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I was definitely calmer now, but I still wasn’t quite ready to shift away from him "How much did you know about me before you had me summoned?"

Mzatal drew a deep breath and released it slowly "I knew you were Rhyzkahl’s marked summoner," he said "I knehat Katashi had told me of you I knew from reports of demons that you function as a Guardian--police person--to ments of the human populace I hadup to your suainst his upper chest, calmed by the steady beat of his heart "I kind of wondered, especially when I saw that the, uh, feminine supplies that you had here were the sa that stupidly ae of a reyza poking through the cabinet beneath ave my shoulders a squeeze "It was my desire to be prepared for your arrival I did not know--" He paused, and I felt hih "I did not knohen I summoned you if you would be with me indefinitely or for a very short time"

My a h I appreciated his candor, the topic unsettled ht, wrapped s, and rested et Szerain’s blade" A shiver passed over me at the memory "Why? I mean, why oddamn badly?"

"The ate is your de only chalk and blood That, coupled with the si reasons" Mzatal drew a deep breath and released it in a slow sigh "Control of a single blade offers a substantial increase in potency and focus With control of two," he said, shaking his head, "there is an exponential increase in power"

My eyes narrowed "You sound like you’re speaking froaze steadily "Yes Szerain, Rhyzkahl, and I stood long unchallenged and unchallengeable"

Holy crap I’d known they had the blades, but hadn’t put it together that they had their own little power bloc That called for ation later, both on its nature and its dissolution Those three sure as hell didn’t stand together now

"Rhyzkahl wants it for someone else, doesn’t he?" I asked "Jesral or Aiut told me he wasn’t a candidate

Mzatal nodded "With Rhyzkahl bearing Xhan, and Vsuhl likely destined for Jesral, they would hold much influence and be in a position to advance other plans, including designs on Earth"

"But they can’t get Szerain’s blade without me, can they?" I asked "Otherwise, wouldn’t they already have done it?"

Mzatal reht line "With you, the task would be far easier What I do not know is if Rhyzkahl gained enough from you in the ritual to make an atte"Back in that fucked-up time when you tried to remove the mark," I continued after a et the blade Is it possible forreally painful or horrible or anything like that?"

Mzatal laced his fingers over his solar plexus "When I first said that, all I knew, based upon what I sensed froht the blade His h ultie you into a tool for greater purpose, and may yet seek to finish that task One of the uses of that tool would have been to retrieve Vsuhl" He gave entle smile "However, based on my observation of his ritual, I do not believe he ever sensed your subtle affinity to the iliur, the essence energy that ignites the blades I sensed it clearly in the close contact of the healing"

I frowned in thought, considering this new tidbit "What does that mean? That makes it easier?"

"I believe that it does I have deep connection with all three blades Working with that, in tandeifts, we have an excellent chance of securing Vsuhl with ed and absently rubbed the scar on my left forearm with the pal," I said "Turek showed e of Szerain’s blade Why are his and your blades so beautiful and Rhyzkahl’s so--" I gririef passed over his face "It did not always appear thus" He lifted a hand and traced a sigil A heartbeat later a slightly translucent ie appeared of Rhyzkahl’s knife, but without the thorns on the hilt A softly glowing blue gem adorned the pommel, and the oily blue sheen I’d seen on the blade shone here as a clear, shi layer of potency "Rhyzkahl dabbled secretly with the rakkuhr forthe taint upon himself The corruption of Xhan is recent" He dispelled the iers, as if it pained him to see what the blade had once looked like

"This rakkuhr," I said "Is it like a ‘dark side of the Force’ sort of thing?"

A flicker of question lit his eyes, but then it cleared as he no doubt read theof the reference from me He shook his head "No It is not ‘evil’ any more than the potency you and I use is But, while powerful, it is insidiously disruptive" He paused "You have felt it It is anathema I do not fully understand it Szerain knows ret