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With a shrug, Aaron followed

"Well, I did pro after theh a sulfur-streaked hall, orange and yellow and weirdly s through the throat of soiant The floor was unpleasantly y Aaron nearly tripped, and Call’s feet sank into it, sending the ball of water wobbling as he steadied hiers as they passed into a cavern whose walls were covered with crystalline for fro faintly

"This isn’t the e came," Aaron complained, but Warren didn’t pause, except to take a bite out of one of the dangling crystals as he went by it He bypassed all the obvious exits and headed straight for a shtless tunnel They had to get on their knees and crawl, the globe of water wobbling precariously between the down Call’s back froun to worry that Warren was leading the direction

"Warren --" he started

He broke off as the passageway suddenly widened out into a vast cha hi pale with the effort of both crawling and holding the water steady at the sa out Call followed as fast as his leg would allow

He was so distracted by the effort that he didn’t notice when the air beca It wasn’t until Aaron exclainize the water," that he looked up and saw that they were back in the roo down like tendrils

Tareat Noe just --"

She broke off with a cry as a creature rose out of the s her stumble back and Aaron yell out loud The ball of water that had hung between them crashed to the floor The water sizzled as if it had been dumped onto a hot skillet

"Yes," said Warren "Just like I was bid He toldyou back, and now you are here"

"He told you," Ta rising out of the streae bubbles appearing on the surface with the ferocity of lava The creature was clumped and dark and stony, as if it were ed rock, but it had a huranite Its eyes were just holes into darkness

"Greetings, Iron Mages," it said, voice echoing as though the thing spoke froreat distance "You are far from your Master"

The apprentices were speechless Call could hear Ta to say tostone fissure and split apart "I was once like you, children"

Taasp "No," she said "You can’t be one of us -- you can’t still speak You …"

"What is it?" Call hissed "What is it, Tamara?"

"You’re one of the Devoured," Ta "Consu breathed "I becaave myself to it, and it to me It burned aas human and weak"