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Against the purple pillars of face didn’t look too i for Lenk to become reacquainted with the eyes ablaze and the halo of black iron wrapped about Sheraptus’ broever It took even less time for him to raise his sword cautiously and slip a hand to his belt and the burlap sack hanging froot only one arht?’
‘Yes, but--’
The dragon-face, he howled and fell to all fours, charging after the squealing green projectile The females made no movement to intervene as Sheraptus lifted a hand and casually waved it
The air quivered with force A gale unseen and unheard spawned frou and Gariath fro over the ship Lenk stared in astonishment as his companions’ roar ended in a brief splash Sheraptus didn’t spare nearly as e and then back to Lenk
‘Well?’ he asked A nition dawned on his face ‘Oh, it’s you Still alive?’
Lenk nodded weakly, only just beginning to pull himself from his shock
‘I assume my fearded the his head to the side
‘And?’
Lenk recoiled, having expected nearly any other response
‘And … what?’ he asked
‘Did you need so else?’
‘What? We …’ He shook the confusion from his face, replaced it with as steely a resolve as he could e ‘We came for our friends’
‘That hardly see offended
‘Fair?’ Lenk asked, the incredulity of the state him into inaction
‘I left close to two fists of females on the beach and you killed the to the deck ‘You killed three more here and who kno many more in Irontide’ He frowned ‘I take two of yours and you come ontothem?’
‘Of … of course we did’
‘Fascinating Why?’
‘Because …’ Lenk blinked, his face screwing up ‘What?’
‘Kindly don’t live up to your stereotype You know exactly what I mean To have come here, you would have to be led here, thusly you knehat awaited you It would have beenwith my warriors under my limitless control, into certain death For what? Two females? You could have found ht
‘Duty,’ the voice insisted
‘What is it you hoped to accomplish, then?’ Sheraptus asked
‘Realistically?’ Lenk replied
‘Of course’
The young‘The idea was to keep you busy until the other felloas with us could sneak into your cabin and escape with the fe no particular point in reacting ‘And ideally?’
‘Kill you and render the rest of the situation soise to say that the hed ‘No oals, no matter how staunch the ideal, it always ends in base instinct: eat, breed, die It’s so …’ He glanced at a nearby female and frowned ‘The sole difference between you and them is that you try so hard to deny it’
He waved his hand Bows creaked, arrows levelled at the co conte to be learned from you, sadly’
‘Now,’ the voice said inside Lenk’s head ‘NOW!’
Lenk’s hand slipped into the burlap sack, fingers wrapping around thick locks as he pulled the object within free Strings sang, arrows flew as he held the severed head aloft and spoke a word
‘Scream’
And it obeyed
The air shuddered in an explosion of sound as thewith golden awareness The arrows found no soft flesh, but a wall of noise that shuddered out of hi away, scattered like rats before a flood
With a shriek unheard, Dreadaeleon hurled hi the head and the quavering wail tearing itself free froreat waves, it swept over the ears, shields rose in futile defence, the truly unprepared were sent sprawling over the railings, their screaht
Unable to bear it any longer hi; his heart throbbed as the echoes of the shrieking lingered in the sky on distant, fading thunder Dreadaeleon rose on shaking legs, breathing heavily The longfaces rose not at all as they groaned and bled on the deck
All save one
‘You didn’this little finger inside his ear
‘Surprise?’
‘You are adorable’
Sheraptus flung his hand out, the wave of force rippling froertips to strike Lenk and hurl hi sound, letting out a breathless cry before he collapsed, un
As Dreadaeleon stared at his coan to feel it His breath sought to flee his lungs, his eyes his head, his legs out froardless of whether or not the rest of him decided to come It was painfully familiar: the sao, rendered hi…
In front of Asper, he added mentally, twice
He felt it now – that sensation of power, that great light that never extinguished, that unnatural presence thatstare, from eyes and stones alike, and knew that the curiosity behind it was all that kept him conscious at the moing at his lips ‘I thought thatand the distraction, I hardly noticed you’
‘Don’t talk tovoice
‘That would make ade,’ the boy snarled ‘You disregard the laws of ic, the laws of the Venarium You will be stopped’
Sheraptus stared at him for a moment ‘By you?’ He held up a hand ‘No … no, don’t answer that Don’t even think about it, if you can help it The strain ain’
‘That last tirowled ‘Somehow, I don’t know That’s why you have to be stopped’
‘I have to be stopped because you don’t understand how I did it? Hoill you ever learn?’
‘Shut up,’ Dreadaeleon snarled
His voice came with all the conviction of a constipated cow, the pressure around hi careat difficulty But he still breathed He still stood He forced his fingers straight, levelled theh the sweat dripping down his face He forced the words to a ht to seal themselves shut Electricity, however faint, danced in blue sparks on his fingertips