SPIRIT BLOOD

Chapter 1

Noticing one of her gloves had slipped, Lira frowned and tugged it back up, ensuring it was well up over her long sleeves and covering the skin beneath.

"You're a spirit hunter?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Sure you aren't one of them poacher types--or worse?"

"Spirit hunter and paying customer," said Lira in a flat tone, wiping a piece of her drenched reddish-brown hair off the side of her face with a grimace.

He sniffed. "Then why aren't you in the Wilds doing your job? Decided to stop and let them grow even further?"

Lira pushed the door open a little further and called out into the stormy night. "Shari! Stop playing in the damned puddles and get inside before I leave you out there!"

In response, a glowing ball of something bounded towards the door, covering the distance with a terrifying speed. Icy blue in colour with white markings, Shari stood out from the bright flashes of lightning long before she arrived at Lira's side, who couldn't help a snort of laughter as the big spirit cat pushed her nose into Lira's waiting hand and purred.

"Tonight is a full moon," said Lira, running her hand over Shari's back, level with the height of her hip. "And if you know anything about spirits, you know that if anything bigger than Shari has wandered through that Rupture, I'll be dead before I can close the damn thing."

To his credit, the man didn't flinch at Shari's abrupt appearance. He just folded his arms and gave Lira a curt nod as the serving girl made a subtle effort to stand behind him.

"You can have a room for the night," he said. He gestured at the serving girl. "She'll take you up. First room on the left. " He started walking back to the bar, turning to point a finger back towards Lira. "Just make sure you get that Rupture closed before the Wilds reach here, will you?"

"I'll do it or die trying," muttered Lira, finally closing the door. She started following the serving girl towards the steps, boots squelching with every step, and jerked her head towards Shari. "C'mon."

"The animal stays in the stables!" called the man.

Lira didn't answer him. Shari padded along behind her, politely nosing the chairs out of the way to make a path for herself through the dining room, then delicately taking the stairs one at a time.

"Why aren't you this well behaved at home?" said Lira, poking Shari in the shoulder at the top of the stairs.

Shari rubbed her cheek against Lira's leg then padded over towards the serving girl, who couldn't stop glancing at Shari long enough to get the room unlocked. When Shari lifted her head to sniff the girl's elbow, the girl dropped the key entirely with a squeak, curling herself into the wall.

Shari sat down with a solid thud that shook the wooden floorboards, tail swishing behind her.

"She won't hurt you," Lira said. The girl couldn't have been older than sixteen. She'd probably never left the inn for more than a day in her life, and in spite of her usual rules, Lira found herself relenting. "Never seen a spirit before?"

The girl frantically shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut as her hand fumbled around blindly on the ground for the key. "Not one that big."

Shari lowered her nose to the ground, nudging the key into the girl's fingers. The girl snatched her hand away, but as Shari remained still, the girl slowly reached down to retrieve the key. She clutched it close to her chest, though her eyes were now firmly fixed on Shari's iridescent blue coat.

"Can... can I pet her?" asked the girl.

"Not my decision," said Lira, leaning against the wall and folding her arms. Shari purred. "That's a yes."