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How did he know about Jilo? That was a question for another time "Listen," I said "If it’s money you are after, I have plenty"
"No, darlin’, I ain’t doing this forit for power The trinkets I’ll olem’s hide will come at the price of fealty"--a medieval oath of loyalty, another word intended to impress--"and a sacrifice of blood The power of that blood will become mine" He nodded at et himself on over here, and once we have hiet on with your day"
"Enough," I said "I aic Ponzi sche for your help I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while, and oleive a daives one for you Maybe if I start to cut that little bastard out of you, he’ll show hisself instead of hovering invisible behind you like sooleonna fall down anyway," he said and parted his lips into a sneer
"Call him, Mercy Call him," Claire keened Blood had trickled down fro her shirt
"No need," Emmet’s voice came from behind me "I am already here" I turnedme as Emmet materialized behind me He reached forward and placed a hand on my shoulder "I promised I’d be here for you if you needed ht," Ryder said, sneering at us Eainst my back His arolerip on s, I can tell you are a collector You kill, and with each death you cause, you gain power You are a scavenger of the potential energy of others You are the bottoht," he said, sliding his knife froonna wear your skin Joe," he commanded, but the boy didn’t obey the unspoken order He swayed on his feet and then fell backward, Claire dashing frorasp Birdy rushed to his aid, but then she crued to call to Ryder before losing consciousness The spell I’d placed on the whiskey had worked I’d hoped it ed at ly unaffected
My fear and anger bound theether and I poured lowed red and then blue, the love that charred the flesh beneath it He howled, and then grasped his wounded hand Rage burned in his eyes His jaw unhinged like a snake, and he vo black orbs that fell to the floor Unrolling, they revealed themselves to be horrible little creatures, rats with nearly hu ers and ripped into the bar’s wooden floors Claire screaic slide me over to her side
"Burn them, Mercy," Emmet said, his tone so free of fear, so ht, without the least concern for Birdy and Joe, who still lay unconscious where they had fallen, I raisedblue flame to encircle the vermin and the mad man who had su hiuish the flames, but they failed The fire rose like a wall between us, the rodents popping like frying bacon, releasing the stench of sulfur as they were incinerated As his last defender fell, Ryder roared, but to an to suht y to him, and now he could do with it as he willed Stupid Stupid Stupid
E hiht separating us froy I prayed would keep us safe, Ryder pulled the fla the power all the same As he consuures of Joe and Birdy toward himself Their bodies constricted and shot up in the air, disappearing before our very eyes
"They’ve escaped," E to take it all in The floor where Ryder had been standing was scarred by scorch es left by the creatures’ claws The scent of sulfur, burnt skin, and ozone nauseated e to vomit
"But I am still proud of you," he continued "You defended yourself ad, why didn’t you help us sooner?"
"It presented you with an opportunity to learn I stepped forhen they threatened you"