Gale dispelled the dark magic, leaving one Ratfolk sprawled on the ground, twitching and fouled with its own waste.
Annan felt little sympathy for him. The guards said he had been the most vicious of the lot and had nearly eaten the Bakery owner's wife.
He walked up to the Ratfolk Artisans. "Who's your Chief?"
"Annan is a human the Elder values. His words carry the same weight as mine," Gale called from behind him.
One of the Ratfolk stepped forward.
Compared with other clans, Stuen Ratfolk were closer to humans in size. That did not include the Ratfolk Artisans who spent their lives in the underground Hive City.
Then again, Stuen Ratfolk could be said to follow the path of bloodlines. Whatever kind of strength they needed, they bred with a species that possessed it, then selected for desirable traits over generations...
Maria was a product of that system, as were the Ratfolk Artisans. Gale was not entirely one, which was why she still retained so many Ratfolk traits.
Without his cloak to hide them, the Ratfolk Artisan's enormous, almost deformed arms were on full display. His muscles all but swallowed his head.
"Human Thing..." Even the shrill voice typical of Ratfolk had grown deep and resonant.
"My name is Annan."
"Annan thing..."
Annan had always been remarkably tolerant of people with talent. He did not mind the name and merely smiled. "What's your name?"
"Don't have a name."
Annan moved on to another question. "Did you lead the Ratfolk out to cause trouble?"
The Ratfolk Artisan chief shook his head.
"If you didn't, why didn't you stop them?"
"Why stop them?" the Ratfolk Artisan chief asked in return.
"Because..."
Annan had no answer, so he let the question drop.
"This is Human Thing territory. You should know humans