Chapter 14 · Uninvited Guests

"Keep your voice down, or I’ll rip your tongue out myself," Lyra hissed, her hand clamping hard over the mouth of the smaller scout beside her.

I didn't have a voice. Not yet. But I had a hunger that felt like a living thing clawing at my insides. I was currently a smudge of oily darkness clinging to the underside of Lyra’s boot, feeling every vibration of her stride. The air in this corridor was thick with the smell of old blood and ozone, but the new scent—the one drifting from the end of the hall—was better. Much better.

Human. Fresh. And absolutely clueless.

"Did you see it?" the scout whispered, muffled by Lyra's palm. "The readings said there was a high-grade mana spike in this sector. If we find a Core, the Guild will promote us to Silver rank on the spot."

Lyra didn't let go. She shoved him against the damp stone wall with a dull thud. "The readings were wrong, idiot. This place is a graveyard. We get in, we mark the perimeter, and we get out before the shadows decide we look like snacks."

I felt a ripple of amusement. *Snacks.* That was cute.