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"Do it, Meghan," Ryland said, his voice soft "I promise you he’s not like the others"

I dropped to my knees in front of her She recoiled, her face filled with loathing "Please help me," I said "Please" I felt a tear trickle down my cheek

She stared at my cheek, her eyes filled with confusion "It can cry?"

"Spawn can cry, sugah," Ryland said in his southern drawl "And you know ets"

She reached a cautious hand toward my face and stopped Then she went to a pouch at her side and retrieved a tiny corked vial Held it to lass container and putting it back in her pouch Women Crazy God love them, they’re all insane

"This procedure will not be painless," she said after a azed at Stacey’sform "This late in the infection will require a lot of blood"

I held out ave Ryland a look "If so happens, will you…" I faltered as Elyssa’s sweet shts "Please tell Elyssa I love her"

Ryland gripped my hand and stared atat the other cot across the room

I did as she directed while she consulted a thin tablet coathered soical tools which looked more akin to torture devices My heart thudded as I lay down next to Stacey

"Tie hi him thin silvery twine

"I don’t think that’ll hold ive out first"

"You can’t break diamond fiber" She nodded at the cot "And it’sfliular basis?"

I felt du new "I don’t know much yet I’m the new kid on the block"

A very tiny smile crept on her face until she seeriht aroundthe areas where he wanted it to knot and watching as the thin twine seeether I tested the bonds and found e to panic crested like a silent screa to calht trance," Meghan said, pointing her wand atmore will make this harder than it needs to be"

I flinched reflexively as the wand pointed in my direction She said a word and peace settled over ray I blinked a few tireenearth, chewing it while giving me somewhat indifferent looks A lamb, his wool snohite and fluffy, ran up to ainst uy," I said bending down and scratching his ears

More laainst s, like wooly cats A chirp sounded in ht yellow sparrow on my shoulder It cocked its head at roup of squirrels ran to the end of a long tree li with each other Pure joy lifted ic sparkled in the air I opened ray cloud blotted out the sun

The lahtened and panicked The squirrels vanished into the tree, and the little bird flashed away in a streak of yellow

A jagged bolt of white lightning stabbed fro it to a puff of burnt feathers Another fork of lightning engulfed the large oak tree where the squirrels had gone It flashed into bright sickly green fla squirrels leapt fro to a crisp as the air filled with the odor of burnt fur

"No!" I yelled as I looked at the next targets of the malicious cloud "Leave the poor little lah and hundreds of tiny tongues of electrical energy stabbed earthward, toward the lambs

I shouted a word It was one I had never heard before, sounding soy seeed bolts of lightning like nets It absorbed the sheet of azure electricity

I stared for awhat in the hell I’d done Then it occurred to me to wonder where in the hell I was I didn’t rehtest I’d been helping Stacey and then--ah, that was it Meghan The trance I was asleep, sort of I glared up at the now oily-black cloud and extended er