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Amara pushed herself aardly to her feet "Why? What's happening?"

Araris walked over to Lord Antillus, sheathing his sword "The First Aleran is about to be overrun"

"The First Aleran," said Isana "If the First Aleran is here, Araris, where is my son?"

From the hole above them came a screech of fury of such purehatred that Isana had to flinch away froh soernails had shoved them beneath the skin of her back and drawn them slowly, spitefully over her spine

Isana beca up toward the origin of that hideous sound

"Where do you think?" Araris asked quietly, his voice still buzzing with thatwith a flick of his sword's tip, and said, "He's fighting that"

Chapter 54

Tavi rolled to his right on pure instinct, and an instant later the Queen's sword sliced through the empty space he had occupied Her windstream was enormous, violent, and the vicious turbulence that followed her was nearly enough to send hiained his balance, the Queen was not in sight The Caniround fro, they would only be visible to one another for a flashing instant through the haze But Tavi could hear her, or at least her presence The dull, empty howl of her overpowered windstream was rendered directionless by the mist and seemed to come from everywhere But Tavi knew she was out there, so him

Excellent

Tavi drew himself into a steady hover, reached out a hand, and summoned three fire-spheres in rapid order They appeared with a disproportionately loud boo turned to steam They never came anywhere close to the vord Queen They weren't supposed to

The vord Queen let out another spine-shuddering shriek of hostility and rage - which grew louder as it went on She was coht at him Tavi swept his sword in a couple of swift circles and checked his pocket to be sure he was ready

The Queen appeared: a sudden blur of white hair, glittering black eyes, and windblown cloak spreading like dark wings She accelerated toward hi rapidity, and Tavi lifted his sword as though he meant to meet her blade to blade

At the last second, he threw a firecrafting at her - even as she did exactly the sas intercepted one another, and there was a deafening explosion of red and green fla rees of her cloak on fire in both colors Her blade swept at his throat, but Tavi's sword intercepted the strike neatly A red, blue, and vord green explosion of sparks the size of a city market flew out froain in furious disappoint around to rush hiain