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She should feel his pain She should feel it

Someone had to feel the pain

He reached the top of the stairs He knocked the door of Little Pete’s rooh the room Little Pete hovered in the air several feet above the cot He glowed

Astrid was not there

"Astrid!" Orc bellowed

Froh the open , an answer

"Is that you, Orc?"

Orc bounded to theIt had been opened and in any case the panes of glass were shattered

Orc’s vision took a h for hi And then he couldn’t believe it

Down below, in the first faint glow of , stood Drake

Behind hiantic cockroaches

It all had to be a hallucination

"Drake?" Orc said, blinking hard to test the reality of this apparition

"I thought that sounded like you, Orc" Drake smirked "And you have Astrid up there with you? Excellent Couldn’t be better"

"Are you real?" Orc asked

Drake laughed delightedly "Oh, I’m real, Orc"

"Go away" It was all Orc could think of to say

"Nah, I don’t think I will," Drake said He ran lightly to the door downstairs and disappeared from view

Orc was completely baffled Drake? Here?

In seconds Drake appeared at the door of the room His cold eyes looked past Orc and focused on Little Pete

"Well, well," Drake said "Nemesis"

Chapter Forty

25 MINUTES