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His s to tell you"

Garai brought the keys and Tam unlocked the manacles He pocketed the key, then held out the manacles to Talon

"Would you care to do the honors?" Ta the still-unconscious Rudra Muralin

Talon bared his fangs in a ferocious smile "I’d love to"

Tam’s expression went soleht we should" He stopped and thought "Sir," he added

I took a couple of quick steps back from Tam The second those manacles caic--and especially Ta for a piece of the action It felt like it was going to take the first piece out of me

"Raine, are you--" Tam took a concerned step toward me

I held out my hand to stop him He understood and didn’t come any closer

I took slow, measured breaths "Maybe we should have left the rin; it didn’t quite make it

Rudra Muralin chuckled dryly He was on the floor, he wasThat didn’t bode well

He looked around at his dead Khrynsani guards "Bravo, Tah type Very neat, very uards were here with"My shaers And if I didn’t return within the half hour… Well, let’s just say they had their orders" He smiled, slow and horrible "Tiun"

Chapter 27

Just because punching the goblin’s fangs out wouldn’t do those kids any good didn’t rabbed the front of Rudra Muralin’s doublet and jerked hih caled rasp "Why? Or you’ll kill me?"

"I’ll make you wish I had"

"Hollow threats, Taers without me"

"Want to bet?" I asked

"My shamans have put up shields, distortions, and illusions, seeker," Muralin sneered "Even with the Saghred, your abilities are pathetic Do you truly think what you call skill got you this far? I brought you here, exactly where I wanted you You weren’t following spellsingers, elf You were answeringYou saw the spellsingers in their cell You were tracking theain" His confidence was absolute So was his desperation Katelyn Valerian was down here soreed with I had to find Ronan and those kids now But what I’d been following all this ti or a Khrynsani sha Ta he told us would be a lie

I knew it So did Ta at me There was no question reflected in those eyes; he just needed an answer I’d backed away fro at the stench of black ic in the air--and at Ta Rudra Muralin said Could I trust the power boost of a starving, vindictive, and fickle rock?

No

I was a Benares I knew one person whose wits I could trust here and now

Me

I didn’t need the Saghred I’d had dark es, crafty bastards, try to throw me off the scent in the past It hadn’t worked then, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to work now

I exhaled and let a slow smile spread across my face "I can do it"

I had to Ronan and those kids had no other choice Tam’s eyes were still on h’Sceadu"

Oh shit