

'The flame? I should be the one asking you that! Don't try to pin this on me, meathead.' Flaming mage! Learning magic he couldn't control and trying to shift the blame on her? As if to enunciate her point, his...butt...made an odd sound, almost like a tune. Shaking her head, she moved back. She was having none of this meat.

As Cheryl got off her seat, Piper weaved around her head, moving to her other shoulder. His ears were flat against his head and he snarled at the stranger. He switched back to the signal he shared with his mistress.

'Strange magic. Don't want to talk to him again,' he sent to Cheryl.

'Then don't,' snapped back Cheryl, keeping her eyes on the stranger. She was not dealing with this crap. The guy could go off blazing fire and breaking glass somewhere else. She had enough on her plate without having to handle tantrum-throwing wizards.

'Well, don't know about you, but I've got things to do, stranger.' She glanced around and couldn't help a whistle at the nearly empty tavern. The few that were left were studiously not looking at them and trying not to shake. 'Might wanna learn how to temper that magic o' yours. Ciao.' She turned to head for the door.

The door slammed open. Piper's wings flared open, brushing against her hair, and he snarled.

'Cheryl Lusby, you are wanted on account of murder.' Guard Sancho. Or rather, judging from his maroon uniform, Chief Guard now. Balding head, wrinkled forehead - the last decade had not been kind to him. 'Stay where you are. Do not move. And get that flaming lizard under control!' He levelled his sword at her. Behind him, just outside the tavern, Cheryl could see other guards waiting. Blue uniforms. Lower rank soldiers, but just as capable of fighting with the spears they held by their sides. They weren't waving those around just yet, but she could tell they were itching to.

'Hey Sancho.' She reached up, and Sancho took another step, sword still pointed towards her in warning. Rolling her eyes, she continued with the move, scratching Piper between his ears. His wings folded closed, but his snarl remained. 'Bit much for a welcome greeting, don't you think?'

'Lusby. Don't make this any harder than it has to be.' Sancho's voice was firm, unshakeable. So different from the quivering guard she remembered from back then.

'The only one making this hard is you, Sancho.' Sighing, she dropped her hand, inciting a slight flinch from the Chief Guard. 'Elena killed Mum. So I did you guys a favour, got rid of another murderer. Saved you the paperwork of having to write up another bounty too! You're welc-' She stopped, staring down at the sword at her throat.

'Elena told us what's been happening lately. We should've listened. I should've known better than to trust the Breath Stealer, of all people.' Disgust swam in the middle of the hate in his eyes. Cheryl narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right.

'The flame you on about? Whatever Elena told you, it's not true.'

'This says otherwise.' He reached for something tucked in his belt and held it up. It glinted in the flickering firelight. A small corked bottle, containing a pink-tinted translucent liquid. 'Pinkshrub. Funny. What, did you think poisoning her was more merciful? Couldn't face strangling your own mother?'

Dread sat cold in the pit of Cheryl's stomach.

'What', she whispered, 'did you just say?'

Sancho lowered the bottle, stowing it away in his belt. He narrowed his eyes, practically spitting his next words.

'Cheryl Lusby. You're wanted for the murder of Elena Rushel and Velva Heilman.'

At the mention of her mother's name, Cheryl's throat closed.

'You will come with us. Your execution will take place tomorrow morning.'