The spell coats the ground, but as it's cast, the owner of the voice lets out a breathless gasp. "Oh my," it murmurs. "Yes, do more of that, please, little chickies, my lovely little lambs. It's been so long... so very very long since they've let me out, and I've missed the taste so... much..."
Then, from around the corner, in the dimming, flickering light from lantern and torch, a figure appears. It's humanoid, certainly, tall and thin as though it's been stretched: long limbs, narrow torso. The thing's flesh is mottled, partly normal human skin, but more of it an unnatural black so deep it almost seems to suck light toward it, spread around its body in irregular patches but almost completely covering its face. At this distance, in the poor light, you can't make out many other features -- or maybe it doesn't have any at all. Even though it's still about 30 feet away, you can feel cold radiating from it.
It moves in jerking motions, head tilted to one side, limbs twitching awkwardly every once in a while. As it sees the party, it lets out a long sigh of satisfaction. "Ohhhhh... there's so many of you," it says. "Come, chickies. Come with me. We can heal each other." You see no mouth moving as it 'speaks'.
It raises its arm toward Elora, weirdly long fingers curling as it beckons her. "You first, my lamb. I know it was you," comes a whisper. Gracefully, it gestures toward the grease covering the floor between you and it. "I can taste it on you," it says, head tilting back at an awkward, unnatural angle.
There's a moment of stunned silence, then Erannik says, "We're close! We can outrun it!"
Outside in the streets, Eanala, Livia and Giran take Verrian's suggestion to heart, at least partly. Livia seems unwilling to distance herself too far from Eanala, but those two do spread away from Verrian and Giran a bit. They all continue running toward their destination with newfound urgency.
Eanala gestures to the others to duck down an alleyway and get off the street. She waits at the mouth of the alley, breathlessly telling the others as they pass, "Through the building. Come out on the next street over, go right and around the block, you'll be there. We know these districts far better than the guard, we'll be fine."