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‘And yet … here I am’

‘Only because no one,’ she whispered sharply, ‘scars Semnein Xhai and dies swiftly’

The face that stared at Denaos, it was evident, was a face used to rigid, expressionless de of her teeth, was soe boiled beneath her skin like a purple stew of skin, bone and hate

Lenk assu the unique brand of insanity that accofaces’ emotions How Denaos remained calm in the face of the Denaos as a tre, not the kind of

The sight, Lenk thought, was iue as this, instead of the splatteredred chunks he was undoubtedly about to become

‘You cutbeyond anger

‘It’s what I do,’ he replied, without blinking

That the face’s foot rose up was likewise predictable That Xhai stepped over the rogue and stalked towards her fellow netherlings instead of bringing the foot down in a spray of bone shards and porridge spatters, however, threw him

‘Get , spiky ones!’

That was runted

‘Oh, I’roaned back ‘What’s that? You didn’t ask? No Why would you? I’ my meadow round How are you doing, Lenk?’

No time to humour him, Lenk made his question swift ‘Where are they?’

‘He didn’t see, obviously,’ Dreadaeleon replied ‘If he was drunk enough to start showing re but a pool of his own voh ti before that fish-worunted

Lenk blinked, the echoes of a fading song bleeding in his ht, Greenhair She’s responsible for this? For knocking me out?

‘Tried to be,’ the voice chuckled blackly ‘Was not Took iron and fists for that’

‘She likely put the others out, as well,’ Denaos htning out of their asshole on-hand to not do a gods-dah it’s my fault,’ Dreadaeleon snarled ‘I was as powerless as you!’

‘You cannot piss fire and be powerless!’

‘You’re not even supposed to be talking about this! You said you wouldn’t!’

‘Oh no! Denaos lied? Really?’ The rogue gasped, rolling his eyes ‘Is this still even a surprise any Lenk could hear the tallanxious, tending to blunted weapons hetstones He felt Togu’s presence, breath leaking fro to be cut He knew he had been betrayed, that he was likely to be killed, very soon, very messily

Somehow, that seemed so … unimportant

‘I’m not afraid,’ he whispered One of the two prisoners beside hinored them both ‘Why is that?’

‘Fear is useless to us It is for other … things Not us’

‘I ah … for her’

‘Also useless’

‘I wish I knew she was safe’

‘Why?’

‘I left things … unsatisfied’

‘Satisfaction is important’

‘I need her to be safe’

‘She does not feel similarly’

‘You know this?’

‘Yes’

‘You can sense her?’

‘No’

‘Then how do you know?’

‘Inevitable’

‘I … need …’

‘We do not’

He had no more words for the voice; they, too, were unimportant He kneords would convince the voice He knew he could say nothing to deny the voice He knew nothing wouldit

He knew this, because the voice knew it

And the voice sighed, or see of him

‘She is not dead’

‘No?’

‘You don’t need her’

‘I need her to be--’

‘She will’

‘How do you--’

‘BRING HIM FORWARD’

A shudder through the sand, feet charging forward; Denaos put up no particular resistance as a pair of netherlings hoisted hiht him toward Xhai

And her scumstompers

She still possessed feet, but he was only fairly certain The aed with enough care to only passingly rese that used theh and jagged, no space left uncovered

He saw it, widened his eyes Dreadaeleon saw the, did nothing

The voice answered the question before he asked it, slowly, softly ‘He is at peace He knows his sins, did what he could for them His life is complete’

‘It isn’t,’ Lenk whispered ‘Is it?’