“I’m sorry Fiere.” It was all Shay could think to say but she should rather have kept quiet.

At her words, Fiere reared up on his knees, his eyes like those of a madman.

“No! No you are not! You’re a liar!” He crawled forward his words in time with the steps he took with his knees, “You…are….evil! You …will…bring…death…in…all…you…do”.

His voice rose from a whisper to a shout and he pulled back the knife as if to strike Shay with his final words which he screamed into the night of the forest. Shay cringed and closed her eyes waiting for the slice of the blade into her body wherever...