It was Shannon, the Guardian commander. Her sharp eyes took in the chaotic scene in an instant the unnatural corruption spreading across Jennifer’s skin.

“Shannon you still here?” I widened my eyes shocked with her arrival since Lira and Allison said they’d just walked away from our territory.

“I am, I drop my dagger and wanna fetch it up, what happened here? Give me space to check.”

She dropped a small, ornate wooden kit onto the table with a heavy thud. Her gaze was locked on the black veins, her face a mask of grim recognition.

“Damn it, why is she seizing like this?” Shannon demanded, her fingers instinctively pressing...