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The two rooks swept down, converged on a figure sitting on a bucking roan horse Waves of ht flash, the concussion a thunder that reached up to where Buke circled

The sparrok’s beak opened, loosing a piercing cry The rooks had peeled away Sorcery hammered them, battered theure on the sta horse was untouched Surrounded by heaps of bodies, into which fellow Tenescowri now plunged To feed

Buke screas, plummeted earthward

He reached the estate’s courtyard well ahead of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, spiralling, slowing, wings buffeting the air To hover the briefest ofto his human form

Emancipor Reese was nowhere to be seen The undead Urdomen still stood in the positions where they had first arisen

Feeling heavy and aard in his body, Buke turned to study theate -- you’ -- he pointed -- ’and the ones directly behind you And you, to the northwest tower’ He continued directing the silent warriors, placing theested As he barked the last order, twin shadows tracked weaving paths across the cobbles The rooks landed in the courtyard Their feathers were in tatters Smoke rose fro, s, first Korbal Broach -- his armour in shreds, rank tendrils of smoke wreathed around hi one side of his long jaw, blood crusting hishis silver beard

Korbal Broach reached up to the collar of his cloak, his pudgy, soft hands treround He began sta patches

Brushing dust frolanced over at Buke ’Patient of you, to await our return’

Wiping the set him What happened?’

’It seems,’ the necromancer muttered, ’we must needs refine our tactics’

The instinct of self-preservation vanished, then, as Buke softly laughed

Bauchelain froze One eyebrow arched Then he sighed ’Yes, well Good day to you, too, Buke’

Buke watched hi on his cloak long after the suished

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

In my dreams I come face to face

with myriad reflections of e

They speak unending