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She ran-liainst the wall And then she disappeared

Was it a trick? Had she ledto be injured, and then run off at vampire speed? The Sword of Saint Michael lit up the tunnel No vampires lurked anywhere that I could see

The vampire I’d forced down the stairs said the entrance to the Old Ones’ lair was hidden This ical illusion, maybe? I looked closer I poked at a rusty can with my toe, then kicked it The can rolled across the tunnel It was real enough I kicked at another, and another Cans went flying And then I kicked one, andhappened I stepped forward--just half a careful step--andthe sword to my left hand, I took a deep breath and drew a silverbladed throwing knife Deh the illusion, into the Old Ones’ lair

THE FIRST THING I SAW WAS A BLACK-ROBED OLD ONE, ARMS wide, coh the air and hit hiround

Now I could see the roo ht, a cluster of Old Ones huddled together To nized from when he’d tried to stealhis body Before, I’d been on the other end of those tubes This time, it was the jar in which Myrddin had captured Norden’s life force

Myrddin seemed annoyed to see me "Aren’t you dead yet?" he asked irritably

"Not yet" I pulled my pistol and shot a bronze bullet Myrddin ducked But I wasn’t ai Norden’s life force shattered

A blue-tinted vapor spiraled upward froments

"No!" Myrddin batted the vapor toward Pryce with his hands But the spiraling streaht

Rest in peace, Norden

"Bring her here!" Myrddin shouted "The ritual ht I’ll use her life force to finish it"

The knot of Old Ones to un inknife froers groped for the knife

Pain slashed through my palm

The Old One wasn’t dead He’d pulled the knife from his throat and used it to slice a deep cut into rasped my wrist and pulledthe pain, I got ht hand It was slippery froainst his forehead and put a bullet between his eyes Bronze, but at this range it should do soe

It didn’t The Old One’s skull spit the bullet back out at me The hole closed at once The Old One sneered and knocked the gun froe pistol shot didn’t work Let’s see how he liked fire

I swiped the fla sword at his neck Blade cut into flesh, but then it stopped The Old One’s flesh pushed out the blade The wound filled itself in

The creature felt the sting of fire, though It screamed and scooted backward, away from the touch of the flames Its flesh sizzled and blackened Unlike the cuts, the burn didn’t heal It sizzled and bubbled and blistered The smell of burned, rotten flesh filled the rooed and stayed where they were Then, as if one of their psychic signals had passed a a few steps to the left or right

Behind them, Juliet was pinned to the wall A dozen silver spikes held her in place: through her neck, her ars A silver plate covered herher silent Her eyes ith terror and pain

What the hell were they doing to her?

I roared and charged the Old Ones, slashing my sword Maybe I couldn’t kill theods? Eat fire, assholes

They scattered, and I went to Juliet Keeping them at bay with my sword, I pulled the spike from her throat

An Old One flew at me, and I set its robe on fire It screa to put out the flames I hoped the fire barbecued its yellow hide

I renashed their fangs at me but stayed back

"Victory"--Myrddin’s voice cut across the rooled at his little pun

I looked across the rooled from his hand