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The air between these two godlings was a cloud the color of blood and rage It curled and shivered, flexing larger and flinching coainst each other Because that was, indeed, what I had walked into, for all that it was silent and still: a battle One did not need lanced back at the green-skinned woht in the cross fire of a duel between gods

Very quickly, as quietly as I could, I began to back up, toward the green woman I didn’t think she would protect me--she’d made her interest clear--but there was no other safe direction

I’d forgotten the ice patch behind runt of pain from my throat and my stick fro clatter

The woman across the street jerked in surprise and looked at ister that her face was not as ordinary as I’d thought, the skin too shiny, hard-san to shake, and the wall behind me buckled, and my skin prickled all over

Suddenly thehisin an ocean cave The porcelain-skinned wo (I could not see what, exactly) shattered around her That sa her backward I heard mortar crack and cruround

"What the hells are you doing?" the man shouted at her Dazed, I stared up at hier It fascinated s had veins But of course they did; I had not been in the city long, but already I had heard of godsblood

The woh the blow she had taken would have crushed half her bones if she’d been mortal It did seelaring at the man

"You can’t stay here," he said, calh still visibly furious "You’re not careful enough By threatening this mortal’s life, you’ve already broken the most important rule"

The woreed upon by all of us who chose to dwell here! None of us wants another Interdiction You arned" He held up a hand

And suddenly the street was full of godlings Everywhere I looked, I could see theuises or had never bothered in the first place I caught glis with aniers Therein the street or sitting on the curbs One even flitted overhead on gossaot to her feet, though she still looked shaky She looked around at the asse the unease on her face But she straightened and scowled, pushing her shoulders back "So this is how you fight your duels?" This was directed at the man

"The duel is over," the man said He stepped back, closer to me, and then to my surprise bent to help me up I blinked at him in confusion, then frowned as hemy view of the woman I tried to lean around him to keep an eye on her, since I had a notion she’d almost killed me a moment before, but the man moved with me

"No," he said "You don’t need to see this"

"What?" I asked "I--"

There was a sound like the tolling of a great bell behind him, followed by a sudden swift concussion of air Then all the godlings around us vanished When I craned my head around the man this time, I saw only an empty street

"You killed her," I whispered, shocked

"No, of course not We opened a door, that’s all--sent her back to our realm That’s what I didn’t want you to see" To ht by how human this made him look "We try not to kill each other That tends to upset our parents"

Before I could stop od and fell silent Which confusedsht, Eo?" The man didn’t turn from me as he raised his voice to speak I suddenly reain The green wo at ed, too, froreen to a soft pale pink Even her hair was pink As I stared at her, she inclined her head to ain to the man, then turned and walked away