They all laughed. The blonde-haired one moved toward Bethan, while the others distracted Kellan.

‘State your business,’ Kellan growled. He was met with silence. ‘Maybe I’ll have to burn it out of you.’

They flinched.

‘Our masters want her,’ the third one finally said, his hand pointed at Bethan.

‘Good luck with that.’ A crack erupted out of nowhere, and an orange flame burst from Kellan’s hand.

The two took a step back while the blonde-haired one lunged at Bethan. With an animalistic sneer painted across his face, he barrelled towards her.

Her knees buckled from fear. A quiet voice in her mind and the blood in her veins begged her to move.

She dodged him only by a little, and he stumbled again.

A ball of flame whooshed through the air, and Bethan ducked and covered herself.

The flames landed on her attacker.

They attached to his velvet cloak, fire engulfing his entire body.

A searing scream rang in her ears.

The other two watched on, and Kellan ran and stood in front of her. He walked backwards, calling her to do the same until she pressed her back against the brick wall.

She could feel the heat from those flames on her face. She could only imagine what the assailant felt. The blonde-haired man dropped to the ground, rolling back and forth in the thin layer of snow.

She gulped when the screaming didn’t stop, her heavy pants drowning out the sound.

She didn’t know what Kellan was waiting for.

Was he waiting for the other two to fight?

They were just standing there doing nothing, as their friend was being burnt alive.

Bethan yelled for help. Perhaps he could be saved?

His life was taken from him so fast, and Kellan did it so quickly that, without a second thought, he turned the man to cinders.

No, the life wasn’t taken yet. She could still do something.

She pulled out her phone and dialled for an ambulance and the Stratos. Kellan slapped the phone from her hand. They scorched her, even though they were no longer flames.

The screams stopped.

All she could see was a disfigured body and a simmering blaze because there was nothing else to burn.

Only the crackling fire could be heard and the smell of a cooked corpse.

A sob escaped her.

Kellan remained utterly still.

The tall, cloaked man looked at them.

No.

He stared beyond them.

He nudged his partner, who she could have sworn smiled.

‘We do our work for the one who is Unseen,’ his partner said.

The Unseen?

The pair ran from where they came, disappearing with a trail of their lingering magic behind them.

And Kellan finally breathed.

Bethan turned her head to see where the cloaked figure was looking.

She gasped.

The crowd from the main street gathered in the mouth of the alleyway in complete shock, hands clasped over their lips. Standing at the forefront of that crowd was Rhiannon Shade, the journalist who delivered Bethan’s morning news.