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I want sobloodyme I’m mad, I should run, protect my own neck and damn the rest But how could I leave Bo Kooniart to save the day? I’d never be able to live it down

We pass froh the cries of the dying and the roars of de buckets Can’t stop shivering I never knew I could be this scared After all, I’ve faced Lord Loss before But it’s even scarier this ti to understand that fear is like cancer-you can beat it back, but if it returns it can be worse than ever

We turn a corner and find three de down bloody chunks as if they were marshmallows One of the deiant cockroach, the third a huge slug that’s been partially melted Sick rises in my throat, but I force it back

As the elephant-shaped denise the unfortunate victim It’s Chai, the mime artist Even in his death throes he’s re aloud, but is instead ic

I want to help Chai, but it’s too late Even as I take a step forward, he stiffens, oes still

I study the deain as they continue to strip the corpse of flesh They don’t look like they’re especially swift on their feet I check with Bo and the others They’re terrified, but each nods to show they’re ready

"Hey!" I try to shout, but the word coain, but my mouth is as dry as a lizard’s arse

"Some hero you are," Bo mutters Then she cups her hands over her mouth and bellows, "Hey!" The delies!"

She turns and runs The rest of us follow The de as fast as I can With s, I quickly pull ahead of the others Start to leave the to survive Even if the deh the other three before getting to me Maybe they’ll stop there, happy to have one hu me free to race to safety and

But that’s not the plan I’ the others I keep the speed up for a fewwithBo and co catch up with, then slightly overtake me

I look back The demons are close, only ten or twelve ht If I don’t stop thee of town, never ic intoto think of the best way to stall them, when they suddenly stop, stare at me hatefully, then turn and shuffle off

"What the?" I squint at the

"What’s happening?" Bo asks The three of the du demons

"I don’t know," I ic and decided there were easier pickings elsewhere Or-"

So barrels into the boy whose nairl and Bo leap away fro, but with spikes sticking out all over and no legs It’son the boy’s head I start towards theh above me

"You did not think I would leave you to the whims of my familiars, did you, Grubitsch?" I look up and spot Lord Loss, hovering above the roof of the building to ave orders for you, your uncle and brother to be spared I plan to finish you Grady boys off by myself"

Lord Loss coht ar viciously "What now, poor Grubitsch?" he ht a demon master or will you run like a cowardly hyena?"

"Run!" I roar, then race away froirl hurriedly join hs and sets off in pursuit of us, savouring our fear and flight He doesn’t have the slightest clue that I’ for a reason other than sheer terror, that I’ after us, calling toto let myself down, the pain I’ll suffer, the tears I’ll shed He says I’ll betray Dervish and Bill-E, abandonforwithnore hih the demon’s eyes Part of me wants to surrender and accept a swift, painless death And perhaps I would-except I remember his look of hate when I beat him at chess, his vow to make me suffer before he killed me There will be no quick, easy death if I fall into Lord Loss’ hands

A strange skittering sound I look overus too It’s almost upon us It uses its spikes to , only a hell of a lot quicker It has a head like a dung beetle’s, but dog-sized

"Go, Malice," Lord Loss says, and the de down on Bo’s head,

I shoot a bolt of ic at the demon called Malice and knock it sideways It squeals, hits the ground, twists sharply, launches itself at ht hand into a blade, drop to one knee and slash at the demon’s underbelly Malice sees the threat but can’t change direction My hand slices its stomach open froround, entrails spilling out, whining feebly as it flops into the dust

"Fool!" Lord Loss snorts at his dying familiar "I am ashamed that one of my servants should be despatched so pitifully" He spits on the dying deer than the last tiht You were unable to kill Vein or Artery then, yet here you have killed two just as powerful Youconfident, like you could even defeatup withinthe triue