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Tane silently debated He hated specters How did you kill so that was already technically dead?

Hell, you couldn’t even injure them

Good neas, they rarely bothered va about theaze flicked fro above Time to roll the dice

"At the very least it should keep the creature distracted," he said aloud

"More likely it will just piss hiround "We’re about to find out"

Levet scra "It is your baptis tale and tugging the coward back into the cave "It’s my funeral"

"Whatever" Levet folded his arms over his chest "I ait here"

"What you’re going to do is give id tones

"Why do you not play decoy for the ghost and I will rescue the maiden?"

"Do I really have to state the obvious?" Tane asked, casting a aze over the stunted three-foot fores before conceding defeat

"If I get eaten by a ravenous, flesh-eating specter I a to haunt you for the rest of eternity"

"Shit, don’t even joke about it" Tane held up three fingers "On the count of three"

One by one he lowered his fingers, then trusting the gargoyle to keep up his end of the rescueJaelyn over his shoulder and heading back across the cave Once at the entrance he lowered her to the ground and easily sliced through the leather straps She took care of the gag herself, tossing it aside with a foul curse

There was a flash of light and Tane turned his head to see Levet using his ic to destroy the syh the air, and Levet fell to the floor, his ars as the dark shadow arrowed straight for hiet it away"

Ignoring the urge to leave the annoying gargoyle to his fate, Tane shoved his dagger back into its sheath and stepped toward the center of the cave

A blade, no ainst a spirit

The shadow continued doard, swooping over the shivering gargoyle’s wings before landing just outside the destroyed circle

Tane growled in warning, but before he could charge to the rescue, the shadoas shifting and pulsing in an o the strange pheno to disappear? Or attack?

Turned out, it did neither

Instead the darkness coalesced, changing from a formless blob into a tiny feh Tane’s heart at the faht of the small, heart-shaped face with the almond eyes that were entirely filled with black and the childishly small body that was covered by a plain white robe

She looked so siht the powerful Oracle was haunting hiht

Then he realized that the delicate features were cut on softer lines and the long hair that floated eerily around her shoulders was a pale gold rather than gray

The feer version

Oh, and dead

Or at least he assuh about the peculiar deround, Levet kicked his tiny feet, his head tucked beneath his arms

"Get it away," he cried "Get it away"

"For God’s sake, open your eyes," Tane snapped

"And have my soul sucked out? Do not be ridiculous"

Tane heaved a sigh "Levet, open your daargoyle at last reat his side

"Oh" Almost as if he were embarrassed, Levet scrambled to his feet

Tane felt a cold stir of air as Jaelyn stepped to his side "Don’t hurt her," she told Levet "She was only doing as Ariyal colance didn’t stray from the specter, his expression … dumbfounded

"Oh"

The fe to be as fascinated as Levet

"Do I know you?" Her voice eetlyshe was a ghost

"Levet, at your service" The gargoyle performed a for laugh the ferabbed Levet’s face between her hands and kissed hi intis were flapping and his tail twitching

"Yannah," he breathed "You are … I am …"