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I have no idea what he is about to do, so I stop walking to watch his next ht up the spire until he reaches the top The spire is swaying in the wind and I’ up there Nine pulls the red staff over his head and, before I can register what he is doing, he hurls it The second it leaves his hand, Nine dives headfirst towardsobjects at once I just e to roll away froes into a le I turn to deal with Nine’s approach and as he’s about to tackle, I land a blow so hard I send hi across the roof

I reach over and yank Nine’s red staff out of thelike it, but I twist it over e anyway Nine stands and steels hi the staff across his body, but he parries it aith his wrist and i back so he et his hands on the staff We both struggle to gain control of it, circling and kicking, dodging and blocking He uses his telekinesis to float round I start to resist but then realize I can use it toust, I flip over the staff; in a fraction of a second, I’ainst his throat

‘We should be on our way to New Mexico,’ I say, pulling us towards the door that leads back to the elevator

Nine head-butts ht into rabs it as I stumble backwards and sla, Johnny? Or, is it Pittacus?’ he says s the staff My bracelet expands just in time to deflect his blow The electrical box I’m next to has been sliced in half by his nearinside my open shield and onto me When they bounce onto my shirt, I let the fire catch and spread My shield shrinks, and Nine stares, stunned at the sight of me consumed by flames

He shakes the surprise off ‘Why didn’t you turn into a human fireball ere on the same team?’ he shouts

The fire aroundwind I walk towards hiames I don’t ‘Are we done now?’

‘Not quite’ He smirks

I forure I’ll h if I bowl the ball of fire at his legs, but he knocks it aith the end of the staff like a hockey player I skip two more fireballs down the roof, each one faster than the last, but he uses his mind to push them to the side The first one rolls off and ineffectually burns out; the otherThe heat h winds tip the whole cover off the enor it exposed

I raise my hands over erator, but as it grows, Nine charges at me with the staff over his shoulder He plants one end of the staff in the ground and vaults hi chest He screa body, and I’ backwards The world that had been reds and yellows is now grays and blues Ondirectly into the exposed fan At the last possible s out and catch h to nearly extinguish what’s left offire before I dive off and roll away

‘Trying to cool off?’ Nine asks, hands on hips, as if si my technique He’s kicked off his half- warmed up!’ I leap to my feet to ready myself to respond to his next move

Nine sprints to his left and I follow He juain I follow We are now both inches from a thousand-foot drop onto the street below To e I yell and lean over to grab hi to his death He’s standing, horizontal, on a ith his ar, srab hiainfurther over the abyss Nine sprints back up the side of the building and hits me with a powerful uppercut to my jaw I’m knocked backwards but I don’t have the chance to land Nine catches e

‘Now, Nuet me to set you down, all safe and sound, is say it’ He holds the staff with his other hand over his head ‘Say you’re not Pittacus’

I kick at hi back and forth like a penduluritted I openmyself to deny what I feel with such certainty to be true I believe I am Pittacus Lore I believe I ao running to New Mexico to find our ship You can’t believe for even a second iton Setrákus Ra, but you can’t even beat me in hand-to-hand combat You are not hiht now Just say it, Four’