Dusk Falling (Book 1) by Keri L. Salyers Page A

Tensely, they continued to where the trees had begun to thicken, impeding their path.
    Serrtin gave pause, adjusting her grip on her flamberge and gave a short nod. They proceeded. Signs of the wounded Elfkin were no longer evident; they could only hope they were heading in the correct direction now.
    Suddenly, Agemeer’s ears perked and he halted. He stared ahead as if he could see through the trees and lifted his nose to sniff the breeze. “I smell smoke.”
    “Smoke…?”
    “The town!” Agemeer expelled in a gasp. Heedless of the danger, the team broke into a run. Coming free of the forest, they could see Barda in the distance.
    It was burning.
    People were screaming in terror as all around them where darkness did not conceal, flames burned uncontrollable. Few tried to save their possessions or combat the raging fire and before the team could think as to why, the reason presented itself.
    Themselves.
    Amongst the villagers fleeing for their lives, ran monsters in humanoid form; no matter their upright stance, they were not creatures of Selnaria.
    The beings were black skinned, unclothed, with long sinewy arms. Their backs were crooked to the point where their posture was almost bent in double, legs like that of a beast. Even from the distance, the monsters’ faces could be seen- flat and smooth, the only visible distinction being their large dark eyes.
    The way they moved was horribly elegant- like some demonic dancer- as they leapt from building to building unperturbed by the flames. When they ran, they were as agile as a cat. And when they killed, they were no less deadly than a sword wielded by a Master. The monsters’ claws rent man and beast alike with a power that was terrifying to witness. None escaped when caught in their deadly grasp. When a pack attacked, nothing survived the onslaught but a heap of broken bones and flesh.
    Staring incredulously at the once peaceful bright town they had visited only hours past, Serrtin, Aya and Agemeer drew the only conclusion available to them: the cause of this horrible destruction had to be the white-maned Chase, the one they were sent to find. He had proven himself a deadly mage, he could be an equally deadly summoner as well.
    Then, as if summoned himself, he appeared.
    One of the houses that sat off by its lonesome near the outer edge of Barda had been toppled. It looked to have had an entire wall knocked in and then the rest of the building had fallen over without the support. He crouched nearby the rubble. Though he occasionally looked up, glancing about feverishly, his attention was focused on something in what was left of the house. Tossing bits of wood and plaster over his shoulder, he dug intently.
    “Thieving bastard.” Serrtin said, voice low. “Not only does he send his foul demons to kill them, he raids their corpses for coin. Disgusting.”
    “What are we waiting for? Let’s stop him!”
    Serrtin caught the young mages arm as she made to do just as she said. Aya met the saurian’s eyes. “Aya, I know how you feel but these are not a bunch of Larren ruffians- these are demons as far as I can tell. We can’t run in on them unprepared.”
    “That’s not very ‘Yarcka’ of you.” Aya hissed and was immediately sorry she had spoken hastily. “I’m sorry Serrtin. We have to help the survivors. We have to stop him from destroying Barda.”
    “Trust me, we will.” Serrtin said without humor.
    “Look!” Agemeer interrupted. They looked where he pointed with his snout. The nameless youth was on his feet, a demon before him. Though it did not speak, it moved in a way that bespoke a threatening nature. When it seemed at last it would attack, it suddenly stopped. Cowering, it turned and leapt away.
    He stood for a moment, watching the shadows where the demon had vanished. Casually, as if barely interested in his own defense, he caught the pike of a townsman on the black claws of his right hand. The townsman had witnessed the incident between the