Taria's screams of terror filled her ears along with the growls of the skeletons that had her pinned to the ground.
They were fast with their attack and as Belladonna tried to pull her away from the living bones, she got her own dose of attack too.
Bony hands pulled at her from all sides, shredding her gown and digging into her skin, the strength behind their attack, knocking her to her feet while she pulled the bag that housed the dragon stone closer to her in a desperate struggle not to lose it, tight like her life depended on it, because at that moment, it did.
Taria's scream morphed with the growls of the skeleton and in an instinctive defense, Belladonna curled herself on the floor, shielding herself as much as she could, both her hands folded over her head and her body turned inwards, like the monsters were her mother and she was once again shielding herself from a beating that would surely leave scars with the passage of time.
Why had she not learned by now?
