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But I didn’t let ic into round in front of ic only when I kneas getting near the cohting fro to sneak up on whatever wasall the racket, I shut down the lade In the di fro thrown about like it was D-day here in Boofookey, Maine

When I neared the clearing--hunkering down to stay behind a cover of undergrowth--I nearly gavedirectly in front of s of a spriggan And since I could clearly see the now rather ht-hand side of the glade, I knew that spriggan had to be wat

What the fuck are they doing here? And where is Nell? There was no way the gnoot lower, so I could peer between the spriggan’s spraddled legs to see what he and Grae What I saw ainst an enor precious, stood Gus His bald pate glea off one ear as he bravely defended his rock

Or are the rocks defending him? I wondered, as I watched various stones--soe astoward Graewat from behind and make my way to Gus, when a series of shrieks pierced the air

And where goeth Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Duht as, sure enough, Kaya and Kaori (whichever hich) ca Gus away froure out a way to save Gus fro both of us killed I was also trying to figure out what, exactly, Phaedra’s lot was doing in the first place

It’s like they want Gus’s boulder, I realized, even though I couldn’t, for the life of ure out why anyone but Gus would want the stone spirit’s rock

Then again, I can’t really understand why anyone would want Gus, either I’m sure he was a very nice stone spirit and all, but ht, as the harpies’ attack on Gus intensified The poor little guy was obviously struggling, and I was hiding in the bushes

No fucking way, I thought, re that moment when Anyan was attacked and I just stood there Not this tiho’dthe biggest, baddest ray orb in wat! Duck!" I shouted, praying that wat dropped like he’d been shot, leaving Graee ball, which sh the incubus’s token side-shields and into the side of his head with a crunching noise that was music to my ears

It’s not that Graean, really I just liked hiwat had raised his rather e and running to Gus’s side He’d seenout a plump hand when the lean, dun-colored shape of Kaya (or Kaori) ca a solid blow across the stone spirit’s forehead

Blood gushed fro my hand anda co the air The second harpy, Kaori (or Kaya), bounced off my impromptu shield with a thud before she could strike Gus

Squawking painfully, she turound While I wouldn’t nor to kick any of Phaedra’sthis one, however, I bowled it at where the harpy lay, hooting piteously Her sister snatched her up froe ball could strike

They spoil all ained Gus’s side

The stone spirit eaving on his feet, clearly wounded As I had absolutely no healing skills (another huge gap inI could do but try to keep hi hurt any worse until Nell finally arrived

And where the hell is that gnoht, as I watched Kaya (or Kaori) land her sister Kaori (or Kaya) a few feet fro, which pleased y at Graewat finally cottoned on to the fact that he’d been tricked and insinuated both his sizeable bulk and his even more formidable shields between me and his cronies