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’Bastard mortal! Warp and weft! Deadly snare! Out with it, dahast gods aren’t ready to go it alone Not by throwing all their weight behind me, in any case Not a chance, Talamandas -- they’re still babes in the woods Now, the Elder Gods have been on the defensive -- tried to go it alone, I iendary hubris, with that lot But that wasn’t working, so they’ve gone looking for allies

’Thus … as at work refashioning you into so ine Layers of death protecting your soul And your own Barghast gods, of course Cutting those binding spells that constrained your oer And Fener’s thrown you a bone, or Treach, or whoever’s on that particular roost right now -- you can hit back if souess the Queen of Drea Goddess, to turn you into a lone and likely forainst the poison in her flesh, and in K’rul’s veins So, you’re all ready to go, but where? How? And that’s where I co so far, Tala upon you, Ben Adaephon Delat,’ the sticksnare growled

’To do what?’

’Whatever it is you’re planning to do!’ Talamandas shrieked ’And it had better work!’

After a long rinned down at the creature

But said nothing

The sticksnare scrae paused to look around What he had thought to be rain had been, in fact, water dripping fro over the tent It was late afternoon, the sky clear overhead

A Barghast encas rose frohtly treed slope directly behind the wizard, whilst before him -- to the south -- were the dun-coloured humps of rounded tipis The different styles reflected at least two distinct tribes Thethe enca fallen kin

’Where,’ Quick Ben asked Talaeburners?’

’First into Capustan, Wizard, and still there At the Thrall, likely’

’Did they get into any fighting?’