The evening had grown late by the time Koen returned from the scouting party. Morana had endured many more scoldings and lectures from her aunt and was more than ready to retire for the night. She'd already gone up to her room when she heard the front door announce her uncle's arrival.

    Soon after, Koen and Vesna's muffled voices reached her ears. She could only just make out what they were saying. Morana approached her door and cracked it open. "You saw them, didn't you?" Vesna asked, her voice low. "How close are they?"

    "Close enough that it's already too late to do anything.

    "Doesn't Wenlon have a plan?"

    "No. He thought they would pass us by, but it's obvious they won't and now there's no time."

    "Then...what are we going to do?"

    Morana pursed her lips as she waited for her uncle's response. "I'm going to give Mor a lesson. Make sure she's ready for what comes tomorrow."

    Vesna didn't reply immediately, then, "I'll prepare our things."

    Chair legs scraped against the floor and Morana retreated to her bed. Her uncle's footsteps echoed down the hall until stopping in front of her door. Koen nudged it open and barely inclined his head. Morana left the room and followed him to the front door.

    Outside, night had fallen cold and thick. Clouds covered the moon almost completely. Only a few pale rays of light escaped them. Morana watched the sky as she and Koen made their way behind the house.

    Only when he cleared his throat did she bring her attention back to him. He picked up a wooden sword from the small rack resting against the house. Morana caught it and Koen claimed his own.

    "Your aunt tells me you were using your magic in public today," he said, crouching low and grasping the sword before him with two hands.

    Morana mirrored his stance, but angled her own sword sideways. "In front of people, yes. In public, no."

    Koen lunged without warning. Morana caught the blow and twisted around him. Her foot lashed out but he had already anticipated the move and dodged. "Go on," he pressed.

    This time, she attacked. Her wooden weapon met Koen's with a dull thud and she planted her feet, then slid one forward and hooked it behind Koen's ankle. She jerked him off balance. He caught himself with a roll and was upright in a heartbeat.

    "I used it to ease the symptoms of Mav and Leandra's illness. Their children too. Neeri went with me and brought them some food."

    "Wenlon ordered them into isolation to prevent the spread of their illness."

    "They were starving," Morana snapped. "The children were too weak to even hold a canteen on their own. A few more days and they might have died."

    Koen lowered his sword with a sigh. Morana straightened as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "You are compassionate, Little Bird," he said. "But we worry that you care too much. You can't help anyone if you are dead."

    Morana turned her face into the shadows. "We may all be dead anyway, right?" His grip tightened. She didn't have to look at Koen to see how rigid he'd become. "I heard males in the village say Corrupted Fae are closing in."

    Koen gave a faint sight. "They're newly Corrupted."

    Newly Corrupted. The words echoed through her mind. Newly Corrupted Fae were only ever sent out to do one thing. The only thing they could do in their crazed blood-lusting state. Carry out a death sentence.

    Corrupted Fae only knew how to kill and destroy, and newly Corrupted were the worst of all. Once, they had been Fae like her, or Shifter Fae like Neeri's family, before they were captured and brought before the Dark Lord of Asterria. Through his magic, he was able to Corrupt them, twisting their forms and changing their desires to suit his own.

    Those who could control their lust for Fae blood were the Cahirim, his enforcers, sent out to see his will enacted across the land. The newly Corrupted were turned loose to wreak whatever havoc they could create. Always, it ended in a sea of blood and a village of corpses.

    Morana had seen it many times, but only once before had she seen her entire village ransacked and destroyed. That was when she was fifteen-years-old, and she'd prayed that she would never have to witness it again.

    She had only survived thanks to one of the village warriors, her adopted brother at the time. He'd left his family behind and carried her to safety, before returning to the village to do what he could. She had never seen him, or any of them, ever again.

    "What will we do?" Morana asked. The words came out fainter than she intended.

    "We're going to cross the river and hide in the Vidar. Others may have a similar plan. Those of us who survive will regroup later."

    "We need to warn the rest of the village."

    Koen shook his peppered brown head roughly. "No. That will cause a panic and bring the Corrupted Fae here even faster."

    Morana stared at him in disbelief. "If we don't warn them, they'll die! We can't just leave them all to fend for themselves." Another terrible, frantic thought pushed itself to the front of her mind. "What about Mav and Leandra's family? They're too weak to fight off Corrupted Fae. They'll be slaughtered!"

    She took a step forward, but Koen caught her by the shoulders. "Better for them to die quickly and all together than for them to watch each other slowly starve to death or succumb to illness," he spoke, quiet but firm.

    Morana shrugged out of his grasp. "I'm going to warn them." She threw her wooden sword to the side and stormed away from the house, ignoring his calls behind her.

