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The evil heat Mathias put off looibed, "Let’s meet the real Isdernus Rykard"

What the bloody devil did thatover his face Ice continued to gasp for breath as dizziness spiked in his head Panic for air set in Surely at any ht in a heap at Mathias’s feet, as the cloud paralyzed hier

But a asp of air and fell to his knees as the black

Mathias reared back "Impossible!"

He reached a hand toward the cloud and hurled it at Ice again Once ht, his hope Then it left hi ai to him as it had Bram? Why hadn’t it damn near killed him?

"What does it lance at her She looked pale, worried, as she turned to her brother, frantic for an answer

"I don’t know," Brao Alhts all right inuntil the dark healer ca the spell incorrectly?"

Bram scoffed "I think he’s both familiar and ruthless with it"

"What the bloody--" Mathias fisted his hands, his blue eyes blasting rage Fury hollowed his cheeks Sweat slicked his chest and corded abs "That is impossible!"

Ice stepped away from the wall, completely unharered, weakened and exhausted, but he was on his feet He yearned to curl up against Sabelle and sleep for a year But he’d lived through soloith triumph

"Apparently not," Ice taunted

"No one," Mathias spat "No one is incorruptible Everyone has at least one flaw that makes them susceptible to the dark side Take it!"

The furious wizard hurled the black cloud at Ice again As before, er, and frustration Then … surprising freedorinned Finally, he understood "I felt pure evil pass throughuseful, so it left"

"It must have latched on to you Inside you Somewhere Surely, you have some--some flaw of character that could make you e"

The black cloud hovered in the corner … then started listing its way back to Mathias, as if drawn there As if the ht evil, wanted a harbor in someone who hated or envied or felt tooit sought It had scurried froht inside hiht Mathias

With a snap of his wrist he conjured a sword One thing Marrok had taught him as to use a human blade In a few shortan enemy any way he wished, whether to defend, or in this case, to kill Avenging Gailene was in his grasp, and for her Mathias ht of the heavy broadsword, Mathias scoffed "A huet nowhere near e, but certainty fueled hi exhaustion He would succeed For Gailene For Sabelle For the past and future

Using the edge of the blade, he cut his own thigh Sabelle gasped, and he did his best to put her concern fro co his blow to Mathias and ending two hundred years of agony

The blood welled froh, and Ice wiped the flat of the blade across one side, then the other, coating the sith the essence that beat froripped the blade, bowed his head over it, and wrapped it in an enchanthted himself, Mathias’s eyes widened, and he backed aary His nostrils flared, and his face reddened

"You will not touchhim He just took a step closer, wand outstretched with another paralysis hex ready

The pungent stench of fear wafted across the challenge ring, and Ice sesture every bit as warh the cracking sheet of frozen water and slushy remnants of snow

"No!" The evil wizard screah the force field Then he thrust a hand forward, ai between the his wrist, Mathias hurled the shards directly at Ice

As he melted the frozen projectiles, Ice watched fury overtake Mathias He laughed Adrenaline charged Ice’s system as he raised the sword No doubt, Mathias would try to thwart hi soed the other wizard, blood-ord at the ready His nemesis retreated a step, then another It seemed that Mathias feared the human weapon Because he didn’t knoield it? Possible He’d never seen Mathias fight human Perhaps he simply feared the unknown … and what Ice would do with it The blood had to frighten hih not practiced widely for centuries, was notoriously unpredictable and strong

Mathias continued to back up--until he hit the force field A few stepsto Ice

"Cease!" Blackbourne called "The break period has begun"

Bloody fucking hell Everything inside Ice itched to lunge forward, finish off Mathias for good Bury his ghosts If he did, he would violate the rules of the challenge and forfeit all right to the Council seat … and any chance he had of spending his future with Sabelle

With great force of will, Ice lowered the sword

Mathias’s gloating sneer nearly made him rethink his position Cheeky bastard would use the next fifteen h Ice’s li Mathias was a dangerous one

"You heard the estee away "Put the sword down Unless you wish to forfeit"

And lose his chance for a proper revenge for Gailene, watch Sabelle slip through his fingers, because Mathias had goaded hi stupid? No

With a curse, he turned to find Bra nearby and handed the sword to the Doomsday Brethren’s leader "I don’t trust hirirabbed it "Nor do I"