draconi

Jaqueline did not flinch.  She wasn't lying...she would never hurt Fran.  And so she just stared back at the witch defiantly.  And as she watched the exhibition, she understood very acutely that she was far outmatched.  But when was she not...especially if she'd already been seen.

Suddenly it was there - the dull throbbing in her stomach, an icy knot that seemed to suck the warmth from her body.  She had goosebumps and visibly shuddered from the cold.  Something was wrong.  Her eyes went wide and her senses sharpened.  She strained to pick up any sound that seemed out of place, the foul stench of trouble, anything.  There was nothing...but still she knew.  She knew there was something headed their way.  She could feel the dark void, the overwhelming hatred.  Darkspawn.

"Stop, please."    She didn't try to hide the look of warning on her face.    "Something's coming." The dagger attached to her belt appeared as she dropped the glamour she had used to conceal it, drawing it swiftly in a well-practiced motion.  She took several steps back, retreating toward the shadows.  She needed more time.  Why was there never enough time?   

"Darkspawn.  I can feel it," she whispered, her voice seeming to emanate from somewhere to her left.

And with that, she took a final step back, melting into the darkness of the forest.