With Ghent firmly in his hold, Drust started to take slow, silent steps away from the entrance of the alley.
	Feeling the movement, Elayra shifted to follow his lead. Her gaze slid toward Ghent when the other teen tried to conceal his eyes with his hood.
	She gave a soft snort; with his shouted accusation of [i]her[/i] being insane, she could only hope they’d be lucky enough that hiding their eyes would be enough now. If any of the Cursed had heard that—a voice and words not corroded by insanity—it was over.
	The thought had barely flit through her head when a dry hiss came from behind them.	
	“[i]In… hhhhsss-k-k-k…ane,[/i]” it tried to mimic, sounding like it had something lodged in its throat.
	Drust released his charges and spun toward the voice, one hand out in gesture for the teens to stay behind him. Elayra stumbled slightly from the sudden release.
	Holding her breath from more than just the stench, she turned so her back faced the wall, giving her easy sight down both sides of the alley.
	Movement caught Elayra’s eye. Further down, she noticed a recessed entryway partially hidden by stone shards sticking out of its frame. 
	A figure lurched out from the recess, body moving in odd jerks as if its muscles weren’t all quite in-sync. A woman, if its tattered skirt was anything to judge by, it staggered toward the center of the alley, and stopped. Grime and blood masked her gaunt face and matted her hair
	If that was what—[i]who[/i], Elayra reminded herself—had spoken, at least it—[i]she[/i]—was only one of the Forsaken. There was still a chance of skirting by.
	As if some cruel entity had heard the thought and laughed, a second figure scuttled after the first. Ungainly and almost spider-like, it nearly rammed into the woman’s legs. The thing—the [i]child[/i], judging by its size, crouched low, its bony fingers dragging in the fouled gravel beside it.
	As dirty as its companion, he—or she, it was impossible to tell—was clad in tattered clothes made from a hound; lupine paws protruded from the sides of its shirt. The child’s real arms and legs looked more like something from a corpse than something belonging to the living.
	The woman had a [i]forgen[/i] with her.
	It noticed where its elder’s attention was pointed. It wheezed a whining hiss, baring a mix of normal teeth and pointed bits of rock or bone shoved into previous gaps.
	It looked to the intruders. In eerie unison, both Forsaken and forgen’s heads flopped to one side. Their eyes, red veined with black from corner to corner, seemed to almost glow in the dimness.
	Elayra swallowed back her panic. She twitched her head so her hair better fell over her face, and jerked her stance wide, trying to mirror both Drust and the child’s demeanor and expressions. She glanced to Ghent, subtly gesturing for him to do the same, but paused. Her gaze flicked toward the alleyway’s opening.
	The Cursed on the main road had gone eerily silent.
	“[i]Oo-ich-k-k-k?[/i]” The woman’s whole body shuddered as her voice stuck on the choking sound.
	Drust gave a warning growl, his own stance low and threatening. Thankfully, he didn’t speak. 
	The forgen hissed again, fingers digging agitatedly into the ground.
	“[i]Sp-e-k-k ool![/i]” The woman’s eyes narrowed, the exact direction of her gaze impossible to gage. “[i]Ne… Cur-en-k-k-SHEEEEE![/i]”
	The child joined in on the woman’s high-pitched screech. The sound echoed from the opposite direction as those who had fallen silent picked up the cry.
	Fingers curled like claws at her side, the woman rushed for the trio, but the forgen was quicker. Its bare feet kicking up the gravel, it rushed them with wild speed, jumped to the wall, and kicked off, flinging itself at Ghent and Elayra, cracked nails splayed and mismatched teeth bared murderously.