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I took a gulping breath "H-he had ram--locked me doith potency He called his essence blade and…started to unwind the mark"

"Why did he not finish?"

I sucked my breath in as his eyes penetratedit froh my head It took"I pushed hirove potency"

Rhyzkahl continued to read deeply, eyes narrowing "How did you get here?"

"I asked the grove to bringthat decision right now

He leteased without the full contact, but the lingering blood still stung, like leils on the cylindrical shield With the collar off I could see them clearly, but I didn’t have the faintest clue as to their an behind rove I lifted my hand to rub the spot, but Rhyzkahl let out a low hiss and reached toward razed my skin as he closed his hand into a fist I sucked in le shifted to a deeply unco at the low seeped froers, and a thread of potency trailed fro, he yanked his hand back Pain ripped throughto ed , pulled-muscle discomfort The whole process reminded me way too much of the horrible purification ritual I was supposed to be safe here, I thought in deep misery

"He failed to recall you," Rhyzkahl snarled "And now he has no chance of it" I dragged il, tendrils twitching as if he held asnakes

He flicked the fingers of his other hand The potency around ils vanished in a brief flare of arcane sparkles He reached down and grasped my arm to draw me to my feet, then steadied me as I swayed

"Mzatal," he said with venoht hand before me and slowly closed his fist over the twisted, faintly pulsing sigil until there was no ht "--would have destroyed you within minutes if it had not been extricated" He opened his now e himself of the detritus "It had been activated very recently He was most determined that you not come to me"

I tried to work some moisture into my mouth "Kill me?" I echoed It didn’t surprise me at all that Mzatal would try to do so, but that he’d almost succeeded, even after

Rhyzkahl’s expression softened as he pulled ered that implant when he pursued you here It was in the process of unwinding to implode, and was very nearly complete He…" Rhyzkahl hesitated a breath "He would stop at nothing to use you toward his own ends, and to keep you froently tipped "

I put ered "Why did you have me tied up?"

He lifted a silky eyebrow "You, a summoner of some skill, had just coers overhis le tracing from you, for the welfare of all who reside in ht" It hwas standard procedure for any released hostage Well, not the arcane assessment part, but the don’t-trust-them-until-they’re-checked-for-weapons-or traps part

"You sent him a demand," I said "What would you have done if I hadn’t escaped?"

"I would have come for you, of course," Rhyzkahl replied without hesitation He lifted his bloody hand "And was in final preparation to do so"