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The lines of ic reached s until I was tangled to the waist They squeezed against ic, and I heard Menshikov’s voice forcing its way into my mind

Snake, the voice whispered You are a slithering reptile

I fought back ainst my will once before, and it was one of the worst experiences ofin slow ht to lohite vines kept rising, encircling my chest

I swiped at Menshikov with my crook The invisible force hooked hiround

"Do it!" he choked out "Show ood hit, and I could s

"Won’tat his neck "Spell will --defeat you anyway Show us you’re--a lanced at Zia’s terrified face, and I hesitated too long The white vines encircled my arms The combat avatar crumpled to its knees, and I dropped Menshikov

Pain wracked my body My blood turned cold The avatar’s li into the head of a serpent I could feelThe taste of venom filled my mouth

Zia cried out "Stop it! This is toohis chafed neck "He deserves worse Chief Lector, you sa this boy threatened you He wants the pharaoh’s throne He must be destroyed"

Zia tried to run to me, but Desjardins held her back

"Discontinue the spell, Vladimir," he said "The boy can be contained in more humane ways"

"Huicians locked eyes I don’t knoould’ve happened--but just then a portal opened under Bes’s cage

I’ve seen plenty of portals, but none like this The whirlpool opened level with the ground, sucking down a trampoline-size area of red sand, dead fish, old lue containing a dwarf god As the cage entered the vortex, the bars broke into splinters of light Bes unfroze, found hi Then ht up out of the portal, suspended horizontally, as if they were running toward the sky When gravity took over, they waved their arht’ve been pulled under except Bes grabbed theed to haul theround Then he turned to Vlad Menshikov, planted his feet, and ripped off his Hawaiian shirt and shorts like they were er His Speedo was e I really didn’t need to see

Menshikov only had time to say, "How--"

"BOO!" yelled Bes

The sound was like the blast of an H-boround shook The river rippled My avatar collapsed, and Menshikov’s spell dissolved with it--the veno so I could breathe again Sadie and Walt were already on the ground Zia had quickly backed away But Menshikov and Desjardins got a full blast of ugly right in their faces

Their expressions turned to astonishrated on the spot

After a asped "You killed them!"

"Nah" Bes dusted off his hands "Just scared ’em back home They may be unconscious for a few hours while their brains try to process nificent physique, but they’ll live More important--" He scowled at Sadie and Walt "You two had the nerve to anchor a portal on me? Do I look like a relic?"

Sadie and Walt wisely didn’t answer that They got to their feet, brushing off the sand

"It wasn’t our idea!" Sadie protested "Ptah sent us here to help you"

"Ptah?" I said "Ptah, the god?"

"No, Ptah the date far with your hair?" I asked "It looks like a camel licked it"

"Shut up" Then she noticed Zia "My god, is that her? The real Zia?"

Zia stuht up her staff "Get away!" The fire spluttered weakly