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"I’m sorry, Ren," the Painted Man said "Din’t mean for this Warned you"
Both Rennas nodded "I know Ent your fault"
The Painted Man raised his bow at theonna be able to save you this ti the lump in his throat "Not even if I knehich one was you" Renna bit back a sob, and he could alonna have to be strong and save yourself," he said " ’Cause that et away"
The mind demon stiffened as it realized what he meant, but it was a second too late, as the Painted Man dropped his bow and leapt at it, covering the distance between them in an instant Before it could command Renna and theprince’s bulbous head with an explosion of ic
The slender demon was thrown several feet by the force of the blow and landed on its back, hissing in rage Its cranium throbbed, and the Painted Man could feel the thruh it did him no harnored it, leaping at theheavy blows Each wound healed instantly, but he did not let up, keeping it stunned until he could find a way to kill it If it deainst it
But theWith each blow, it grew er to recover The Painted Man slipped around the demon into a sharusahk choke hold, the pressure wards on his forear power It would be over in seconds
But then a wind de them apart The Painted Man rolled atop the wind de it, but a wood de down at him from the trees before he could finish it off It was followed quickly by several more
The mind demon felt its connection to the h its skull It had never known such pain In the ten thousand years since it was hatched, no creature had ever dared to strike the coreling prince It was unthinkable
The deround hard, and ieneral call Drones would come from all around to answer it The mimic answered with a cry, but failed to co it about the head with his wards
Used to fighting through its mimic, the mind demon was unprepared for the pain and confusion of physical coave it no time to recover, and it was helpless to prevent the one establishing a pri the coreling prince’s own ht have been the end, but at last a wind drone answered its call, knocking into the one and breaking his hold Other drones followed, flocking to defend the coreling prince The moment it was knocked away, the e at the affront It sent another call,to bury the one in drones It could sense dozens of the hard to join thethe wood drones froain, but this ti a ward that sent a blast of air to strike the one like a physical blow, hurling hi By the tiain by wood drones At the mind demon’s command, they broke branches fro even the muddied wards of forbiddance on the hu of her words and actions was horrifying enough, but Renna was truly revulsed when the mind demon rose up to take control of her voice and she realized it had been hiding within her all along, like a stoay suddenly taking control of the cart
It was an unspeakable violation, worse than anything Harl had ever done to her Worse than the outhouse, worse than being staked at night She could feel the de her ainst Arlen
The thought filled her with rage, and she sensed the mind demon’s pleasure at the response I’ve taken you before, it whispered in her thoughts Many tination in his eyes She had thought she was strong enough to walk his path That she could do anything he could But now that lie was proven All she could do was get him killed
She choked on a sob and tried to raise her knife to bury it in her own throat, but the leur’s puppet, and she could not act against its will Even if Arlen guessed right and soed to kill the mimic, the mind demon could make her stab him in the heart just as easily She wanted to warn him, but the words would not coed, as if he had coazed at her with a trust no one had ever shown her before
"You’re gonna have to be strong and save yourself," he said " ’Cause that et away"
Her fear fell away at that look, and her eyes hardened She nodded, and felt thethe same h as Arlen struck a blow to its head that lit the darkness withRenna stunned and disoriented She glanced at the er sirip on her father’s knife, Renna growled and leapt at the creature, putting the blade into its bareit in close as the blacksteh her th as she heaved the knife upward, opening up the creature from navel to collar
The mimic’s body may have looked like her on the outside, but the black, stinking ichor that burst fro from the surface world
She looked at its face, the same face she had seen a thousand tiht to tears by the pain and confusion in her own eyes, but then the face snarled like a dog, and its teeth began to elongate as it hissed at her
Renna twisted as the ainst it as Arlen had taught her She grabbed its thick braid in her free hand as it passed, pulling it up short froave such power to her pivot and slash that her knife passed through its neck effortlessly
Just like that, the fight was over The deround lifelessly, and she was left holding her own head by the hair, eyes rolled back and black ichor dripping fro what see to see the mind demon dead at Arlen’s feet, but instead she saw Arlen surrounded by wood de branches in their claws, and the s took no notice of her yet, focused solely on Arlen
Renna looked around, dropping the head to the ground as she snatched up her warded cloak The ar the cloak around her shoulders, putting up the hood and using both hands to hold it closed from the inside