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"Once we’re inside, let us know if the subject begins to misbehave," Cayle re a naughty schoolboy analogy
"Trust hred misbehaves, you’ll know about it whether I tell you or not But I’ll be glad to mention the obvious when it happens"
"You mean if it happens"
"Well, we can all hope for that"
Mychael had been speaking in low tones with the Guardians on duty at the door He crossed the corridor to where aited "Are we ready?"
"To get it over with," I said
Mychael nodded, and the Guardians posted on either side of the door unlocked, unlatched, and opened it
The stairs and the roohtly lit, but only for the benefit of the Guardians on duty Being its own self-contained little world, the Saghred ht The outside world was not visible froe firsthand
The room contained only the essentials--four Guardians and the object they guarded One look at the Saghred sitting on its pedestal told urative eyes closed, but it was far fro to be asleep, Mychael, Ronan, and I weren’t just going to turn off the bedroohts and close the door on our way out
Sarad Nukpana was nowhere to be heard Maybe he’d rolled over and gone back to sleep Maybe he and his new friends were up late last night plotting world domination
I didn’t like any of it, no hred sat on a small table in the center of the room, still in the translucent, white stone casket Mychael had used to transport it to Mid It was still translucent, but it sure wasn’t white
I couldn’t ever think of a tilow rery, red eye I half expected to hear a warning growl to go along with it The rock was clearly not a Barely
I had heard about the kind of power Conclave-trained Guardians could put into their containment spells It was an accepted fact that if a Guardian cla or sohred had heard the sanoring the pink, and I felt the faintest tug, like a child’s hand wrapping around er, a soft insistence, a come-watch-what-I-can-do kind of invitation Sweet and innocent and perfectly harmless
"You can bat your eyelashes at "
I could only describe what happened next as a tantru open and a beaulfed one of the Guardians He screaed for the box I kneas a bad idea I also kneas exactly what Sarad Nukpana wanted But I knew the Guardian was dead or worse if I did nothing
As soon as my hand touched the open lid, I realized just how bad an idea it was The last voice I heard frohred was Mychael’s shout
Chapter 4
My world turned gray and silent
More of a twilight fog actually, the kind you see on a waterfront pier--just before you step off the edge Last tiray void filled with filures This almost looked the saures I wasn’t going to coures had wanted me dead Besides, there was no one to co silver light, ure I looked around There was no cover, no place to hide; I was half tempted to close my eyes If I couldn’t see it, maybe it couldn’t see ure ed fro mist Sarad Nukpana I wasn’t surprised, but I sure was disappointed Of all the Saghred’s residents, he was the one I least wanted to run into
With a negligent wave of Sarad Nukpana’s elegant fingers, the fog retreated
No mere featureless wasteland would do for Sarad Nukpana
We stood in a space filled with sensual comforts A low bed covered with pillows A plush chaise upholstered with fabric that looked too soft to be real, a low table with two chairs, the table set with glasses and a heavy, cut-crystal decanter of dark, ruby liquid My feet sank into a fur rug so soft and decadent, I had to resist the urge to drop and roll Not the sort of surroundings you’d expect of so world domination
Sarad Nukpana himself didn’t look any worse for wear, and he also looked a from corporeal to disembodied soul hadn’t di black hair was shot through with silver and fell loosely around his strongly sculpted face; the tips of his upswept ears were barely visible through the ray skin set off as any goblin’s s that weren’t for decorative use only The danger didn’t detract frouess all that sinuous grace and exotic beauty can make you overlook a lot, and Sarad Nukpana was certainly devastating He was also insane--that I couldn’t overlook
"You redecorated," I remarked, my mouth dry "Not my taste"