Page 121 of Oath of Rebellion

Oh no they didn't. She stood over her husband's body, the rage a roiling, magical thing that swept her up. Magic swirled around her until she felt near to bursting.

Then she did burst.

She screamed her rage, throwing more magic out of her body than she'd ever felt before. She was transformed, and the added magic needed a release. Her body wasn't meant to handle the power and magic of a drakin. She was just a human with magic from her healer mother.

But her mother had died too, long ago when she was just a child. The pain and rage of growing up in a tavern without the calming and sheltering influence of a mother ripped from her too, sending another pulse of magic.

Her scream echoed off the walls, and the magic twisted her body into some grotesque, hideous monster that could hold all the new magic.

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Scarlet hopped down the hallway, her eyes wide in fright. Why was everything so tall? She had to find the safety of the forest. She had to burrow in a hole and hide.

She raced to the stairs and saw servants running through the foyer screaming. She slammed into the wall, still unsteady on her new feet.

New feet? She looked down, and her eyes widened. She had soft brown paws for toes and the long feet of a jack rabbit. She looked between the railing and frowned, people running through the foyer below.

The stark contrast between the humans below and her body confused her. She wasn't a rabbit. She'd hunted and eaten rabbit. She couldn't do that if she was a rabbit.

Her stomach twisted at the memory of roasted rabbit, and she gagged. What was going on? Who was she?

She turned with wild eyes to look at her hands. She sat on her haunches like a rabbit. Her hands were paws like one, her body was covered in a soft coat of fur like one. A shining object caught her gaze, and she looked over. A mirror had fallen to the ground and was propped precariously on one corner, leaning against the railing of the stairs.

She hopped closer and turned this way and that, her mind racing to catch up with her reality. Eyes wild with fear, she wiggled her little pink nose. Whiskers wobbled as she leaned closer. Large floppy ears hung down her back, mixing with a red tuft of hair between.

She tilted her head, her green eyes shimmering in the light from the broken window. Her eyes... Those were her eyes! She was Scarlet, the daughter of a Ranger and a Druid.

She'd never had magic before, but she felt the tingle of it flowing down her spine as she realized what and who she was. Her ass itched, and she turned to the side. A fluffy white tail shook.

She sneezed, swiping a paw to her nose as she twisted and pursed her lips and nose.

Then a scream ripped through the air, making her jump. Her heart raced as she leaped down the stairs, terror licking at her heels.

She was a fucking Hunter. Why was she running? The row of animal heads on the wall of the stairs made her heart race. Her breath caught in her throat as she tripped over her giant feet and went tumbling down the stairs.

Pain raced up her spine as she rolled to a halt. Her tail and whiskers twitched as she blinked past the pain, a prized stag with giant rack of antlers staring down at her from the wall in the foyer.

Heavy steps followed her down the stairs, and she curled into a ball against the wall as the monster came chasing after her.

Except he jumped over the last step and landed with a crash. The walls shook as more screams echoed above them. A crash made her peek between her paws. Wood and plaster crashed over the front door, blocking it as servants ran for freedom.

A blast of magic ripped through the air, and everyone in the castle screamed. Scarlet felt her body twist with magic again. Bones crunched, and pain made her gasp as she shimmered.

Her arms lengthened and she shifted back into her human body. She was both relieved but fear licked at her heels along with anger at being naked. She had already felt off-kilter at having none of her weapons or gear, but now to be naked in the foyer of the castle with a room full of strangers...

She scrambled to her feet, ducked into an adjacent room. The formal receiving room was dirty, and a maid rocked in the corner crying. Scarlet raced to the debris along the far wall, yanking a curtain that had crashed to the ground.

She looked for a way out as she wrapped the curtain around her, tying it at her shoulder. She grabbed the gold cord and used it like a belt, her hands flying in fear of what would happen next.

She spun in a slow circle, searching for a way out, but there was nothing. She ran to the door and peeked out the door. Servants poured into the foyer, each talking over the other. But they all said the same thing. The doors and windows were blocked.

Screams and vibrations pulsed from upstairs, and Scarlet jumped, diving to the side and crouching into a ball beside the maid.

"Over here," a deep voice yelled. "We can get out through the cellars. Go, hurry, tell everyone you can find."

"The cellars? Are you mad?" someone yelled.

"No, I'm not," the big man said. The walls shook, and more debris fell from the ceiling, crashing around her. She jumped, slamming into the wall behind her. The woman next to her rocked, wailing loudly.

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