Chapter 155:

Marion found it difficult to wake this day; her eyelids were heavy, her mind fuzzy. After spending nearly every day of her life waking up before dawn, beatings or worse awaited those that only began rising at dawn, having the opportunity to wait until the sun rose before beginning to move was something that she was still getting used to. Not that it was entirely new, she had spent a fair time in Atros now, but to have a bed, an actual decent bed that wasn’t a damp rag on a hard floor, was an indulgence she couldn’t ever dream of.

Especially sharing a bed with her lover.

Kristof snored lightly next to her, his large arms wrapped around her waist while her head rested on his arm. The Dwarf Minotaur slept hard most nights, especially after they had the chance to become intimate without everyone in the cell knowing, or trying to interfere. That alone made Atros a remarkable place.

“Kristof,” Marion whispered. She scrunched her clawed feet tight and gently scratched his leg above his hoof. “Are you awake?”

Kristof lay perfectly still, the only sign of life was the slight rise and fall of his chest. Marion sneered before lightly ran her claws over his chest. He had more than enough scratches on his back, not that he ever seemed to notice until morning. Minotaurs had a tendency to lose themselves in highly emotive situations…

“Rasha’s got that blood in her.” Marion pinched Kristof’s nipples. “But then again, all you Minotaurs are like that.”

“Who?” Kristof asked sleepily. “And what do you think you’re doing?”

“Trying to wake you up.” Marion shuffled close and kissed him. “We’ve got another day of work ahead of us.”

Kristof pulled her close. “Nothing new. Just now we aren’t being beaten for taking a late morning.”

Marion looked out the wooden slat window. The murkiness of night still remained in the sky, not for long though.

“God’s I love your coat.” Kristof buried his head into her chest. “So soft.”

Unlike Kal, or many of the humanoid Beast-kin, Marion’s short fur covered almost every inch of her body. Only the tips of her large breasts, breasts that were equally painful and gratifying to have, weren’t covered. Marion and Kristof had removed their golden piercings and had Kal heal the wounds. She didn’t know about Rasha...

“Stop it you.” Marion sighed, wrapping her hand around his head and pushing him deeper. “Is that the only thing you like about me?”

Kristof nodded. Marion growled and vigorously rubbed his scalp. Kristof pulled himself back up and began to kiss Marion deeply. Something pressed against her leg. Marion lifted the sheet and sighed, Kristof only returned a sly smile.

Marion chuckled. “Well, what do you expect me to do about that?”

---[]---

When they finally stepped outside, fully clothed and rejuvenated from a quick tumble; at least Marion was, Kristof was somewhat drained, Atros was just starting to come alive.

“Imagine being this late in Seocuria.” Kristof wrapped an arm around Marion’s waist and kissed her again. “Or being caught doing this.”

“You-”

“Can you not?” Someone laughed behind them. “I haven’t eaten yet. And I’d like to still have an appetite.”

Marion raised a brow. Eider and Ulyaa exited their home, looking just as tired as when she arose from her sleep. However the Arachnid and Cobra girls held themselves in higher esteem than usual. Marion’s eyes were drawn to their clothes. Their clothes were no longer old and mottled, every Beast-kin’s clothes had been repaired and improved since they arrived but it was still the same cloth, theirs were now brand new, a fine light cream coloured cloth.

“Is that…”

Ulyaa nodded. “Yep. It’s clothing made from my silk.” Ulyaa stretched out the hem of her shirt. As an Arachnid she needed to wear a tight skirt around her waist, where her human body met her spider bottom. If she didn’t she would be exposing herself to the world.

“The seamstresses finally worked out how to use it,” Ulyaa continued as she approached. Marion kept a firm eye on Kristof, who couldn’t keep her eyes off of Ulyaa. She was unusually large for an Arachnid, almost as large as herself. Kristof realised and forced his eyes up.

Eider chuckled. “I spilt something on it last night and it just washed right off. I was worried I’d have to beg Ulyaa for another.”

