Chapter Twenty-Seven
"This way!" Mrs. Baldwin cried, rushing a group of halflings along. "Safety is this way. Let's go!"
The skies were alive with shouts. Panic echoed through the city. The dryad had to focus on getting her next group of charges to the store. She was waving her hand, begging them to move faster. The halflings scurried through the streets, wincing at every noise.
"We're here to help you," Vielmi, one of the basilisks, said to her group that was coming out of an alley. "Just be calm. There you are. See, nothing to be frightened of."
They hurried down to the main street before the dry goods store where Piaro was leading another group. She actually was holding a halfling child in her hands, the girl's face buried in the basilisk's pink, feathery hair.
"I know we're scary," Piaro was saying, "but we're your friends. We're not like the wicked monster girls who serve Sulanga Stormfury!"
Piaro set the child down at the entrance to the shop, motioning for the halflings to go inside. Mrs. Baldwin and Vielmi led their group towards Piaro while in the sky, fire burned. The crackle of flames was growing louder and louder mixed with thunderous roars, lionesses bellowing their fury.
I hope the battle is going well up there,
Mrs. Baldwin thought. But she had more halflings to save.
* * / *
Maya thought the evacuation was going great.
The halflings were flowing towards the smithy as the unicorns darted down the streets to find more refugees. The young halfling males Maya had recruited were fanning out and going from house to house, making sure people were getting evacuated.
A crying child caught Maya's attention. There, by a stack of crates, a little halfling boy was sobbing. Maya gasped and rushed over to him, her watery form jiggling. She bent down before him, giving him a smile.
He looked up at her. Then lightning flashed above, crackling with hungry thunder.
The boy buried his face into his hands.
"It's okay," Maya said, scooping up the little boy. She held him tight to her, realizing that as a monster girl there was one thing she would never have with Leo: his child.
I hope the me in the other world gets that with him,
Maya prayed.
She spotted a group of halflings running down the street, led by Chystota. The unicorn trotted before them, her white tail flashing behind her and golden horn gleaming in the sunlight. Maya thrust the child at one of the men.
"You get him to safety," she told the halfling.
"Yes, Lady Monster Girl!" the male said, holding the child in strong arms. "Come on, poppin, we'll get you to safety."
Maya nodded. Then she turned and ran down the street. She had more halflings to save.
* * / *