"How dare you bring a filthy male into our sacred grounds? Have you lost your damn mind?!"
A woman's voice reached Max through the darkness clouding his consciousness, growing clearer as her anger pulled him toward waking. She sounded young, though her voice was rough and almost as deep as a man's. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids barely stirred, and the effort brought a dull ache through his head.
"I have nothing to be ashamed of for helping a stranger in need. Our mother taught us that, and we should follow her teachings."
The second voice was softer, but its owner answered without hesitation. Max concentrated on their words as he tried to remember how he had ended up here. There had been a system window, crimson light, and the Creator's promise that she would keep him from returning to his people. His last memory was of reaching toward Blackspire as the ground disappeared beneath him.