At least I don’t anything to worry about with Eider. At least up top.

Ulyaa’s eyes widened in delight. “These are for you two.”

Ulyaa twisted her body around and picked a small bundle resting on her spider body. Two sets of Arachnid silk clothes. Marion graciously took hers. Kristof hesitated.

“Are these for me?”

“Of course?” Ulyaa raised a brow. “Who else would they be for?”

“I…” Kristof coughed and took the clothes. “Thank you.” He held the clothes to his chest.

“Your welcome.” Ulyaa smiled.

“But please don’t change here.” Eider chuckled.

“Where are you two working today?” Marion asked. “Same as yesterday?”

Ulyaa nodded. “Back to the fields for me. At least until a bit before lunch.” Ulyaa tapped her spider rear. “That’s when I make as much silk as I can.”

“Do you make it wherever they make clothes here?” Marion asked.

Ulyaa flushed but attempted to hide it behind a smile. “I’d die with embarrassment if they saw me…With all that silk underneath my spinneret. I wouldn’t let even Eider see me do it. Or Irso.”

“Is she still sleeping?” Kristof asked. “I remember that Drakelings have a difficult time waking up. Some times.”

Eider shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s been leaving early some mornings. Speaking of having trouble are any of you feeling cold in the morning?” Eider scratched her arms. “I just feel really slow some mornings.”

“Cobra’s aren’t supposed to be anywhere cold.” Marion looked to the clear sky. “They never work near the Clansmen territory.”

“Anton said that I’m cold-blooded.” Eider began. “That I’d have trouble when the snow starts to fall.” Eider pulled on her shirt. “He mentioned something about getting clothes more suited for winter, not that yours aren’t good, Ulyaa. I just don’t want to freeze.”

“Do we even have enough wood or coal to heat everyone?” Ulyaa asked. “It’s going to be a long time before winter’s over.”

“We should do.” A door on the far side of the street opened. A giant blue Minotaur woman emerged, Rasha had to duck so her bright orange horn didn’t strike the wood. Marion didn’t want to tell her about the dirty line on her horn. “I asked Anton, but it’ll only be a little fire.”

“Morning Rasha.” Ulyaa gently waved. “How do you know that?”

“Well…” Rasha rubbed her hand through her hair. “I was kind of worried about you, Eider, since you are affected by the cold more than we are…I barely feel it.”

“I….” Eider blinked. “Thanks.”

Eider folded her arms and looked Rasha up and down. Rasha wore her new armour set, not exactly fashionable, something that Kal mentioned while throwing glances at the Bebbezzarian woman, Cetina, but it was clearly very strong. She wore it with pride, just like the halberd she held in her hand. Marion worried that she was going to turn back into a bully, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone of her sheer size and strength to intimidate nearly anyone, but so far she had been well behaved.

“That armour’s still annoying me though,” Eider grumbled.

“You can get one too.” Rasha smiled warmly, an honest smile. “But you would have to be ready to fight.”

Eider scratched her hood. “Not for me. At least not yet. I…The blood and sounds of fighting were a little too much for me.”

“It’s not for everyone.” Rasha mumbled softly.

“Since Anton’s not here what will you be doing?” Kristof asked.

“For the morning I’ll be training. Then I’ll help the builders for a bit then some more training.” Rasha tapped her hooves on the cobblestone ground. “I need to be as strong as possible to do my duty. Especially since I can’t use magic.”

“I wonder if I’ll actually be able to become a mage.” Ulyaa held her finger to her chin. “I guess I’ll find out one day.”

“Can you read?” Marion asked.

“No,” Ulyaa smirked. “I think your daughter’s the only Beast-kin here that can. And she didn’t have anyone to help her…You must be really proud of her.”

Marion felt her eyes turn wet. “I am. I really am. And I’m so glad that I get to see her before I died. I never gave up hope that she got out safely…”

Rasha grunted and nodded. “Out of all of us, Irso was the only one that would’ve died of old age.”

