Page 1 of The Umbra King

1

ERDIKOA

The soundof blood dripping was a beautiful thing when heard by the right person. In Rory’s case, it only pleased her when the blood belonged to those with black souls. Souls had colors of all different shades, and being aFeymeant she could see them if her skin touched theirs.

It was her favorite thing about being aFeybecause it allowed her to actuallyseecolors. She and her fraternal twin sister, Cora, were born with grey-scale sight, and everything around them was in black, white, and greys. It was a rare condition, but not unheard of.

When Rory started seeing souls as a child, her soul would whisper the names of the colors in her mind until she learned them all. It didn’t help with the rest of the realm, of course, but the burst of colors from those with good souls was a reprieve from her normal day to day.

She watched the blood drip from the man hanging upside down as she mindlessly touched the top of her ear. It was a nervous habit,stemming from her self-consciousness of looking differently from her parents and sister, who were different types of mystics.

Feyhad pointed ears, and even though the point was so slight that if you weren’t paying attention you wouldn’t notice it, she still hated it.

She looked down at her enforcer boots with a groan. Blood covered the black leather and laces, and she knew she would scrub them all night. Lifting her boot, she peered at the soles.At least the bottoms were clean.

Stepping back, she made sure everything was perfect. The man’s feet were held up by chains connected to a meat hook, his arms were crossed over his chest and sewn in place with fishing line, and his throat was slashed deeply enough for most of the blood to drain from his body into a nice pool on the floor.

She hoped the woman hetried to assault was okay. There was no telling what he would have done had Rory not been following them. She surveyed the man one last time, gave a nod of approval, and picked up her backpack to head home.

As Rory trudged down the sidewalk in the early morning hours, she felt the guilt settle in. It always did after one of her kills, and even though she knew she did the right thing, taking a life was never easy. She willed herself to remember why she did it.

Cora giggledas Rory elbowed her in the ribs. “Stop, or he’s going to hear you,” Rory hissed.

Cora laughed louder, and Rory slapped her hand over her sister’s mouth. “I will shave your wool next time you shift,” she threatened. Cora was a lambShifter, and Rory never let her forget that fact.

“Go talk to him,” Cora whispered back. “You’re acting like you’re ten years old instead of thirteen.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Rory huffed. “‘Oh, hey Judd, I think you’re hot. Want to make out?’”

“Yes,” Cora asserted with a nod. “He likes you too. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when we’re together.”

Rory stared at Judd. He was aFeythe same age as the twins, and Rory’d had a crush on him for at least three months.

Cora stood from the picnic table and yelled, “Judd!”

“Cora!” Rory whisper-yelled as she tried to pull her sister down. “What the hell?”

Judd turned and waved, and Cora motioned for him to come over. “You’ll thank me later,” she said out of the corner of her mouth.

Rory shook her head tightly. “I’m going to murder you.”

“Hey, Cora,” Judd said with a wide smile. “Hey, Rory.”

“Hi,” they said in unison.

Rory saw Dume, their oldest friend, crossing the school courtyard and groaned. She would never hear the end of this.

“What are you doing after school on Friday?” Cora asked Judd.

Rory’s stomach dropped to her butt as she waited for his answer. She, Cora, and Dume were going to the movies on Friday, and she knew where this was going.

Judd stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’m free,” he replied, but before Cora could invite him out with them, he added, “Do you want to come over and watch a movie?”

Rory’s ears rang, and Cora’s face scrunched. She looked at Rory with confused, apologetic eyes and turned back to Judd. “No.” She gave no explanation.

His cheeks turned pink, and Rory stood from the table abruptly. “You should go, Cora. It’ll be fun.” She threw her backpack over her shoulder and met Dume across the yard.

“What’s wrong?” Dume asked when she stopped in front of him.

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