Excerpt: Cimmerri

Tenisha held her place in the alley, just on the edge of the jungle. Fear was a useful emotion, but she really only felt sulky and a little drowsy. Lineta, her best friend and her panther-partner, shifted next to her, reminding her of the need to keep watch. The magic glowed off of her skin like a jewelbox; Tenisha glowed more fiercely than all the others scouts or stalkers allowed out of the caves.

The green and yellow colors that floated around her would draw the more dangerous animals out in the mists to her, much like moths to a flame. If there was a way to rid her life of the magic, Tenisha might have done so, but it was also the only reason why she was not confined to the caves, living like a bug below the ground like so many others did.

It gave her chills just thinking about it. She blew a hard burst of air into her hands, warding off frostbite, a side effect that she had to deal with when she used too much power in her magic. On the other hand, her unique colors had made some animals leery of her, counterbalancing the draw of any lesser creatures that haunted the dark world.

“Lady!” a voice called in the darkness. She winced; that sound would travel farther than any magic light and they would soon be facing some imminent danger.

“Scout,” she answered, moving to the sound within seconds. She grabbed the hand, not even attempting to know who had called her. She ramped up her magic, letting the glow spread out for as far as she could. A gasp of fear echoed too, and Tenisha despised the weak human scout that had been forced to meet her and her precious message. “Come along, stupid.”