“She seems to be enjoying forge work a lot.” Eider laughed. “Too hot for me…Maybe not, actually. Maybe I’ll find a job there during winter.” She rubbed her scaled hands together. “All that wonderful fire to keep me warm.”

---[]---

Marion stretched her spine back and forth after loading another large basket of wheat onto a cart. The human driver, who also organised the baskets to maximise space, looked at Marion with some worry.

“Are you okay? If it’s too heavy you don’t have to fill it so high.” He tapped on another basket. “This is about three-quarters of what you’ve done and it’s fine.”

“It’s just something that we dealt with in Seocuria.” Marion laughed. “Though if I’d stopped like this they’d have already clobbered me over the head.”

He scratched his head, searching for something to say.

Marion had this happen nearly every day while living in Atros. She and many of the Beast-kin wanted to prove that they were worthy of staying, and not being sent back. The humans, and the Seocurian refugees especially, were always nice to them. Far too nice. Something about it irked Marion’s thoughts, that they were being treated like children rather than people.

“You need to relax.” Marion moved to the side as a human and a Beast-kin loaded a basket of apples. “We just need to work, work without thinking about our life in Seocuria. It’s the only way we’ll stop it from looming over our every thought. When we stop it sort of comes back.”

“I was told to be nice to you all…I mean…”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about.” Marion took a deep breath. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing and be extra nice to us but…we can see right through it. We’re slaves, former slaves, but we can see through false faces pretty easily.”

“From…” The man took a small breath. “From your masters or your fellow slaves?”

“Both.” Marion wagged her finger. “You need to know who’s about to use you. Those that don’t get used, learn from it or die.”

“I see…”

“Just. Just tell everyone to treat us like you would another human.”

The man raised a brow.

“Don’t worry about mentioning we were once slaves, there’s no way we’ll ever forget. Just treat us like everyone else and everything will be fine.”

He opened his mouth to retort but closed it. He gave a nod and returned to his duties. Marion picked up an empty basket and returned to the fields. Humans and Beast-kin passed her, some laughing and joking while others kept their faces flat and focused onto their work. Most Beast-kin fell into the latter. Marion didn’t blame them; the horrors of Seocuria would never truly leave them.

“Did you just yell at that man?” Kristof asked. He wielded a sickle, bundled as many wheat stalks as he could in his other and cut them free. Already he had a great many lying neatly on the ground. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Marion shrugged, knelt down and began to collect the stalks. “I just couldn’t stand them being so nice to us anymore. I mean…I hate to bring it up but Anton said that he wanted this place to be equal for everyone. It’s not equal when we’re forgiven for big mistakes and they keep letting us get away with us not pulling our weight.”

Kristof stopped after he cut the next bundle free. “Yeah. I can see what you’re saying. Maybe for the newcomers…They’re doing alright, aren’t they?”

“They’re doing fine. But I want them to treat us like equals right from the start. Don’t let us think that we’re going to be treated any differently.”

Marion stopped. A small group of Seocurian refugees were harvesting wheat alongside humans and some Beast-kin. While the Beast-kin and Seocurians were doing their best, she spied another group of Beast-kin staring at them full of hatred and anger. One caught Marion watching, warned the others, and returned to their work.

“I don’t think Anton’s little city is going to work out.” Marion sighed. “Not with the Seocurians here.”

“Where can they go?” Kristof asked, beginning to cut again. “They can’t exactly go back to their fishing village.”

“No…Well, maybe. But that’s something that we’d have to talk with Anton about.” Marion looked for the Beast-kin group but they had gone. “I do worry about Loretta and her children.” She looked up at Kristof. “I don’t think they’d go unless Anton forced them with magic.”

Kristof glumly nodded and continued his work.

