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"God’s blood, Daisy!" Stefan’s hand jerkedht "I told you not to use it as a weapon!"

"I know," I whispered "But--"

Somewhere beyond us, Lurine snarled in ancient Greek, a note of pain mixed with the fury

"Tend to her," Stefan said to Cody, stepping back to draw his sword "Kyria!" he called to Lurine "Guard the innocents, leave the creature to me!"

"Daisy" Cody crouched in front of ed to shift one hand to point at the spirit lantern, lying on the street a foot away "Take it"

Cody hesitated, then gave a gri happened He swore, gave it a shake, and tried again, to no avail "Either it’s broken, or it has to be you, Daise" He wrapped ers around the lantern "Try"

I proround Sitting on led to pry open the shutter It seeainst steel ringing in ed the Tall Man, but at last I succeeded Blue-white light spilled forth, illus and feet, shinbones behind steel greaves, blue jeans and , a shrill voice spitting out curses

"Daisy" Cody’s voice was strained and urgent I found the strength, barely, to lift my chin and look up "Daisy, we need you"

I looked past hi around Stefan’s head, slingshot in hand, hurling pebbles at the Tall Man’s eye sockets With no shield or armor, Stefan had his leather jacket wrapped around his left arainst an immensely tall armor-clad opponent who couldn’t be killed Off to the side, Lurine had drawn herself to her full height, coils stirring as she stood guard over Sinclair and Stacey

"Daisy!"

I placedto rise My arms tre, addlepated apparition!" Jojo shrilled, aone dry and brown, beating the air as she fitted another pebble into her slingshot of woven grass "Vile, grave-ridden--"

In the heat of her furious passion, she darted too close to the Tall Man It happened so fast, the axe rising and falling in a swift flash One second, Jojo was there in one A flurry of glittering pollen drifted away, and a lied stalk of joe-pye weed fell to the street

A wave of rage filledme to my feet with an incoherent shout I held up the spirit lantern, sending the Tall Man’s bony shadow stretching the length of the street The concrete street, unfortunately

"Over there!" Cody pointed toward a patch of landscaping on the corner, tall plu "Either corner, Daise!"

"Go!" I shouted, le the Tall Man’s shadoard the far corner My ar inside th "Anyone who can! Go!"

Cody was already dodging past the Tall Man, but the Tall Man was pressing Stefan backward towardthe sidewalks, the re in a frantic effort to flee the scene, terrified parade participants crowding thenaledoff the haed to slip down the street unseen "Here!"

"Bingo," I whispered, sidling to the left to send the Tall Man’s shadow in her direction She hammered the nail into the soil with one solid thwack

And nothing happened

The Tall Man loosed another boo the street The capering figure in the leisure suit echoed it with a demented cackle

Shit

Hel had warned ht not work on Grandpa Morgan’s duppy because his spirit had never been laid to rest in the first place And it didn’t work on the Tall Man because he wasn’t a spirit; he was flesh and bone, or at least bone and oraphobic Clancy Brannigan Although I guess he wasn’t agoraphobic anyed fro possessed by a duppy before it ditches you to anirandfather’s corpse has that effect<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>