Free 1 State of Grace by John Phythyon Page A

Starfellow than when he began his campaign of terror.
    Presently, she focused on the people in the square looking for some sign of whom the bomber might be. It was next to impossible to pick out details among the many elves that passed back and forth. Black face after black face, sandy robe after sandy robe went by looking identical to every other elf in the street. She searched faces looking for anything that might appear strange or unusual. All she saw, though, was sweaty misery.
    A mother with three children drew her attention for a moment. The youngsters ran in three directions, forcing their mother to chase them down and call after them.
    May smiled. The children laughed gaily as they ran to and fro, their black skin shining in the too-warm sun and their long, black hair trailing behind them like a horse’s tail. The mother was frustrated but not angry. This was elfin life as it was supposed to be – before the war, before the decaying of the land.
    She returned her attention to the crowd and saw nothing but an anonymous throng. Everyone seemed to be on business elsewhere. A very few stopped in at the café for a drink or a bite. Sadly, none went to the recruiting station. It was just as well. Anyone headed in that direction would have been treated as a terrorist by May and her agents.
    For a moment, she worried that was the plan all along. Maybe the Sons of Frey called the tip in to use the Elite Guard to prevent people from joining the CP. May tried to tell herself that was far-fetched and preposterous, but she’d seen too much in the last four years to completely discount the theory.
    She looked to her other agents to see if they spotted anything. All of them shook their heads. May rubbed her eyes and mopped her brow again. She worried she would miss the bomber due to the heat and the boredom.
    A moment later, though, something caught her eye. A woman who reminded May very much of herself – younger, but with the same rich brown skin and bright, yellow eyes – was moving towards the recruiting station.
    May knew immediately something was wrong. The girl was dressed in white robes – funeral attire. She had her hands folded into her long sleeves, and she stared at the building forcefully. She was totally focused on where she was going and what she meant to do. No police recruit had that kind of intensity when enlisting.
    Quickly, May signaled to one of her men and then got up, rushing towards the woman, cocking a small crossbow as she did so. She hit the crowd at a run, and started elbowing her way through.
    “Move!” she shouted. “Everyone out of the way!”
    The initial reaction was one of anger, but once people saw her loaded weapon and her green Elite Guard uniform, they moved. Some of them only froze forcing her to dodge around them, or they backed into her path, slowing her down.
    Her heart pounded, terrified she wouldn’t be able to reach the terrorist in time. She couldn’t see if the agent she’d signaled was in position to take a shot.
    With one last shove, she at last escaped the throng of passersby and brought her crossbow to bear. The girl had ascended the steps and was nearly to the door of the station. She’d also put her hood up.
    “Stop!” May called. “Take another step, and you’re dead.”
    The girl froze. For a moment, she did nothing. May began her approach.
    “Hands above your head,” she ordered.
    The girl dropped her arms. The right hand held a small shaft of wood.
    “Wand!” May yelled, and the agent she signaled let fly with an arrow. It was just off the mark, hitting the target in the shoulder.
    The terrorist yelped in pain, but looked otherwise unaffected. She raised the wand.
    “For the glory of Alfheim!” she cried.
    May took aim and fired. The quarrel hit the girl between the shoulder blades, piercing her heart and killing her instantly. She sank to her knees and then fell over. The wand rolled from her hand without casting its explosive spell.
    The elf who missed