Only when the sun was directly over Marion’s head did they call for work to be halted. Marion didn’t feel like she was being pushed hard; they were allowed a few moments to catch their breath or drink some water before returning to work. Some Beast-kin decided to spend a little longer than acceptable chatting and received a reprimand from their human supervisors. It wasn’t harsh but they had taken Marion’s words to heart, at least a little. Everyone was allowed to pick whatever spot they wanted to eat. Marion chose a tree near the wall. Her meal was very simple; a mixture of dried fruits and some meat. Kristof only had vegetables and some dried fruit. He, like Rasha, couldn’t handle meat or anything with too much sugar. Otherwise their stomach would bloat and they could actually die in the worst circumstances. Marion had witnessed that once.

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“So good.” Kristof happily chewed the piece of lettuce. “This is the best food I’ve ever had. And there’s so much too. I feel like I could get fat eating this.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Marion jabbed his side. “No way am I sleep with a flabby ball.” A clawed hand stroked the hard muscles underneath his shirt. “I prefer it like this.”

“Ulyaa told me you were still flirting even after you’d got out of your house,” Rasha said as she approached. A thin veneer of sweat covered her blue skin, some sections of her armour had been loosened but she still looked like a warrior.

“I can’t help it.” Kristof smiled. “Not when I’ve got someone as lovely as Marion.”

Marion rolled her eyes but didn’t rebuke him as Rasha set next to her and began to eat. She had the same meal as Kristof, though perhaps a bit more. She was much larger than Kristof and was actively trying to get stronger.

“How did you get that armour?” Kristof asked.

“Well…” Rasha smiled. “Anton asked if I wanted to be his bodyguard and I said yes.”

Though her tail was small Marion heard it swaying happily against the grass.

“Maybe I should ask for something like that.” Kristof rubbed his chin. “Having some armour would be great.” He looked towards the gate, Eider and Ulyaa waved as they approached with small bundles of food. “To keep us safe…I don’t know about leaving Atros to fight.”

Marion nodded. “I’m already having a hard time with Kal being away. I don’t want you to leave too.”

Kristof smiled and slowly nodded, wrapping her fingers through his. Rasha said nothing as Eider and Ulyaa sat in front of them.

“Another day.” Eider groaned. “But a good one.”

“I think today I made more silk than I usually do.” Ulyaa smiled. “How are those clothes? Are they any good?”

“They’re great.” Marion stretched one of the sleeves. “Really good. I think it might be better than what the humans have.”

“I was beginning to think that too.” Eider laughed. “But soon there’ll be enough to make clothes for everyone.” Eider slapped Ulyaa’s spider behind. “That big butt makes a lot of silk.”

“Not as big as yours,” Ulyaa said nonchalantly, ripping into a piece of meat. “If I had a human butt it wouldn’t be as big as yours.”

Eider stuck out her tongue, Cobra’s were incredibly long, and the two laughed. Eider hadn’t had any further incidents and the number of other Beast-kin each day suffering something comparable was dropping rapidly. Though Anton had asked Marion to be a Beast-kin representative there wasn’t that much she could do...But whatever she could she would. If only to make her daughter proud.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, Kristof and Rasha ate theirs far more quickly as they had much more to eat, but something was bothering Rasha. She kept glancing to the gate, bobbing back and forth between bites. Finally, Marion had to ask.

“What’s wrong?”

“Usually Irso joins us.” Rasha frowned. “But the last few days she hasn’t come. And she doesn’t tell us why.”

“I’d hardly think she’d stop being friends with you two.” Marion nodded at Eider and Ulyaa. “Especially them. Not after everything she’s done to look out for you.”

“We’ve got some time before we need to get back to work.” Eider smiled devilishly. “Do we want to try and find her?”

“I’m sure she’s got something important to do,” Marion said calmly. “She might be receiving extra training to become an actual smith. The first Beast-kin smith of Atros.”

“Anton would be pleased,” Rasha said, Eider agreed.

“So do we want to go find her?” Eider asked, clearly not waiting for a response.

