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Pryce kicked the sword away

"Not here, cousin Not now I thought Liood place for a truce Allow us both soree to a truce"

"Not in so many words But notice how you were unable to strike ood for that h in ainst ainst the de the truth? I tried to flex ers Limp, they wouldn’t obey But ere in Liht be a trick to ht him

Whether or not that was true in the real world, I couldn’t fight hiiven her to the Morfran yet, if that’s what you’re asking But she’s unio"

Pryce kept talking as though I hadn’t spoken "What’s important is what happened this afternoon Tell me, cousin, what did happen?"

His question stabbed intoI stared into the flaes, shape them into memories

"You don’t re frenzy It must have felt like a trance Difethas quite proud"

The tingling in

"It’s been a long ti," Pryce continued, "but at last it’s happened"

I wasn’t going to take his bait I would not ask him what had happened I didn’t want to hear it--not fro for the truth But it was like that truth was locked away in a place I couldn’t reach

Pryce sighed "So that’s how you’re going to be, is it? Very well I could describe today’s events to you, but you’d think I was lying However, you cannot deny the truth of your feelings You’ve noticed, haven’t you? How the Destroyer’s grip on you has strengthened How se And that rage--it’s been harder to control, hasn’t it? There have even been times when, perhaps just for a moment or two, you haven’t wanted to control it" I stared at the fla, buzzed in ive in and destroy The cause didn’t , the utter destruction You’ve wanted that, cousin--and know it"

The flames parted like a curtain, and I was back in that hallway The bodies on the floor The screa e, those flashes of aping Light flashing off a blade Aslack around a hilt I closed es and the excitement they called up in ot what you wanted You finally gave in"

A grunt of pain Blood spilling on a concrete floor

"You stormed into that room like the spirit of Death itself You didn’t care who or what you killed You wanted only to destroy And you did"

That sweet ave way to steel

"The entire SWAT tea We lost soely thanks to you You were the Destroyer, finally and co at my consciousness Could it have been Difethwr? The Destroyer taking control, directingechoes, but the words still eluded me No I wouldn’t believe it The Destroyer had touched es that crowded me and stared squarely into the black holes of Pryce’s eyes "You’re lying"

"Didn’t I tell you? I knew you’d say that Well, I won’t wasteto convince you The truth is in your bones now, cousin It’s in your blood It’s in your soul When you accept that you belong to the Destroyer--and, through the Hellion, to me--your memories will return" He passed his hand over the fla a struggling ed, and then the ie winked out

In its place was Pryce’s smile "I can help you," he said Insidious words from a demi-de but trouble awaits you We’ll go to my realm Difethaits for you there In Uffern, you can train to ith your Hellion ainst what you’ve beco, you’ll be fit to serve ripped my arm "It’s your destiny"

I yanked my arm away "I’ve told you before, Pryce I will never join your side"

He looked attime, then shook his head "This stubbornness of yours is so tiresome" He waved a diser You will join lad to do so But I don’t have to talkto convince you You’ll convince yourself, fros already know"

Out in the real world, a siren wailed Another joined it The sound was muffled, but louder than any outside noises that had so farfor you," Pryce said in his bored voice "In the Ordinary, you’ll be arrested for reed to return with me to Uffern, you’d be beyond their reach But I’ve withdrawn my offer for the moment" His eyes, already impossibly black, somehow darkened "You must understand where your true loyalties lie Callin a huhed and stared at the flaain the fire flared I stood in themy sword Bodies lay everywhere Blood covered the floor

I was the only living creature there

34

TIRES SCREECHED A BULLHORN ANNOUNCED THE ARRIVAL of the police Shit They’d be on top of me in moments I stood in a room filled with dead bodies, with a bloody sword in my hand and no memory of what happened They’d arrest ht

I had to be out of here before cops stormed the place, and there was only one way to do that I threw aside my sword and prepared to shift