——-

  It was evening, and the sun that blessed all with its light was on the twilight of its dusk beyond the clouds that covered the world. It turned the sky a dull grey-orange, leaving nothing but shadows for the people of Srok.

  Clara had run through the streets looking but now she was tired, as she walked she looked through the dark alleys, asked the men and women who sold overripe fruit on the street and occasionally the street urchins who were fewer on the dark corners of Srok.

  Clara found that whoever she asked about Gabe, she found most didn’t know, and others simply didn’t care. Clara had even lost a few coppers to a drunk who had said he had seen someone matching the description. In the end, that had turned out to be a waste-- the man had pointed to one of the begging boys as thin as Gabe. Rather unremarkably, the boy was a filthying of course. He looked as thin as the description she had given. She shook her head in sadness and looked away. Clara could not blame the drunk for pointing at the thin teenage boy who was clearly not Gabe. This was a mistake on her part, she should have thought about her questions before she went about asking them.

  ‘Gabe is smart. surely... his smart.... if anything he is probably safe,’ She thought.

  Clara had started out in a panic, but if no one saw him move through the city, then that meant he had made it out safely, and he couldn’t blame him either. But he had still betrayed them, and whatever he was planning, she hoped…

  After a few long moments of looking up at the setting sun and ashy clouds, she stood ready to give up, with no option but to turn back and keep those who had remained with her safe. It was in the briefest of moments when the shadows turned, and she felt a cold wind on the back of her neck.

  Clara turned and faced the tall, lanky half-Goliath boy who had made his way out of the shadows. His eyes were glowing an Aasimar gold as he looked directly at her.

  "What do you want Levin?" Clara asked folding her arms and giving the other boy a cold look.

  Levin moved with his hands raised, showing he was unarmed—a gesture that was pointless for a Veystrix—as he stepped out of the shadows. “I heard you were looking for someone.”

  "Yes. Gabe, have you seen him."

  Levin lowered his arms, "Seen him. No. Heard of him, yes.”

  “Where is he?” she began, but she thought better of it. If her friend had made it out of Srok successfully, then her knowing would be bad for him. " No, don’t tell me. I will pay you to keep an eye on him,” she offered.

  “No can do am afraid. His marked,” Levin said, leaning against the wall.

  "Why not?" she said walking up into his space.

  "Because he may be dead." Levin answered and Clara thought he was too calm.

  “What did you say?”

  “It’s your friends.” He looked into her eyes deeply, wanting her to understand the situation. "They may be in danger.”

  “What!!!” Clara could feel her blood begin to boil, she wanted nothing to do with whatever game Levin was playing at. She made to scream at the boy, but the veystrix spoke again.

  “It’s Thornan,” Levin said, walking over to the blood that painted the cobblestone, touched it and rose to show Clara. “the blood,” he pinched his fingers together. “it’s Gabe’s.”

  Her eyes knitted first in confusion and anger, then, as though she had forgotten something important, widened in realization. She looked behind Levin and to the ground. And fear was all she could feel. Her lips trembled, and for a second, her knees felt weak. She began to follow the blood slowly and then took off following the trail.

  She ran and ran, following the trail of crimson, her weariness forgotten. Every step felt heavy, and the Broken Manor had never felt further. What was worse was that the trail of blood was clearly leading towards her friends and the building that had become their home over the past weeks.

  And as she made it to the manor, her steps slowed not because she was scared of facing what awaited her or because she was having a change of heart. No, the outside streets of the manor were filled with throngs of filthying and if she paid close enough attention to the shadows and rooftops around the manor she could see the flicker of shadows and figures watching.

  Like scavengers, they waited.

  All the street urchins— Veystrix or filthyings stood watching, and they did nothing but watch whatever was going on inside the compound of her broken manor. The crowd of scrawny teenagers and children gathered and blocked her path, but she pushed them aside, moving forward towards her friends, she elbowed her way through the crowd of bodies, and she suddenly stopped and saw what everyone was looking at.