---[]---

Marion grumbled to herself as she walked through the Atros streets. Before she could stop Eider she had already asked their supervisor if they could leave. Since they had more than fulfilled their quota they were allowed to go. Marion decided to follow them, just in case they managed to get into trouble. It was also good to stretch their legs rather than spending all their time hunched over collecting wheat. Rasha also joined them since the training fields were in the north.

“Hello?” Eider tapped her fist on the entrance to the smithy. There was so much noise coming from inside that no one responded at first.

“Hello?” Ulyaa asked, raising her body over Eider to lean inside. Marion wouldn’t admit it aloud but the way she could raise and lower herself was a little unsettling, not as unsettling as the look on Eiders face as Ulyaa rested her chest on her head.

“I don’t think they can hear you,” Kristof mumbled.

“Probably…Oh,” Eider waved at someone inside. “Can you help us?”

Two small Seocurian children emerged, covered in soot and blasted by heat but clearly happy.

“Hello.” Lili smiled. “Everyone’s really busy right now. How can we help you?”

Marion caught Seamus, Lili’s brother, trying to catch a glimpse of the girls’ rears.

Well, at least he doesn’t care they’re Beast-kin...Just because they look like the Seocurian Slavers doesn’t mean they are…

“We were wondering if Irso was in.” Eider peeked inside, brushing away Ulyaa. “She’s been acting a little strange over the past few days and we’re worried about her.”

“Umm…” Seamus looked inside. “She left just before lunch and hasn’t come back. She’s been doing that a lot, actually. But Jonathan doesn’t say anything about it. She works really hard.”

“Harder than some of the actual smiths.”

“So what could she be doing?” Rasha asked. “There’s not that much to do in Atros…Not that it’s bad here. Far from it.”

A tall Seocurian woman moved through the smithy. Loretta, one of the few Seocurian refugees Marion knew by name. She appeared to be a good and loving mother, though Marion had little to do with her once they’d settled down in Atros.

“If you find Irso can you tell her to hurry on back?” Loretta patted her children’s’ heads.

“How long does it take?” Eider asked.

“She doesn’t just leave for the rest of the day, does she?” Ulyaa tilted her head.

“No. But when she does she’s really distracted and sort of lost…But not in a bad way.” Loretta winked at Marion and Kristof. “If you understand my meaning.”

So she’s found someone…But why the secrecy? And who could actually seduce and bed a Drakeling without getting their dick ripped off? No one’s that brave…Maybe someone that doesn’t know much about them…

Marion spared a glance to Rasha before nodding.

“I didn’t think that you’d be a part of this, Marion.” Loretta smiled. “I thought the personal lives of the Beast-kin weren’t really an issue.” Loretta frowned and held her chin. “But I suppose they’re going to have just as many trysts and break-ups as humans do.”

Kristof shrugged. “I haven’t heard of many new couples, only those that were before leaving Seocuria. Once they really relax I think things might start to get interesting.”

“Hopefully it goes better than my first.” Loretta’s laugh was somewhat pained. “Anyway, I saw her going towards the south, towards the stone and lumber yard. Didn’t you see her on the way here?”

“I didn’t see her when I was coming from the training fields.” Rasha mused. “I wasn’t really looking for her though.”

“Find Zac and see what he has to say.” Loretta pushed her children back inside the smithy, both gave a small wave. “Sorry, but we’ve still got a lot of work. Oh, are you enjoying life in Atros? You, Rasha? I never thought I’d see someone as big as you giggling like a little girl to get some armour.”

Rasha flushed, her ears pulled back and down embarrassment. “I didn’t think I’d get this so quickly.”

Eider grumbled something while Ulyaa chuckled. Marion decided to ignore this strange little rivalry they had.

“We’re doing fine,” Marion said. “If we do find Irso we’ll send her this way.”

“Thanks.” Loretta waved as she returned to the smithy. “Good luck finding her.”

