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Nothing happened

"Well, that wasn’t disappointing," Anya said drily "See you later, Disease"

She left him alone in the roorowled at the Rod "Huh? Is that it? Do you get to pick and choose the ones you accept?"

He tossed the artifact on the floor, exited the Cage, and, disgusted, followed the path Anya had taken

CAMEO FELT AS though she was trapped inside a washingswirled and churned this way and that, round and round, never pausing How many dayse of Co Rod? She wasn’t sure Time had ceased to exit

"Viola!" she shouted

She burunted and cursed Definitely not Viola Sooddess ith her in this dark, winding pit?

Hard bands shackled her waist, jerking her against a ht feet tall, and as wide as a building He surrounded her with his heat and his scentsandalwood and peat s

"Who are you?" he denize

"Carit out She wished she could see hilad she couldn’t He couldn’t see her, either, so he couldn’t kno close she was to vo Her stomach hurt "You?"

"Lazarus" War strands of her hair

"Where?"

He knehat sheRod We’re trapped inside it You were hurtling through it--and you’re still being pulled toward soth was needed to hold on to her "I’h as they coot you wants you desperately, because I’o" Translation: save yourself

"Uh, that would be a no If you’re being pulled out, I’d kill erous," she said Breathe Just breathe

"There are hundreds of people trapped in here and no one has ever escaped If there’s a chance that is what’s happening with you, I’ to take it"

No Not yet She hadn’t had a chance to search "I can’t leave without a little blonde who’s in love with herself"

"Sorry, feet a choice in the htened his hold, practically flattening her lungs

"Airneed"

"That’s notjust as winded as she was "Wallsclosing in"

Suddenly, the pressure eased Ca solid--a floor,the area around her It was cold, solid

"The bottom of the Rod?" she panted That would mean the Rod had shrunk her to thimble size, and she wasn’t okay with that

Lazarus released her and rolled away "I’ve been all over the confines of the Rod, and this isn’t part of it I think we did the iious Maybe Viola had escaped, too

Blinking to clear her line of vision, Cae to vomit increased, the dizziness careened out of control annnd--yes, she spewed the contents of her stoht she heard him say

At least he hadn’t batted her away

"I need you to move now," he said "I want these shoes off"

Inhale Good Now exhale Several h to see as around her An office The one froh with papers There was a glass display case bri with artifacts And there was Pandora’s box

So close

For the otten Cameo pushed to a stand and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand

"How did the Rod send us here?" She took a step forward And where was here, exactly?

Lazarus chucked his shoes He , unbreakable She turned to face hiined, but he was still a giant He had a est of her friends had yet to achieve But it was his face that truly arrested her attention

He Was Gorgeous He wouldn’t have to speak to a woain her interest He’d just have to look at her He had black hair, black eyes Fathomless eyes, really A proud nose, a stubbornly square chin Lips the color of rubies, and the perfect contrast to all that dark His skin was bronzed to perfection