  Thornan was there standing in her compound, Nel was on the ground unmoving but steadily breathing, Linus was against the wall holding his leg that was bent the wrong way, Ethne was curled up in Geneve’s hands, the half Goliath girl’s face was swollen, and worse was Zek-- the half goliath could barely stand, bloodied as he was, as Thornan mocked him. Clara looked around, her eyes undoubtedly looking for one missing figure. The one she had pinned all her hope on. Where was Marcus? If he was still with Ivor at the cabin, then…Then.

  A grunt, then a scream filled with pain came loud from the compound, and over the crowd, she watched as Thornan pushed a dagger into Zek’s thigh.

  “Noooo!!!” she screamed. “Stop it!” she warned as her voice cut through the heavily crowded street, causing those who stood around her to give Clara a wide berth.

  They did not want to get involved.

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  And in her anger, Clara’s hands glowed like never before, resembling hot red-orange coals that stood out against her skin. She could feel her body vibrating, the aether of her elemental affinity causing the air to shift and vibrate along with her as all her magical weight went into the spell. Those around her gave her even more room, the heat in the air causing them to step back.

  “I. said. stop.”

  "Finally..." Thornan chuckled "I was wondering where you were," he looked down to were Zek was holding his leg, then, as if ignoring him for a knew toy he turned his back to face the white haired girl.

  "I thought you run away like your friend," he pointed to the unconscious and bloody body of Gabe and Clara realized then what had happened. The goliath had dragged her friend back bloody and half dead.

  “You monster,” she spat, Walking past the many faces that turned and gave her a straight path to the compound.

  She walked faster and faster and as she approached, Thornan's smile grew manic. he opened his mouth to speak but Clara did not wait for him. She wasn't going to let him get away with this.

  Clara’s hands shot forward trying to lay a hand on the half Goliath boy.

  That’s all she needed. She was the scar-giver, and everyone knew this. From the way the aether around her felt shaking, the very air she breathed, Clara knew her fire had never been hotter, and she knew deep down that all she needed to do was to touch him. One touch, that’s all it would take before the aether would become too hard to control, and she could no longer keep it up. One touch, and although the veystrix lived through it, he would be crippled for the rest of his life.

  Thornan may have looked large, and some may have even thought he was all brawn and no brain. It was the wrong assumption to make around him. In fact, Thornan, without his innate magic [Giant’s Presence], was small for a goliath, and before he ever got his innate magic, he was smart, something those who challenged him found out too late. He was, in no uncertain terms, good when it came to a fight. His large stature just gave him an extra edge, so he was no fool and knew what he was feeling around the white-haired girl. The elemental aether in his core was being suppressed and being wrenched out of his control, and for all intents and purposes, he knew this could only happen if the girl’s elemental Affinity was higher than his, and in this case, if he was right. It was prudent for him to stay back. so he changed tactics. All he had to do was wait her out, and then, when she was exhausted, he would strike.

  Thornan twisted getting out of the way of Clara's striking hand and without any semblance of remorse delivered a knee to shorter girl’s gut.

  “Clara... we had a deal... and I find you planning an escape," he shook his head from side to side, chuckling.

  Clara for the briefest of moments could not breathe, she tried but failed and even as she inhaled forcefully she didn’t feel the soothing air reaching her lungs.

  Then she vomited stale bread and water that left her mouth pouring down to the floor. She moved to touch her chest but thought better of it. After all, even she could feel the heat from her [Flaming Hands] spell, and she knew it would surely burn her.

  Thornan looked at her. “Do you think I'm a fool?” he scoffed, looking down at her, seemingly waiting for a response.

  Clara did not respond. She wanted to burn him, and she would. She watched his casual posture and when his eyes strayed away from her for the briefest of moments. At that moment, she pushed her body forward, aiming her hands up and high at his face.

  Thornan dodged the arm, stretching for his head, and grabbed Clara just below her elbow, avoiding the heat at the end of her arm. He squeezed until she screamed, and he basked in her pain.

