Alicia stepped forward, brushing a lock of hair from her flushed face. "Sorry, Nyra… I didn't know it was your kill."
Nyra's eyes narrowed, her bow still half-drawn. "Didn't see the arrow sticking out of its eye?"
Alicia scratched her head sheepishly, her fingers fidgeting at the edge of her staff. "I… did. But I'd already cast the spell before that, and… well… I don't know how to dispel mid-cast."
"You—" Nyra's lips parted, the sharp retort bubbling up. But then she sighed, her shoulders sinking. "Forget it." Normally, if it had been a stranger, she would have loosed another arrow right between their eyes, whatever the reason. But this was Alicia. Her friend. That changed things.
Yet there was no time to dwell on it.
A guttural cry ripped through the air.
