Enemy Within (Moira Ashe Book 1)

Moira ran through the forest in search of the missing guard, and if she was lucky, the beast itself. She grew increasingly closer to the town’s walls as she followed the trail left for her.

She stopped upon finding the body. The creature had carried it a great distance from the site of the attack, giving it the privacy it needed to feed in peace. Slowly she walked over to the corpse, keeping her head on a swivel as she approached.

She constantly swept around the area with her blunderbuss in hand. Satisfied that she was alone, Moira examined the remains.

She couldn’t tell who the victim was. Other than the fact that he was male and a member of the Quinn guard, everything else was mangled beyond recognition or missing completely. It was odd for a beast of this calibre to steal away meals, considering it easily could have killed the entire patrol and eaten at its leisure. Odder still, the amount of flesh consumed by the beast was fairly modest compared to others of its kind. Moira pondered whether this was from fear of pursuers or if something else was at play as she swept her gaze around her. She spotted the tracks leading away from the body. Making a mental note of the location so the guard could bury the body later, Moira began following the prints.

She may not have been lucky enough to stop the beast tonight, but the prints would tell her where it was hiding.

She lost the trail at some points but was able to pick it up again once she correctly guessed where it might be leading. The trail continued to bring her closer to the town. As well as the river itself.

Moira became agitated once she saw where the trail lead. It led to the town’s sewer exit! How could she not have seen it! All of the attacks occurred near the river’s entrance and exit. The walls around this tunnel were thinner, lacking the walkways that adorned the rest of Quinn’s walls. Moira cursed. As much as she wanted to chase after the beast through the sewer, she wasn’t properly equipped for such an excursion. And with two ways for the werewolf to go, there was only a 50/50 chance that she would choose the correct entrance and be able to ambush it.

Moira kicked the ground and cursed again before slinging her blunderbuss over her shoulder and travelling back home empty-handed.