Those working in the stone and lumber workshop had no idea where Irso was, nor did they know where Zac was. Marion had spoken with Zac before, a man as large and built like a bear, and appeared to be a nice person. The workers suggested going to his house. It looked nearly identical to every other house in this section of Atros, this was one of the last areas to be rebuilt with the help of the Dwarves and Beast-kin labourers, except there appeared to be another attached to the side.

Marion stopped Eider from knocking on the door to Zac’s house.

“What?” Eider asked softly.

“Let’s not make too much noise,” Marion said. “Just in case…”

Eider’s eyes widened. “Are you saying…Oh.” Eider pumped her fists. “If she is this is going to be so good. After all the crap she’s given us over the winters…”

Ulyaa rolled her eyes as Eider pressed the side of her head against the door. She didn’t have ears, rather small holes where sound entered. It meant she struggled to hear soft noises but overall it wasn’t too bad.

“I can hear something.” Eider was on the verge of giggling.

“What?” Rasha asked.

Marion wanted to say something but found she couldn’t find the energy. It was very clear from Eider what was happening and yet…

“Do you really need an explanation?” Marion asked.

“Oh…” Rasha chuckled nervously. “I understand.”

I never actually saw you with a Beast-kin. Some tried, tried really hard…But you were always bigger.

“The noise is louder from over here.” Eider trotted around to the rear of the house. She placed her head against the wall. “Yeah. Much louder.”

“This is ridiculous.” Marion grabbed Eider’s shirt and pulled her away. Marion’s ears were much more sensitive than anyone else present, she could hear moans of two people in ecstasy, one voice crackled in the tell-tale tone of a Drakeling. “What they do is up to them. And we’ve wasted enough time following them. When we see Irso next I’ll have a chat about it.”

“But it’s fine though, right?” Eider asked. “Human’s and Beast-kin?”

“I think it’s more they’re wasting time.” Ulyaa scratched the ground with a front leg. “When they should be working. When everything’s done I don’t think there’s a problem.”

“True. But I don’t think it’s right to interrupt them right now.” Marion pushed Eider away, the rest quickly following. “Come on. I’ll deal with it when we see her. And you lot shouldn’t say a thing until I have. Alright?”

---[]---

Only when the sun was starting to hang low in the sky, when the day’s work had finished and everyone was returning to the safety of the city walls did Marion find Irso. The Drakeling walked towards them, completely unaware that they knew about her mid-day tryst.

“Are you done for the day?” Irso’s voice crackled, smoother than normal.

“Hello to you too, Irso,” Marion said dryly.

Irso shrugged and nodded once to Kristof. Irso wasn’t the type of person to chat idly, or even hold a friendly conversation if she didn’t have too. She was a very, very gruff individual.

“Did you make it back in time?” Marion asked.

Irso’s body turned rigid. “What do you mean?”

Marion sighed. She pulled Irso and Kristof away and out of earshot of the others. “Eider, Ulyaa and Rasha were getting worried about you not turning up for lunch with us.”

“So?” Irso folded her arms and shook her head. “Does it matter if I’m late or I miss one or two?”

“Not really. But they do worry about you. Just like you worry about them.”

Irso scoffed. “Not Rasha. That lump of muscle can easily take care of herself.”

You really have run out of things to call her.

“Regardless of what you may think of her, she was the one that wondered where you were. And who you were with.”

Irso tensed again.

“I don’t really care that you’re with a human or whatever.” Marion raised her hand to stop Irso. “But you can’t do that sort of thing when you’ve still got work to do. There’s nothing stopping you from wandering off after we’ve had dinner.”

Irso slowly calmed down. For a moment she looked ready to deny it but she quickly relented. “I…I was worried what people might think if they saw me go each night.”

“More than just leaving in the middle of the day?” Kristof asked.

Irso kicked at the grass. “I don’t know! I…I just wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to…”

“So long as it’s consensual and it doesn’t interfere with your work there isn’t a problem.”

