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"Because the belief is nearly as dangerous," Sabine answered i point, used as a propaganda tool" Already little rebellions erupted over the countryside, the de
Cla still-after nine centuries
Sabine often wondered how he&039;d earned such fervent loyalty "So it&039;s clear I can&039;t let the brothers meet," she said "I&039;ll intercept Rydstrom before he can reach the city"
"And then?" Omort said quietly "What will you do
with him?"
"And then I&039;ll kill two birds with one stone," she answered "This is the prophecy beginning" Just in time for the Accession
Every five hundred years, that great iht now
Her gaze flickered over the mysterious well in the center of the court, streith sacrifices-bloody and unidentifiable body parts Her future depended on unlocking its power And the demon was the key
When she faced Oht she would balk at bedding a deet this over with-and then to seize the power that was there for the taking
At last, so to want, to need
Hettiah asked, "What if the demon resists you?"
Sabine&039;s lips parted "Have you looked at me lately, Hettiah?" She turned in a circle, a e of his throne, and Hettiah sending her lances
Hettiah wasn&039;t without power In fact, her ability was neutralizing others&039; powers She could erase illusions as easily as Sabine could cast them Lanthe had nick­named her Hettiah the Buzz Kill and Aunty-Matter
"Don&039;t underestimate the demon," Omort finally said "He&039;s one of the s I&039;ve ever encoun­tered Don&039;t forget that I faced hi to keep a rein on her notori­ous temper "Yes, but I have unique attributes that "
"You also have a detri the Lore"
It was true she was unique-a virgin seductress Sabine chuckled at Hettiah&039;s statement, then her expres­sion instantly turned cold when she faced her brother "Omort, put a muzzle on your pet, or I&039;ll make her one froether, and the sound rang out in the chamber
Hettiah lifted her chin, but she&039;d paled Sabine had in fact plucked an organ from her On several occasions She kept them in jars on her bedside table
But Sabine refrained froht Hettiah, it seemed to overly excite Omort
"Besides, if the deure-"I&039;ll have a backup plan" She always had a plan B
"You&039;ll need it" Hettiah smirked
Sabine blew her a kiss, the ulti the Sorceri, who stored poisons in their rings to be mixed into drinks-or blown into the eyes of an enein" Omort sounded sickened Not only was Rydstrom a demon, which most Sorceri viewed as little better than an ani­ was Omort&039;s blood enemy
And the tiinal-hy-body and her woone into a fury with the oracle
Part of hiarner And part of him lusted for her-or for women who resembled her, like the red-haired Hettiah
He rose then, descending the steps to stand before Sabine Ignoring Hettiah&039;s huff of dis in Sabine&039;s eyes-he slowly raised his hand to
her face
His bloodstained nails were long, cloudy, and thick When he pinched her chin, she said in a seething tone, "Now brother, you know I dislike it when ered-like now-Sabine&039;s surroundings appeared to rock and explode as though froust in tempests Omort hesitantly released her as the court attendees nervously
stamped about
"I have the coordinates for the road Rydstro," Oeon directly to that location, and you can stop him there It will be a perfect trap Unless she&039;s already lost her thresholds power"
Lanthe could still create portals But her ability was temporarily weakened each tie it once every six days or so Sabine only hoped she hadn&039;t burned one recently
"Why don&039;t you call Lanthe in here and ask her your­self?" Sabine said,hi near Lanthe and had decreed that the two sisters would never be together in his presence
"Exactly how long do I have to set this snare?" she asked
"You must intercept hio at once" She had little ti-devising plans and subplans and contingencies-and half the fun was the anticipation of a trap about to be sprung She would dream up scenarios for months, and yet now she had only mere hours
Before she could leave, Omort leaned down and mur with this beast, I would have found it for you"
"I know, brother"
She did believe hiive her up, because he wanted Sabine all for himself and had since the first ti in her eyes he&039;d never seen before-the dark knowledge of what it was like to die So he could never know
He covered her bare shoulder with a claroan at the contact
"Do-not-touch, O her plaits appear to be striking vipers
until he removed his hand Sometimes she had to remind him that she was as treacherous as the serpents he worshipped
She turned i three steps away before turning to exit the chaaze to it
Soon
"You won&039;t fail me?" he called after her "Rydstrom must not reach his brother"
"Consider it done," she called back with utter surety How hard could it be to capture a demon?
