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‘Door, close,’ the woman said The room and cupboard doors both slammed shut ‘There Noe should have a fewpainfully in her chest ‘You’re Alberich?’ she said tentatively
‘Yes,’ the wo attention this time Because if you do not do exactly as I tell you, then your friend will die’ She paused ‘That is, he will die first, and with you watching’
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
‘We’re listening,’ Irene said She kept her hands still, avoiding anything that could be taken as provocation to slit Vale’s throat ‘Please go on’
She hadn’t realized that a change of skin could be quite so all-enco She (no, he) spoke with a woman’s voice, and it was quite different from the voice she’d heard froain fro the vocal cords too? No, probably just a consequence of the entire ic transferral of skin, however that worked It would be so helpful if she could see anything unusual in his (or her) appearance But there was nothing at all
‘I’ to make concessions,’ Alberich said ‘You aren’t all necessarily going to die Be sensible about this, and we can all walk away’
Irene did her best to smile in response So alive,’ she said ‘So’s Kai Aren’t you, Kai?’
‘Let Vale go and we can talk,’ Kai snarled There was so in his voice which Irene hadn’t heard before For want of a better word, it sounded like possessiveness A draconic emotion?
‘Silence, boy,’ Alberich said He very deliberately moved the knife in a fraction of an inch, and a trickle of blood ran down Vale’s neck to mark his white collar ‘Stay where you are, don’t try to ju Well Do you have the book, Irene?’
Surely he’d noticed the book in the in-tray? If he hadn’t, then she wasn’t going to draw his attention to it ‘I can get hold of it,’ she offered ‘Is that the price?’
‘I want litter behind his eyes, and that she would recognize if she ever saw it again A rapacious hunger, an endless emptiness that would never be filled, with all the madness that ith it ‘I have a number of questions You can even sit down, if you like’
‘We’d really rather stand,’ Irene said quickly
‘Suit yourself’ His lips curved in a so through the usual literary conventions? First I tell you that you’ve been told slanders abouta word of it Then I proo free if you hand over the book and you lie and give ed The knife stayed in place ‘Or shall we break fro different? Soht about how many other Librarians must have been in this position There was a reason why he was an urban legend
Though if they all get killed, who co part of her nored it
‘I don’t see how you can use both the Language and Faeon autouely adive you that one for free,’ Alberich said generously, and Irenethee, that can’t be taken away I’ve learned to use chaos since then It involves a certain amount of personal redefinition Difficult, but not i to take into account in your future career, perhaps? There are far ht think’
OpportunitiesWhat opportunities did she have right now? Kai on powers to stop Alberich entering an area, but that wasn’t ht be able to force Alberich out of an area using Language, but again that wasn’t much help if he could simply wait outside its boundaries
Boundaries A half-plausible thought h the back of her mind She wished she’d had more time to ask Kai about his capabilities When he warded an area, did the warding simply follow the track that he left? Or was it a , with the boundaries of his warding being linked to whatever he intended to ward?
‘Let’s reduce the potential hostages,’ she said briskly, ignoring Kai’s intake of breath fro to work, she needed him outside and free to act ‘I’ him stand here and maybe lose his teullible Impressionable As if she believed Alberich when he said she e, and you know I’ If I wasn’t, we’d already be attacking or running away Let’s clear the ground Let Kai here go as a start to the negotiations’
Alberich surveyed her thoughtfully, and again there was that flash of hunger in his eyes ‘It’s true that my questions concern you, not him,’ he said slowly ‘And he’s no initiate I needn’t fear hi to open a door to the Library behind my back Very well I’ll be reasonable In return for a sile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">