"Filthy Demons"

Merenrys whispered an ancient command, a sound so old it seemed to scrape the marrow of the world. The glyphs flared to life across her skin, spiraling outward in molten streams of light. The desert answered with a roar, its silence splitting apart as the dunes convulsed and rose like awakening beasts.

The sand began to move. First in ripples, then in rivers, then in tidal waves of gold and grit that bled fury. Each grain seemed alive, possessed by her will. The earth heaved, ...