“I’ll be right behind you!” The anger and frustration in Elayra’s voice at Ghent’s hesitation was drowned out only by Miles’ shout.
	When Ghent finally obeyed to an extent and ran for the portal, Elayra hurried after, now a pace behind Miles. Her steps slowed just long enough for her to draw her only, pathetic weapon in case the man’s gun failed. It was at least better than nothing.
	She did not turn her back on the shadow as it jerked and twisted drunkenly over the wall, taunting Miles to try shooting it.
	When the two males stopped, Elayra almost collided with Miles.
	“What’s going on?!” she shouted in a panic, glancing over her shoulder to see Ghent frozen in place still at least a yard from the portal. “Go, Featherhead!”
	Thankfully, Miles shoved Ghent with enough force to make the boy stumble back just far enough to fall into the portal. The bluish-white of it flared for a short second as he fell through, his shout echoing loudly down the alleyway and making the shadow quiver as if in laughter.
	Before the light had time to fade to its normal intensity, leaving no sign of Ghent behind, the shadow stilled. In the blink of an eye, the black shadowmire that had escaped death by her or Drust's hands lunged from the pool's depths, the monster's body stretched to its full length. The darkness clung to its even blacker fur as it formed the rest of the creature’s body, the two red clovers standing out on its head and rear like drops of blood. It bore its menacing fangs in a wide snarl and stretched its claws toward Miles and Elayra as it soared through the air at them.
	Elayra grit her teeth and threw herself to the side toward the portal, tucking her body into a summersault made slightly awkward by her pack just before the monster landed. Its accordion-like body landed surprisingly softly for such a large cat. Its form separated her from Miles and Miles from the portal as its long, impossible tail whipped toward him after his weapon-wielding hand.
	She hopped to her feet and spun toward the monster, its gaze and wicked grin on her. Revenge raged in the beast’s eyes, but that was not what made Elayra’s breath catch in her lungs. They glowed brighter than they should have, even in the muddled light of the rainy day. A gleam of calculating intelligence swirled in their depths, a gleam unlike any she had ever seen naturally reside in a shadowmire. A bone-chilling, gut-wrenching, familiar gleam that looked more magically human than supernaturally animal.
	The Red Sorceress was watching.