For one terrible moment, the battlefield seemed to stop breathing. Around us, the settlement’s defenders slowly lowered their weapons in silence, but no one cheered. They watched Derek as if one wrong movement might turn him against them, too, and I could not blame them for being afraid.
Derek stood in the mud with red eyes fixed on the fight ahead. A fallen Redfang warrior lay at his feet. No one moved to help him. The men nearest Derek backed away, their faces drained of color.
“What kind of child is that?” someone whispered.
No one answered.
The Redfang warriors who had mocked Derek moments earlier now watched him with fear. Their weapons shook, and none dared approach.
I forced myself to stand.
Pain burned through my ribs, and blood ran down my arm, but I barely felt it. Derek wa
