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Liala had found herup fast His attitude towards life would change for the better following the operation to restore the reptilian influences of his inner ain be the same for Crispin

The sun reached the horizon and Tom felt the sense of otherworldliness that he had experienced on previous inter-realm journeys The time-between-tiht, the boundaries between realms blurred and it was possible to travel between theateere open Toures on the cliff above his head They were bathed in a ghostly yellow light and carried shining staffs He had seen theatekeepers and they were reat faith in the any unauthorised trip Tom didn't share Balduur's confidence As far as he was concerned, the gatekeepers were bungling idiots On his first inter-real woatekeepers weren't looking, and went to the Seventh Real to do so si for the Sixth Circle The gateway to the Sixth Real to prevent an unauthorised journey Instead, they were arguing

Their voices ca so him to show more respect for his betters Then a third voice booed to the bigger of the three gatekeepers He had the build of a warrior and carried his staff as if it were a weapon He pointed it at the guardians' boat and a voice like thunder shook the air

'Who dares violate the holy circle?'

It echoed back and forth

'Who dares transgress the sacred pathways?'

His staff jabbed down at the guardians

'What aboe between realuardians stared back in shocked areatly offended by the outburst For over three centuries, no one had ever spoken to the a visit frouardians replied with a salvo of shots frouns Bushes burst into flames and rocks tuatekeepers striding through the blaze of light like apparitions in a furnace They cae and directed their staffs at the guardians' boat