Unless Drakelings can give birth to Half-breeds…I don’t think Anton’s thought this whole thing through yet. What sort of people is he going to be ruling over one day?

Irso smiled, scratching on the scales on her face. “I wouldn’t call it consensual. At least from his end.”

“So you attacked him?” Kristof asked. “I recall Zac being pretty big for a human.”

Irso shrugged. “I didn’t think much of him when I first met him. He was being overly nice, in the way that Anton kind of told them to be to us. I really didn’t care. Anyway, we started talking whenever he visited the smithy. Which was a lot, it turned out. I think he just wanted to look at Loretta…Giant bouncing and flopping boobs everywhere.”

Compared to the majority of women that Marion knew Irso was likely the closest to an ideal body; she had the curves in the right places, slim where it needed to be. It was just her attitude that made things difficult. In fact, most Drakelings were rather beautiful, but they weren’t as prickly as Irso, except when someone they didn’t know touched them.

“So,” Irso rolled her eyes. “One day I got annoyed and said something to him, I can’t remember what it was. I told him to be a man and spill his guts out to Loretta, so he would get over her, or find someone else. Next thing I know he’s got me pinned to a wall…Or maybe it was the other way around.” Irso scratched her head. “It might actually have been me. And then…thing’s sort of went from there.”

Irso grunted and kicked the ground. “Don’t ask me how it happened, it just did.”

Marion held Irso’s shoulder. Irso looked at the hand then to Marion. She wasn’t angry, just somewhat annoyed.

“It’s perfectly fine. So long as you two are enjoying yourselves.”

“We are.” Irso gently removed Marion’s hand. “At least I think we are.”

“Judging by the sounds you were making you were.”

For the first time, Marion saw Irso flush. Her body trembled but she didn’t lash out or try and run away. She fought it down, though it took some time.

“Don’t tell the others.” Irso looked to the north. “Please?”

“I’ll tell them not to say anything.”

Irso grumbled. “Ugh. So they know…What are those?”

Irso pointed to some small birds flying over their heads.

“Lightning Crows,” Marion said. “At least that’s what Kal called them. Magical beings that Anton made to defend Atros. Any Goblin or Ghlotsm within a mile of Atros will be attacked. But…Usually, it’s just one or two.”

“I must be inside the smithy most of the time they’re out.” Irso followed them towards the south. “Is this bad?”

“We should at least get inside.” Marion pushed them both towards the wall. “Just in case.”

Atros guards spilt out of the outer wall and ushered everyone inside. While they wore simple metal and leather armour Marion saw some wearing an underlay of Arachnid silk clothing. Either they didn’t know or didn’t care. She hoped they simply didn’t care.

“Please get inside.” A human soldier waved them in. “There’s a lot of them coming.”

“How many?” Marion asked. Kristof kept her moving.

“Lots.” The guard made sure no one was outside and ordered the door to be shut. “The riders think about two thousand.”

“That many?” Kristof asked worriedly.

The guards smiled. “We’ve faced worse. A lot worse. And there were less of us back then too.”

Another guard laughed. “No Dark Elves either.”

Marion watched the door close with a heavy thunk. Armoured guards pushed them further into the city while they took positions on the wall. It was mainly humans but Marion saw several Beast-kin taking up positions alongside. Behind them Dark Elves, wearing a thick dark leather and cloth armour, took up position with large bows in their hands. The humans and Beast-kin mainly used cross-bows with several wielding bows.

Though the wall obscured her view she could hear lightning striking something in the distance.

Marion continued to be pushed back as more and more soldiers rushed to the front. Rasha moved amongst them, her sheer size unmissable. Marion tried to call out but she didn’t hear. Her eyes were focused on the fight to come.

“Let’s head to the next wall,” Kristof said. “We’ll be able to see it from there.”

The second wall was filling up rapidly with people wanting to watch the fight. Marion spotted Eider and Ulyaa already having taken up position on one of the small stone towers. The guards on this section of the wall were younger, much less well equipped and quite nervous.

