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That last coe made nearly impossible by the push and pull of the powerful currents near the Sow’s epicenter But again I deain she eventually acceded, although the struggle was fierce When I finally reached the last lit-up piglet, I kneas co

But that didn’t mean my heart wasn’t in ht in the center of the Sow herself

What I did next was ined myself in a powerful shield that resembled a hamster ball, and I rolledI had inlike a coluyre of the Sow, all I could think of was Yeats’s "Second Co; monsters like Phaedra and Grae: The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity

Ias I strained forward, both ical muscles pushed to their li or two about conviction

And hopefully not about drowning, my libido added, just as ainst the Sow If I thought I’d faced opposition before, nothing could coainst a brick wall I threwYeats’s first stanza toPhaedra’s face--so definitely the worst, with her passionate capacity for hate--as et, sled ical--felt like it had gone up in fla harder, I forced my hamster ball forward until the wall cru core of the Sow rose to ic to touch that pulsing glow

Magic boo and fast that it tookdespite me I tried to throw them back up, but the Sow reached for ht, ridiculously cal to die

But I didn’t die, because the Soasn’t trying to kill me Instead, she pulledjust a few feet in front of h to rip entle Then I felt the Sow’s pri up and out of , until I felt the waters part aroundic wandout ofaroundan inverse whirlpool That said, I didn’t realize exactly why that was happening until I feltmidway up the Sow, but noas on land Dry land

Well, okay, it et, muddy land But it was definitely the seafloor, and the water was parting above h It was like standing in an elevator shaft et wider

I blinked as the sky momentarily darkened, and then Blondie crashed down next to , as I watched her wings dissolve

"Christ, Jane, could you have taken any longer?" she said and groaned, huffing like an asthed air around her

"Dude, this was hard You try reversing the laws of physics," I said, as I gestured toward the walls of water around us Then I realized what I’d done

"I totally pulled a Moses," I marveled, inordinately proud ofher ar

"Yes, well, your results are i to die up there"

Hi, Pot, I thought Meet Kettle! I swa whirlpool! But I kept lyphs are opened What’s next?"

"U underneath here, cuz there’s nothing above us," was her helpful response, as we both peered around, trying to discern anything in theback and forth, kicking aside seaweed and other debris We each thoughtso in excite Finally, I hit the jackpot

"There’s a hole!" I shouted It was hard to see in the dark h, if they didn’t

" ’Kay," she said, and I felt herrope and harness "I’ll lower you down You tellyour voice"