•༻☽☾༺•

    The village was deathly silent as she hurried through empty streets. Morana repeatedly glanced about, half expecting to find a Corrupted Fae everywhere she looked. If she did happen to see someone, it was just some poor soul crouched before one of the alley fires that a few Fae supplied magic to, keeping them burning all night.

    A gust of wind swept hair across her face and drove a chill deep beneath her skin. Morana pushed her hair aside and quickened her pace. Perhaps it was just her anxiety, but something felt...off.

    This time, the chill down her spine had nothing to do with the wind. She peered about once more but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. She ducked around a corner, again coming in sight of Mav and Leandra's rundown hut.

    Morana gave a small sigh of relief and knocked on the door before easing it open. Mav and Leandra were awake and seated before a small fire. They started at the sight of her.

    "Uncle Koen says Corrupted Fae are coming," Morana panted, taking care not to raise her voice as she spied the sleeping children. "You and your family need to escape now."

    Leandra's features grew distraught and she hid her face in her hands. Mav wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but faced Morana. "We already know. Your uncle warned us almost an hour ago."

    "He...he did? Then why are you still here?" She realized the answer as soon as the words left her mouth. "You don't plan to run."

    Mav shook his head. Leandra brushed her hands across her cheeks, wiping away a few tears as she said, "Even if we made it to the forest, none of us are strong enough to last there for long. Especially not the children. I don't want them to suffer more than they already are."

    "But they'll kill you all!"

    "Maybe not," Mav replied. "They have no need to enter a hut that looks abandoned."

    "What if they do anyway? Or what if they burn it?" Morana spat. "Do you want your family to burn to death?"

    "Even if they burn it, we have ways of escaping. A fire would mask our scents and provide enough cover for us to hide somewhere else."

    "You can hide in the forest," Morana insisted. "You can leave now. I'll help you! I could go find Neeri too, and we can..."

    "No," Leandra interrupted. "You have families of your own. Families who stand a chance of surviving. They need you more than we do. Whatever our fate is, we will not run from it." A proud gleam entered her eyes despite the tears that still pooled there. "If we die, Durga will see us to the Eternal Haven. We will finally be whole and at peace."

    "But..." Morana began again.

    "If it seems likely that we will be discovered and there is no chance for escape, it will be by my hand," Mav interrupted. Morana's mouth fell open and horror washed her blood cold. "My family will not suffer," he murmured. "And no Blood Fae will have the chance to claim their lives."

    A bitter sting burned beneath her lashes, but no tears would fall. Morana faced Leandra, unable to speak the questions that rested like coals on her tongue.

    Leandra blinked rapidly and took her hand, squeezing it tight. "We have decided this together. It is our choice whether we run or claim our own lives. You are kind to try to help us, but we know what our options are. You need to go help your own family. Koen and Vesna will need a strong and powerful Fae to help them."

    Morana's throat tightened and she wrapped her arms around Leandra, embracing her as hard as she dared. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," she whispered. "You all are much braver than I am."

    "You did all you could," Leandra reassured her. "But now, you must go."

    Gently, she pushed her away. Morana rose quietly and backed towards the door, unable to pull her gaze from them. Leandra offered her a small smile before Morana stepped into the street and closed the door behind herself.

    A few bitter tears managed to drip down her cheeks, but Morana wiped them away as soon as they fell. She gave one last look at the forlorn hut, then set off towards home. There was nothing she could do now. Their minds were made up. She could only pray that the goddesses and god would spare them from the terrible choice they might have to make.

    She squeezed her eyes shut as she walked, whispering hoarsely to herself. "Mother Nepenthe spare them. Oriana bring them peace. Drenusha watch over them."

    She skipped over the fourth goddess, and instead prayed, "Hadeon, protect them." Morana opened her eyes and lifted them to the sky. "Durga, if they should fall, bear them swiftly to their rest."

    Scarcely had the words left her mouth when an eerie feeling crept over her, placing every nerve in her body on alert. Morana whirled, but saw nothing. Magic warmed her palms though she didn't let it spread beyond that. Beneath her clothes, the mark just below her collarbone also grew warm. She knew a red light would be shining within the blazing eclipsed sun inked there.

    Her mouth ran dry and the feeling remained, but still, Morana saw nothing. She couldn't hear or smell anything out of the ordinary either. After a few moments, she resumed walking, but didn't lower her guard. She had barely made it down the street when it hit her. The metallic reek of blood. There was a bloodcurdling scream that ended in a strangled groan. Morana went stiff with dread.

    In the alley next to her, a pair of crimson eyes appeared. There was a flash of fangs and a low, guttural laugh. She took a step back. A hand grabbed her shoulder and shoved her aside. Morana cried out but before she could recover, she was pushed again.

    "Go, run!" Koen ordered. A dark blur rammed into him, tearing his hand from her shoulder. Morana could barely hear herself scream. All around her, the village was screaming too.