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"You are powerful, Grubitsch, but untrained Perhaps, if you had spent ic, you would be able to control that great force and defend yourself and these other unfortunate victims But you ran from your responsibility Therefore you-and all around you-will die"

I screay, more powerful than the first It strikes him in the middle of his chest, drives him back several metres He knocks Juni to the floor and alhs Brushes away drops of blood as if cleaning fluff from a jacket

"Have you finished or do you want to try again?" he asks "Maybe you will be luckier the third time What do you think, Miss Swan?"

Juni's getting back to her feet, irate at having been knocked down "I think we should take hiames," she snaps

"'Take me'?" I repeat "Take me where?"

"My realm," Lord Loss says "You surely didn't think I'd kill you here, along with these less others, quickly and cleanly? Dear reat joy in life- chess You must pay properly for that, in the universe of the Demonata, where time passes oh so slohere I can torture your soul for a thousand years maybe more"

"A bit harsher than detention after school, wouldn't you say?" Juni sneers

"Artery," Lord Loss calls The child-shaped demon with fire instead of eyes pulls his head out of the air hostess's sto down his chin

"Spine," Lord Loss says The giant scorpion sheathes its stinger and regards itsupside-down

"Femur," Lord Loss finishes, and the rabbit dike de from its lips

Lord Loss points beyond me to where the"Make quick work of them We must leave soon, before ourhome closes"

The fah horrifically, then race towards me I flinch as the monstrous creatures draw level, but they veer around and leave , stabbing, sizzling sounds

I don't look back Part of ainst the familiars Perhaps I could kill them But I dare not turn reatest threat If I let him attack me from behind, I'm definitely doomed

Hell, who a to kid? I' it off I et it over and done with And if he promised me a quick death, maybe I'd take that way out But I don't like the sound of a oing to willingly sacrifice myself to such a -terht for me

"Co away fro You'll fail, just like you failed to beat me at chess and kill me in Slawter You're pathetic!"

Lord Loss's face twists His aric gathers in his ertips I bid farewell to life and steel myself to die

Then his expression mellows and his arms drop "No, Grubitsch," he chuckles "I won't be provoked You hope to goadyou swiftly A clever ploy, but I shall not fall for your trick I came to take you and take you I will I'll kill you later, e are"

A burst of heat tofro another of Lord Loss's faical light

"Master?" Juni says uncertainly as Lord Loss draws to a halt

"Quiet," he snaps

They don't knohat it is!

Iif this is soood news Maybe the plane is coiant explosion If so, I want to be caught square in the blast That would wipe the smirk from the demon master's wretched mush

An oval hole appears in the side of the plane About two h the hole, outside, clinging to the wing of the plane It's the tra to see if I turned into a olf He was lurking near ht when I burst free of the cellar where Dervish had ht he was one of the La to have doubts

The tramp half leans into the cabin and stretches out a hand toof the plane with his other hand as a fierce, unearthly hips at his hair and clothes "Boy!" he shouts "Come with me Now!"

"No!" Lord Loss and Juni scream at the same moment

Lord Loss's ary at the traes of the hole absorbs the power and disperses it in a shower of crackling sparks

I' stupidly at the tramp, jaw slack, mind in a spin

"Boy!" the traain "I can't take another blast like that Come now or die"

I look from the tramp to Lord Loss and Juni Their faces are filled with hate Juni'sincredibly fast Lord Loss is readying himself for a second shot at the tramp

A quick look in the other direction Artery, Spine and Fe up the aisle, desperate to pin me down

I face Lord Loss again, grin and flip hi out h the hole He shouts a word of ic and the hull of the plane starts to close I hear Lord Loss belloith fury Then the hole seals itself and there's only the roaring howl of the wind

I realise I' of an aeroplane, thousands of metres above the face of the earth I have a split second to rabs us We're ripped loose The plane soars onwards

We fall