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I’d had enough, and stood Sarad Nukpana rose and carace, quicker than any ht oblin wasn’tand all too solid aroundoutward, beyond the rooonized screaarabbed the front of his shirt and twisted ers until the silken fabric was firmly knotted in my fist "Release hioblin’s dark eyes He expected ry In e wins out over fear anytime

"Such a small request," heone That would pretty much cover it for me"

"Those are not within ainstthis close "But the Guardian is within your power to free," he whispered against hred is yours to command Tell it to release him, and it shall be done Ih to gaze down at s visible The goblin’s smile told me that he would love to see hred for one favor, it could de that the rock’s idea of a s the lines of rapes to be plucked one at a ti or anyone

If I did nothing, the Guardian would die And I had a feeling he would be the first of ot what they wanted

I had another feeling Actually it was more like a realization Sarad Nukpana couldn’t have decorated all by hi that Guardian all by his loneso off of each other

If I hurt one of the on Mychael acting when the rock blinked Nukpana was standing close enough; his breath arainst my cheek I’d wonder later about how disembodied souls could breathe, let alone be warm Wonder later; act now His hand on h Let’s see how solid the rest of him was

My knee was ready to find out when the floor buckled beneath our feet and the silvery void rippled with an unseen impact Nukpana and I landed hard on the floor, and I rolled clear and caain

The void beyond Nukpana’s bedrooh heavy fog The light faded and then flared again with increased intensity

Nukpana looked up into the void and laughed "Your paladin is trying to rescue you An impressive effort He must fear for your safety"

That e of Nukpana’s bedrooainst the void

It was solid, not ers, like a sheet of translucent ice Fog could be penetrated, and ice could be broken Breaking it could also let the wraiths in-- or let rabbed one of the chairs and swung it with everything I had

Nukpana’s world shattered The void engulfed Sarad Nukpana, the roooblin’s wordless screa mist, dim from distance, but raith undiminished fury

In an instant, my feet went frohtly against him, his hands on either side of my head

"She’s back," I heard him say to someone He sounded out of breath I didn’t knoho he was talking to; hter and the blurred ies sharpened into Ronan Cayle and the Guardians I shuddered, a full head-to-toe event Then the shuddering turned into shaking and so, and I didn’t even try Breathing, I made an effort to do Mychael’s hands went fro and warm, and they were all that was between me and a quick and unpleasant trip to the floor

The Guardian who the Saghred had attacked was on the floor, half-conscious, and trying to sit up He was deter to stop him His first words blistered the air blue I’d found if a man could swear that expressively, the insides of his head couldn’t have been too rattled With only a little help froot to his feet

I steadiedclose enough to kiss I could feel his heart pounding beneathbreath, then tried a shred"

"I did" His eyes reflected concern, relief, and rage all at the same time "He didn’t hurt you, did he?"

I shook ave htened briefly around lance at his men, he loosened his hold and stepped back, much to my disappointment

To ?"