The Dreaming

“Twister?”

Twister looked up from her washing and blinked, staring at the man in front of her. “Yes?”

The man looked relieved and fainted. Twister dropped the shirt she’d been cleaning and caught him. The hood over his face fell away and Twister gasped.

“Stagis!”

The Washer helped Twister pull Stagis to his feet. The fairy was out cold, his blonde hair coated with so much dried blood that it was immovable.

“Take him into your hut. I’ll get Night.” The Washer didn’t wait for an answer, just ran east towards were Night and Target were practicing their swordcraft.

Twister dragged Stagis into her hut and placed him on her bed. She wet a cloth from a bowl of water and started washing the blood from his hair.

“Twister?”

“I’m here.” Twister looked up to find Target and Night looking down at her husband. “He passed out. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Night knelt beside Stagis and began to remove the fairy’s clothes, examining each item for blood. He found a large patch on the back of Stagis’ shirt, and when Twister helped Night roll Stagis onto his stomach, they discovered why. Twister covered her mouth and ran outside to throw up while Target gasped and turned green.

Four thick slickes had been taken from Stagis’ back, in an X that ran from his shoulder blades to his hip bones. The bones of the fairy’s body could be seen through the blood – Stagis’ wings had been removed, sockets and all.