The first one didn't warn anyone.
Not a word. Not even a louder breath.
She leapt.
A guttural growl rumbled in her throat, the bone armor cracking with each movement, her horns aimed like two blades. Her claws found the throat of her neighbor before the others even understood what was happening.
A wet, short sound, then a red spray burst across the circular table. The black stone drank it instantly, as if it had been thirsty for centuries.
— More! roared a demon with a broken jaw.
Others joined in, chanting the killer's name: "Varka! Varka!"
The rhythm of fists pounding the stone grew faster.
The scream that followed wasn't that of a victim. It was that of a predator who had just tasted blood.
Around them, the other twenty flinched — an animal reflex — and the very next second, everything collapsed into chaos.
