Chapter 18
Blood as Dark as Rubies
Kinza moved through a dead city. Crumbled walls looked as if they had been abandoned centuries ago, and the forest started to grow within the cracks, pushing stone apart. A weak sun filtered through the heavy mist, lighting her way just enough as she stumbled through the streets. There was no one here. Not a single living soul. But shadows twisted at the edges of her vision, trailing her as she walked.
She needed to get to the center of the city, but she couldn’t remember why. There was something she had to do, but what? She walked for a while, and the shadows followed her, coming ever closer. Faint sounds came from their direction that resembled something like speech. It was harsh and clipped, and she couldn’t understand, but an overwhelming sense of
