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What is this thing? Ithe ax fro to the ground with a thunk as ht would happen, the ax seeive it some power,] said the creature [Make it yours]

I concentrated, so exactly what the creature meant fortomy shields absorb Phaedra’s attacks, as I opened ht, as I opened my eyes to discover that I held in front ofto rival Blondie’s own fearsome sword

Phaedra’s attacks stopped, and she looked at me with horror

I took a few adantly dueling with Jia prince, at the Alfar Coht, as I chopped aith ood neas that Phaedra, at least, was looking even more vexed than I was

"I’m full of surprises," I infor my neeapon "Which you should keep in mind, as I repeat myself: We don’t have to do this"

Phaedra pulled hard on the earth, creating her own forest-green sword

"Yes, we do," she said, twirling her oeapon elegantly I frowned

Add ax-fighting lessons to the list, I thought wearily

"Why keep going, Phaedra?" I asked, trying to stall her While the labrys felt great inwith power, I still didn’t want to have to fight the little Alfar "The creature’s not going to kill for you," I said "What part of ‘it’s not a weapon’ are you not understanding?"

Phaedra shook her head "It does notit will destroy that which we hest, your baobhan sith, and hopefully all the other traitors still squatting in that compound"

"How are they traitors?" I asked "It’s yourHe was a puppet The weakness of such leaders is what has brought down uys not get the part about ic and babies?"

Phaedra looked at me, confused Our subsequent conversation must have been private, even if the creature had shared its ic and fertility

"It’s your ? It has to do with how strong you are, with the ain, you lie," she spat out

"Do I?" I asked "Think about it Nahuals, e to procreate Alfars, est, are alets filled in somewhere on that spectrum"

Phaedra shook her head, either in denial ofshe’d even heard them She beefed up her shields and took a step toward me, her sword a blur as she did so why on earth I had thought "take the weapon" was a good idea, "you don’t even kno to free the creature It’s already awake, so that can’t be the answer" I was trying to distract her while I thought to the being in question

U" thing

[I am here to help you,] it told me, and I felt a wave of reassurance--both h

"You little idiot," Phaedra hissed, as she pointed with her sword above my head "Of course I do Do you never look up?"

Will you keep an eye on her? I thought [Yes,] the creature replied, as I beefed up ht For sure enough, several feet over where the eye peeked out of the rock, there was one last glyph carved into the stone

Undoubtedly the glyph that freed the creature fro the rest of us with it

"So you understand why it is that wein between ht, even as I realized so yourself too, you loon," I said