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"You sent in the clowns?" I said into the phone

Theophilus chuckled and hung up So much for his offer The entire call had been meant to distract me while these clowns surrounded us

"The clowns are dark elves, Granuaile Kill or be killed Go!"

Chapter 16

Despite Manannan’s warning that the dark elves were after me and the confession of the faery assassin that dark elves had hired his band of rogues, I never thought I’d get to see theuess if you’d like the dark elves to pay you a visit on good ol’ Midgard, spend fifteen centuries bla; they’ll hear about it eventually

The dark elves had good reason to bring rief with the bla some lies in an atteoals, and as a result Odin had briefly believed that the Svartálfar were infiltrating Asgard and were partially responsible for the death of the Norns I learned later that Odin hadn’t been gentle with his rebuke, so the dark elves were justified in seeking to share some of that violence with me

Too bad they didn’t count onall shouty, Granuaile threw three knives, shik-shik-shik, and three Svartálfar went down before they even realized the fight was on I charged toFragarach at the clown standing there As expected, he went incorporeal and his clown costu with aI didn’t stick around to wonder when or where he’d turn solid again but turned clockwise and kept going at full speed

I felt a draw on ht of her around the partition I saw that she was takingShe had leapt up on top of the glass display case with her staff in one hand and a knife in the other, and she followedherself backward and flipping over it

My first thought was, oh, gods, where is she going to land? But then I saas a necessaryher way Empty clown suits competed with flannel for attention on the sales floor

Granuaile’s leap drew the eyes of the Svartálfar creeping around behind the partition; they’d been planning on going s us fro at Granuaile instead ofand was very solid when I stabbed up through the place where his kidney should be His death screa in on Granuaile, allowing her to land clue suits

"Keep going!" I called "Flank and aerial type at the front of the store was no longer trying to control his requests with a tense whisper; he was shouting into the phone for iunfire had broken out at Nakatoed the cloas closest to Granuaile even as san to pour over the partition after her Granuaile fled to the back of the store, out of ht--especially since I tripped and did a face-plant in the aisle

I’d been slide-tackled froh; he’d re-formed and pursued ed his knife into ht It felt like a rather painful punch, but his black sical, and my cold iron aura refused it entry Still, I yelled as if I’d been stabbed, then flipped over, bringing Fragarach around as I did so, left to right He stabbed rinned wickedly as he re to take one for the team to ensure that I died I took his head off instead

The clown I’d been charging was now trying to slit led dramatically and clutched ht shoulder with Fragarach It connected, and I was rewarded with a tiny gasp I kicked off the dark elf corpse astride me before it could turn to tar and rose to confront the clown I’d just stabbed He clutched his arh face paint already designed to one

"Aw Sad clown is sad," I said Behind hi toin the back of the store and hoped she was all right I flourishedhie instead and becaled in a rack of camo suits I stabbed into his heart easily, somewhat bemused They must not be able to take their smoke forms ounded

This execution earned the especial ire of the Svartálfar who’d been after Granuaile Three of them solidified out of the coal-black dust and hissed, brandishing their knives That was fine with me The more they chased ical immunities I did

I backed up warily and stepped into the rehh," I said "Your buddy just turned me into a tar heel"

One of them cursed at me in Old Norse--he called me the dwarf-dicked spawn of Hel’s half-dead twat, and I privately gave him props, so few people take the trouble to curse creatively anymore--then they came after me I turned and ran for the front of the store, back the way I’d come Once around the partition, I was near the knives and the aisles devoted to outdoor food prep--coolers, hibachi grills, meat s a burger So intent was I in searching for dark elves at eye level that I didn’t see the rope tied between two racks until after it tripped hter fluid but held on to Fragarach The three who’d been pursuingfor the more than irritate me

They were quick, efficient killers, and it wasn’t lost on me that if I hadn’t been immune to their smoky knives, I would already have died several tie supply of standard steel knives, I was in favor of a quick exit