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"This is where things get weird," he mutters, as steam pours from the walls and transparent worms drift in and out of his h, almost hysterical

"Whatever happens, don&039;t scream," Dervish says "We&039;re at ourthe various portals for the one which connects with Lord Loss&039;s realm A screaht be the end of us"

"We&039;ll probably end on a grisly note anyway," I say gloorees "But there are worse dehts threaten to spin out of control as I try to i worse than Lord Loss Then Dervish spreads his arms and barks a loud co fading Infinite space a scattering of starsmeteors streak across the sky But this space isn&039;t black - it&039;s red An unending sky of redness, encircling the cellar like the drapes of hell

The temperature escalates off the scale Some of Dervish&039;s books burst into flalow from the heat All the candles in the cellarflah I can feel the terrible heat, it isn&039;t burning me Dervish and Bill-E aren&039;t harmed either Nor are the chess sets

"Why aren&039;t we toast?" I cry The words come out as a croak - my mouth and throat are unbelievably dry

"Protected," Dervish wheezes in reply, then lays a finger to his lips and shakes his head - noacross the sky overhead As I gaze up, I realise it isn&039;t a meteor - it&039;s so monster!

Dervish squats and places both palms on the floor, which ripples beneath his touch, as ifsome spell - or prayer - he turns in a circle His eyes are yellohen I next catch sight of his face, his teeth sharp and grey

I open- shut , and when he faces , he picks up one of the unburnt books, flicks it open and starts singing Long, complicated words His voice unnaturally clear and beautiful

The red sky shiht of the stars and meteor-monsters The room slips into a hot, fearful blackness - no candles to shed any light The last thing I see - Dervish, eyes closed, singing as though his life depended on it

I feel alone in the darkness, though I know by Dervish&039;s singing and Bill-E&039;s grunts and whines that I&039; and silky brushes againstthere

Dervish stops singing The sudden silence is as disorienting as the lack of light

"Dervish?" I whisper, not wishing to distract hi to know he&039;s still there

"It&039;s OK, Grubbs," comes his voice "Don&039;t move"

"It&039;s dark," I note redundantly

"We&039;ll have all the light we care for soon enough," he promises

An object brushesin the room with us!" I hiss

"Yes," Dervish says "Take no notice Stand your ground"

It isn&039;t easy, but I obeysounds increase in volume, and I&039;m struck in various places by what feels like thick strands of rope I wince and rub at my flesh, but otherwise don&039;t react

Gradually I notice a dull grey glow all aroundthe distorted cellar The walls have been replaced by thick strands of cobwebs, which stretch away, layer after layer, apparently endless Many of the strands are stained with blood Some are as thick as a tree trunk, while others are as thin as a line of thread

Fro the severed heads of Mum, Dad and Gret

I can&039;t hold back the scream, but Dervish anticipates this He slides behind me and clamps both hands over , reaching for the heads, while at the sa to back away frorunts, struggling to contain o and they&039;ll vanish"

I thrash ht The heads seee, filled with sadness and pain Muue out atyou!" Dervish growls, fingers tightening overpoint "If they can drive you insane, I&039;ll have nobody to protect me frohting the terror, I stare at the faces of my parents and sister, and spotside, Gret&039;s hair shouldn&039;t be that long, Mu Lowero away?" I moan

"Show you&039;re not afraid," Dervish says "Look at the"

"It&039;s hard"

"I know For me too But you can do it, Grubbs You have to"

Deep breaths Exerting control I liftin front of me Their features twist Mum and Gret hiss at th oflike the candles The web vibrates The air bubbles Theitself into three new shapes A crocodile-headed dog A ins," Dervish sighs, and steps forward to confront the demons