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Thoughtfully she looked down at the book in her hands After all this trouble to get hold of it, she was just a little curious about what great secrets of necro arhosts? How to unnaturally extend your life for thousands of years?

She opened it at the beginning The page read:

It islife and death can best be understood as a parable – that is, as a fiction There is no way that the human mind can understand, let alone accept, any of the fundaovern the transies which can bind a body on the line between life and death, in practical terms: the lahich other people have discussed, proposed, or even affirher texts on the subject, slip past the boundaries of that level of understanding which would allow true inherent cognisance and manipulation of those necessities

Toophrases, she decided

I have therefore decided to describewhich I have derived from it, in the form of a story Those ish to do so may take what they can frohten

And, Irene hoped, to entertain She turned the page

It was on theof Peredur’s birthday that the ravens came to him one last time He had been three weeks at the house of the witches, and they had taught hi been absent from the court of Arthur The first raven stooped down, and took on the forht struck her, she showed the for, scarcely able to bear the helm and armour she wore But when she stood in shadow, then she was young and comely: never had hair been so black or skin so pale, or eyes so piercing sweet

‘Peredur,’ she said, ‘in the name of the Ladies of Orkney, I ask that you reer For my sisters and I have searched the stars, and I tell you that if you leave us now, then you will perish before your time, and that in a fool’s quest: but if you stay one day more with us, then your path will be steady and your sister will meet you before all is done’

‘I have no sister,’ said Peredur

‘Aye,’ the raven witch said ‘None that you have met’

Irene shut the book reluctantly Of course she had to send it to Coppelia first, for inspection and evaluation, but perhaps after that she could get her hands on it again

There was nothing wrong with being curious about how a story turned out, after all She was a Librarian It ith the job And she didn’t want great secrets of necroic She just wanted – had alanted – a good book to read The being chased by hellhounds and blowing things up was a co the books, now that hat really mattered to her