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"Excellent," Drake purred

Just then a rush of bugs, a new colue and poured into the mass of Drake’s army Different These had bloodred eyes

They were not alone

Brianna stood, ar down at him

"You!" Drake said

"Me," Brianna said

To the creatures he said, "Red eyes, serveto these bugs now?" Brianna said "I have to tell you: I don’t think they speak psycho"

"Blue eyes, with me!" Drake said "Two columns, two armies: blues with me, reds back to town and kill Kill!"

"What exactly do you think you’re doing?" Brianna de on an epic killing spree"

"You’ll have to go through me," Brianna said

"I wouldn’t have it any other way," Drake said

They walked out of the rain Astrid and Orc and Little Pete The cloud did not follow theer expanding, but still pouring rain on the street and the ruined house

Little Pete coughed directly against the side of Orc’s face It was getting worse, the cough, slowly but steadily worse

Maybe it would kill him

Go ahead Shoot him Kill Little Pete

Astrid told herself she hadn’t meant it It was just a tactic After all, if so a threat you had to devalue the importance of the threat, pretend it didn’tSo on the wet carpet

It had to stop It had to end One death to save dozens, maybe hundreds of kids?

A si Nerezza She felt again the way her fingers dug into the soft neck, fingertips finding the spaces between tendon and artery

Astrid had never felt anything like that red-e before in her life She had hated before--she had hated Drake She had feared before--many, many times But she would never have believed herself capable of that e

The true revelation was the joy she’d felt at thatthe blood pounding to get past arteries blocked by Astrid’s own hands Feeling the spasms in Nerezza’s windpipe

Astrid let loose a whimper It had to end

"You okay?" Orc asked

Would she ever be herself again? Or had Astrid, the old Astrid, died, to be replaced by this new creature, this angry, frightened witch?