  Thornan dodged her other blazing hand. Knocking it to the side. And pushing the girl away. Had it been any other person facing a goliath, they would have never been dumb enough to let a goliath grab them, but Clara was different. It was in her magic and in her nature. Touch her, and the scars she would leave on your body would make you regret it. It was the oddest of things where everyone avoided the goliath in a grappling contest. The goliath avoided her in a similar way in a grappling contest.

  “Am going to kill you,” she snarled as she tried to concentrate and push the pain away, gritting her teeth and shaking her bruised arm.

  “No you won’t. I will be the one to choose which one of you I kill.” he said, raising his hands to the sides and gesturing for their watching crowd.

  “No, you won’t touch them. I won’t allow it.” she punched.

  Thornan didn’t bother dodging this time around. He wanted to see her fear, as even her strongest innate magic couldn’t hold him back. He aimed for a blow to her gut willing to trade, but the smaller girl surprised him.

  Clara stopped her advance and, with the palm of her hand, absorbed the force behind the large fist and used it to jump backwards.

  He had thought it simple, but it hadn't worked. As soon as his hand came within an inch of the girl's red-hot fingers, his leather gloves burned, and the metal studs on the inside seared and embedded themselves into his flesh, leaving his hand exposed to the ever-cold air and ever-colder wind.

  He focused through the pain ignoring it and closed the distance.

  ---

  Clara used the force of the punch, pushing herself back and trying to step away from the reach of the Goliath. After all, she had done it. Burnt him. Scared him. But she knew Thornan was not going to allow her to gain space to breathe and think.

  He closed the distance instantly, and with an almost casual swing of his large arm, he backhanded her across the face, causing her to stagger back, dazed from the hit.

  “Look at you. How long can you keep this up?” he asked, his upturned nose frowning as he grabbed at the burn on his arm.

  He looked at her, then at the scar on his arm. For the briefest of moments, he disappeared from sight in the dim evening light, stepping away from her and appearing further back in the shadows. She could see him going through his reptilian leather-covered grimoire.

  Thinking to take the chance, Clara aimed to catch him off guard as he looked through his spell book for the spell to counter hers.

  Clara launched herself forward, aiming for his face this time, as long as she could reach him, it would be all over.

  With her hand reaching for his face, then wanting to keep the advantage in her favour, she punched him in his gut, and she smelt the burning of cloth. Seeing she was winning, she focused all her elemental aether in her fist and aimed it at dis-forming his jaw from his face.

  The arrogant bastard dared take his eyes off of her and look into his grimoire. This was inevitable. He had made the mistake, and she would win.

  When her hand was a mere inches away, he moved faster than anyone his size should have been able to. Then he grinned as he grabbed her smouldering hand. He looked like he was taking no burning damage, and it seemed like he was just starting to enjoy the fight.

  As soon as Thornan grabbed her hand, her eyes widened, and she knew something was wrong.

  “Let go !!” She said, hitting her small hands against Thornan’s massive arm as he lifted her up by the neck. She tried burning him, but her red-hot fingers did nothing to him. A layer of magic protected him.

  Thornan had covered his arms in a spell of arcane and elemental affinity aether, allowing him to push the heat, as well as any other element, away from his body.

  “you owe me,” he said with a lustful and sadistic grin, his face coming close to Clara’s as he licked her cheek.

  “I owe you nothing,” she managed to say, spitting in his face as she felt the pressure around her neck growing ever tighter.

  “Look around,” he pointed at the onlooking faces, and Clara looked around at the dirty-skinned faces of the teenagers. They were all children just like her. Do you think you have a choice?” he scoffed. “The strong. Will the weak?!!!!” His voice started low, and by the end, he shouted his words, letting all the others gathered to hear him. Of all who heard his voice, none of them dared step up for her and her friends.

  They were all scavengers she decided, waiting for Thornan to be done with them so that the could pick them clean.

  “No,” she said as darkness began to take her. What have I done to deserve this?’ She did not see the figure of a tall boy with eyes black and gold rush towards her