2
A prize so rare it was fabled
Rydstrohts cleaving through the sway within him, the inexplicable tension, had spiked to a fever pitch
Omort could be killed
One hundred miles per hour One hundred and ten
With a sword forged by Groot the Metallurgist
Rydstro it was happening now Although he didn&039;t trust the deerth, Rydstrom trusted his ally, N&iu
N&iun was a chance to kill Omort-Rydstrom&039;s last chance Either he would suc­ceed in destroying the sorcerer or he would fail forever
By all the gods, it was possible But for payment, Groot had asked for the impossible Or so it would seeh Ryd-stroo, he was still slack jawed Cadeon-theRydstrom had ever known-had informed him that he was already in possession of the prize Groot dee for the sword
Cadeon had reluctantly agreed to meet Rydstrom at their customary place north of New Orleans with the payment in tow, but Rydstrom still had half an hour to reach him There was plenty of time for Cadeon to back out-if he hadn&039;t already
At that thought, Rydstro to one hundred and sixty ht hand to be able to trace once more Yet Omort had bound that teleportation power in him and in Cadeon Rydstroht now So much at stake
Yes, Cadeon had already found the prize But he would not be keen to give it up
He&039;ll run Rydstro ht over his brother Knowing Cadeon would let him down, he accelerated even more One seventy
Rydstrom would die for his people Why wouldn&039;t Cadeon-
Eyes stared back at hihts Not an animal, a woman
He sla out of control
The screech of tires peeled out into the night as the dean to spin wildly But so it back" Lanthe sounded impressed Sabine raised her hands and muttered, "I don&039;t think so, deain control, she shifted the vision of the road, obscuring the bridge abutht He sped directly into it
An explosion of sound erupted-the groaning of lass Saskets hissed The previously shining black car was totaled
"Did you have toher lip to blow a black braid from her face "He won&039;t likely be in the mood for love now"
"You were the one inaway"
Earlier, when Sabine had heard the sine in the distance, she&039;d made Lanthe invisible, then she&039;d cast an illusion of a vehicle on the side of the road, stalled with the hood up
The daine A ridiculous cliche But necessary
When he hadn&039;t slowed, she&039;d waved her ar to let him slip past her, she&039;d cast forward an illusion of herself, directly in his car&039;s path He&039;d swerved to avoid her likeness
"Besides, he&039;s a deh-and lusty" When his door shot open, she said, "See?" But he hadn&039;t yet exited
"What&039;s taking hi her nails as she silently talked "What if we draw the Vrekeners?" Even after all these years, those fiends continued to track the sisters&039; heavy sorcery
"We&039;ve got ti i her&039; self to-and anxious to get a glimpse of one of the most well-respected leaders in the Lore
Of course, Sabine had read all about Rydstrom and knew details of his history He was fifteen hundred years old He&039;d had five siblings, with two sisters and one brother still living He&039;d been a warrior long before he&039;d unexpectedly inherited the crown of Rothkalina
And she knew details of his appearance: a large reen eyes that would grow black with fury-or desire As a rage de for-ward One of his had been daed before he reached his i this demon into her body in mere moments, if her plan worked
If not, she had her poison ring Under a ruby was a sleeping powder prepared by the Hag in the Basement, their resident poison and potion preparer De Rydstrom wasn&039;t Sabine&039;s preferred plan, but if it caet hieon cell they&039;d prepared for him-one he couldn&039;t break free froth
It was mere feet from them
Directly within the cell, Lanthe had created the seamless portal that opened up to the road To conceal it, Sabine had woven one of the largest, eon look just like a part of the scenery along the road
It seemed an eternity passed before Rydstro wreck She released a breath she hadn&039;t known she held
And there he was
He certainly was big-approaching seven feet tall with broad shoulders His hair was as black as night His horns curved out fro the sides of his head, their shell-like color stark against his thick hair Indeed, one was dah he reeled a couple of steps, he didn&039;t look too injured No visible blood
Sabine arched a brow just as Lanthe silently said, "Your de"
She was about to correct Lanthe and say, "Not my demon" But the male before them would indeed be hers For a time "He is a fearsome male, isn&039;t he?"
Frouessed him to be an assassin or cutthroat criminal of some sort How odd, since he was supposed to be a bastion of reason, a wise leader who liked to solve conflicts and discover solutions to complex puzzles
Rumor in the Lore held that a lie had never left Ryd-stroue Whichto try to seduce hi the trap?"
"Seduce hio demonic over his capture" She smoothed her hands down her pale blue
dress
"You look good," Lanthe said "Sweet Nothing says
&039;darnel&039; like pastel"
"That&039;s just unnecessary, Lanthe" Since Sabine hadn&039;t wanted hiant but conservatively boring gown She&039;d thought it wouldn&039;t hurt to appear virtuous, which she assu would prefer
He had better like her shuddersoold adorned her body Noal
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Lanthe asked "No second thoughts about taking one on the chin for
Team Evil?"
Eyes locked on her prey, Sabine oal, a plot, a possibilityall lay before her
Once he staggered back to survey the dalass and debris, the deht, but his attention quickly turned away from the wreck