The man beside her said, "No. They haven't attacked us — they haven't even struck back against our magic. They just swallow the bodies of the monsters we kill, and after that there's nothing strange about them." He paused, then went on, "We can't even be sure these monsters are actually following us, because there are simply too many of them. They're everywhere."
Lilith knew he was right. Only now did she understand how much force something once taken for granted could unleash the moment it changed. Everywhere they had passed was dead silence: ordinary creatures had turned into monsters that never made a sound, and the Magefoe apprentices and magical beasts had all been killed. Thank goodness these monsters had no transcendent power — otherwise Lilith felt that even she and her people would be torn to shreds by sheer numbers.
Lilith was silent for a moment, then gave the order. "Get Larry over here for me."
Larry was the apprentice in the War League who had gone deepest into potionology; his potion magic was savage and uncanny, and even the top ten had no wish to provoke him.
"Lilith? What is it?" Larry asked as he walked over.
"The monster samples — have you got results?"
