Chapter 80: Statues

As I stumbled back from the cursed statue, something hard connected with my ankle, dropping me to one knee. The kid caught my shoulder, saving me a fall, and I looked down to see what had tripped me. A hammer. And chisel.

"What are these?" I asked, running a finger over the crude tools. Only silence met my question, and I looked up to see tears streaming down his face.

"W-we tried everything," he whispered, voice breaking. I followed his gaze to a nearby statue, one of the cracked ones. As unfamiliar as I was with stonework, the broken arm bore the unmistakable mark of a chisel.

After a moment, realization dawned on me and my throat tightened in horror. I stepped back, turning to hide my lashing tail, and swept my gaze over the entire barn. Surely they couldn't have…not ALL of the broken ones… For once, I cursed my eyes and their unerring perception.

"Turns out they were turned to stone, through and through."