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Helen grabbed Drake’s arm, ready to pull him away, but he covered her hand "It’s only an illusion of a haest That’s still really Nicholas"

Helen tried to relax in the face of that news, but couldn’t The next , and when he stopped he was a sludge monster "What’s that called?" she asked Drake in a pathetic squeak

"A kajath or two as well Don’t worry, it’s all just special effects Gilda’s showing off for you"

Helen doubted that a wo off to anyone Certainly not to Helen, who appeared to be afraid of her own shadow

The next lowing green eyes that spooked her down to her toes "Is that a sgath?"

Once the last man had turned into a hideous monster, Gilda lowered her hands and said to Helen, "This is what you will be expected to do, child Judge hether or not you are able"

Angus drew his sword, which was apparently the sign for the ed in on all fours, heading straight for Gilda

Angus stepped to Gilda’s right side, planted his feet, and squared his shoulders with his blade raised His sword reflected orange flaht to stay calm The flames weren’t hot, so maybe they were just an illusion, too

Helen latched on to that thought and convinced herself to believe it Slowly, some of the residual panic started to fade and she was able to breathe easier

Angus’s expression was serene, but his body was poised to strike "He’s going to kill the her close and his hand sic protects them Don’t worry None of theath leapt toward Gilda She flicked her hand once, as if shaking water froath slammed into an invisible barrier and bounced off

There were four haest and they covered the distancesounds Two charged Angus while one le his body to put it between the haest and Gilda, but the two things lunged at his and he had no choice but to defend hi in a deadly arc that lopped off a foot of all four fangs

The haest gave off frantic clicking sounds, but didn’t relent They pressed hi his sword busy parrying their atte Gilda hit another invisible barrier and lashed out at it Sparks spewed out fro advanced

Gilda’s feet slid over the ground as the haest pushed both the barrier and her back toward the ring of fire

Helen tensed at the thought of Gilda getting burned, but Drake stroked her back, telling her with his relaxed body language that everything was fine

Gilda smiled and a second later, spikesthe haest attacking her It waved its spindly legs in the air, but it did no good The thing was trapped on stone spikes

She was so busy with that monster that she hadn’t noticed the haest that had come up behind her

Helen pulled in a breath to shout a warning, but it was too late The long fangs shot toward Gilda’s back A split second before they could land, she leapt high into the air and landed in a roll twenty feet away The haest’s fangs were buried in the ground and it pulled at thee therowth of stone spikes erupted froround and impaled it

By this time, one of the kajuard it and the other was flowing over the dirt toward Angus He’d cut down one of the haest, and the other was backing up froht into the kajus paid it no heed He went to Gilda’s side and helped her to her feet She brushed the dust frous slid his hand over the back of her neck

The air thrummed with power Helen could feel it surround her, feel it vibrate the stones beneath her feet Gilda bowed her head and her long hair fell to shield her face

The kaj closer and closer by the second

The air around them cooled and when Gilda lifted her head, Helen could see fire burning in her eyes Real fire Gilda opened her mouth and a column of flame burst fro drops of flaround

Angus’s face twisted in a pained snarl and Gilda’s body shuddered an instant before a pillar of fire as thick as a tree trunk shot out of her hand and engulfed the kaj sound erupted fro fire in its wake

Gilda sluus wrapped an arround He dropped his sword and spread his bare hand on the ground

Helen felt the earth under her feet cool

"Now!" Angus shouted

Gilda weakly lifted her hand and another burst of fla the second kaj scream doubled and Helen covered her ears to block it out She didn’t care if none of this was real It looked real It sounded real

One of the sgath had regained its feet and circled around behind Angus and Gilda