“See, it’s guar…” Mom’s words die, and we see them the same moment she does. Two bodies in black uniforms lie on the ground, pools of their blood slowly expanding toward each other. Their eyes are open, but they’re glazed and vacant, freshly dead. My heart lurches and the shadows fall away with Xaden’s hand as we both reach for weapons. “Oh, shit,” Ridoc whispers as the others file through the bottleneck behind us, drawing swords, daggers, and battle-axes.
