We were surrounded.

The shadows had stood up too smoothly to be zombies. That was the only reason my dagger was still in my hand. Master Bran had told me that sometimes humans would try to rob Bokor. It wasn’t because we had lots of money, it was because of our weapons. The heart stone inside the hilts of our swords made them superior to anything that the lower humans could acquire.

I waited for them to make the first move. The letter in my pocket would protect me if I had to kill them, but considering that Max would freeze up once blood got spilled, I thought it would be safer to react.

I did a double take as my partner spoke up.

“We are Bokor, seeking refuge for the night,” Max spoke in a calm voice.

I stared at him. I had expected him to be shaking in fear, but there was no trace of the scared boy from back at the orchard. Standing next to me now was someone who screamed authority and confidence.

“Where are your Marks?”

The voice was female. It was soothing and yet commanding. Despite being Bokor, I felt compelled to answer her.

“We have papers,” Max answered before I could speak.

Silence followed his answer.

The shadows weren’t moving. The tension in the air was getting so thick I could feel the fight that was about to start.

“What are you doing outside the walls?” I demanded, “Town guards are supposed to stay behind the walls.” I kept my eye out for any sudden movements. There was something off about this group.

“Papers can be stolen or forged.” The woman’s voice grew more serious, “And we aren’t the ones where we don’t belong.”

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“The wastes are too dangerous for humans,” I said. “Humans aren’t supposed to be outside of city walls.”

“What my friend is trying to say…” Max interrupted, “Is that every minute we stand out here puts us all in danger.” He held up one hand as he reached into his vest and pulled out the papers. He held them up so the humans could see in the fading light.

“We’re more than happy to wait in the holding area while you verify them.”

“We what?!” I exclaimed, “I am NOT waiting in a cell because some humans are being disrespectful.”

“These humans,” she spat, “are the ones you are asking to rest in our city.”

I couldn’t hold back my anger. I knew humans were jealous of the Bokor’s ability to handle zombies and our affinity for magic, but this was insulting. The Bokor’s sole function was to protect humans and kill zombies. In return, the humans were supposed to house us as we traveled from city to city. These humans were refusing to do their job!

I opened my mouth to explain this to her and to inform her that I would be including this insult in my report once I got back to the island, but I never got the chance. A light appeared on the wall and a timid voice called out.

“Val, is everything okay?”

In the dim light, I couldn’t see her reaction, but the way she stiffened, I knew that this was someone in authority over her.

“There are two humans out here claiming to be Bokor, but they don’t have any marks.” She yelled.

“Do they have papers?” I could hear the fear in his voice.

“Yes,” I answered for her.

“Escort them in immediately!” His voice squeaked, “I’ll meet you at the gate.”

I smiled. It was too dark to see, but I knew she wasn’t happy about the order.

“Put that away,” I told Max. The faint purple glow of the heart stone ink the council had signed the paper with was giving off just enough light that it could attract a wandering zombie. We had just got them to let us in, I didn’t want a zombie fight making Max sick and having them question our authenticity again.

After the paper was back in his vest I turned to Val, “How long does it take to open the gate?” I had been watching the city walls but nothing had moved once the light had vanished.

“These gates don’t work anymore.” There was the faint smell of sulfur as she stuck a match. The stick in her hand exploded in flames. She pointed the torch at the hole in the ground to her right, “The gates are down there.”