“How many did they say?” Eider asked as they ran up the stone stairs.

Marion waited until they were next to her before speaking. “About two thousand they said. Can you see them?”

“I can see where the Lightning’s striking,” Ulyaa said. She manoeuvred herself so her legs were tucked underneath her body, out of everyone she took up the most space.

The grasslands beyond the crop fields were alight with lightning strikes from the hovering Lightning Crows. Despite their attacks the Goblin horde, their green and yellow skin reflecting the light from the lightning, continued their assault.

“Is Anton going to come here?” Eider asked. She looked Irso up and down. “At least someone managed to have some fun before all of this.”

“Be gentle.” Marion patted Eider’s head. Irso’s eye twitched.

The Dark Elves fired the moment the Goblins were in range. It clearly took Jeff, standing over the city gate, by surprise. The arrows found their mark and blunted the beginning of the charge. They continued to run through the fields, trampling the few unharvested crops underneath their feet. Marion knew virtually nothing about the Goblins; Seocuria, for all of its ills, never allowed the Goblins to grow to massive numbers. They were bad for business.

The Crossbowmen opened fire and peppered the Goblins as they reached the wall. However, as ever, the diminutive creatures didn’t have anything like siege equipment. She couldn’t see them but judging by the laughter of the guards, they were winning easily. Her heart softened when she saw the few remaining Goblins break and flee.

“That was easy.” Kristof chuckled. “Nothing to it.”

“Try that without a wall.” An elderly Dark Elf, who had moved beside them without making a sound. “See how long it takes before their corpses make a ramp and allow them in.”

“You’re…”

“Leran.” The Dark Elf bowed. “Leader of the Green Moon Clan. What’s left of it.”

“I’m sorry to hear how many of your people died.” Ulyaa bowed deeply.

Leran watched with interest, how her body bent. “Some of our people survived. Which is more than it could have been. As Beast-kin, what do you think of this place? A place run by humans…Humans that harbour Seocurians?”

Oddly specific. Is he trying to gain our support for something? They are supposed to be former pirates…And almost all of them are warriors. If they wanted to take over it wouldn’t be that hard, with Anton gone.

“We are enjoying it very much,” Marion stated adamantly. “Anton created something that hasn’t been seen, perhaps ever, and I will do everything I can to make sure it stays that way.”

Leran nodded and looked back to the southern wall. The gates opened and Dana, with her riders in tow, gave chase to the fleeing Goblins. Eider and Ulyaa gave her an odd look but Marion said nothing.

“Nowhere near what we fought.” Leran patted the stone wall with his gloves, small puffs of dust drifted into the air. “But still impressive. I’m interested to see what this place will become.”

Leran left the wall and walked towards a small group of Dark Elf warriors, two were very young girls. The twins didn’t wield bows but a single menacing short sword, even thought their belts clearly had been set up for two.

“Keep an eye on them,” Marion said quietly. “Make sure they don’t get up to anything stupid, to try and stir something up.”

“You really think they would?” Ulyaa asked.

“Are you now worried about Anton’s city?” Eider snickered.

Marion nodded. “Not a lot of Beast-kin are happy with the Seocurians being here. It might not be too difficult to convince some of us to get rid of the Seocurians, and Anton, since he wants them to stay…They don’t want Kal here either…Or some of you too.”

Ulyaa’s shoulders drooped.

“Don’t worry.” Eider clenched her fist tight. “We aren’t going to do something like that. Rasha isn’t either so they’re going to have to find someone else to help them. But we’ll keep an eye out.”

Marion felt something rise throughout her body, a strange hotness and pressure, a constriction around her heart and breath. This feeling had come before, when something terrible was about to happen. She doubted the Dark Elves would try to grow Atros like Anton wanted, a place where humans and Beast-kin could live side by side. One that Kal and she wanted too. One day that would happen. Of that she was sure, so long as nothing terrible happened.