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Shelby Luce's Nephilim friend from Shoreline

And Miles The one she'd kissed

What are you two doing here? Daniel sat up sharply, rejecting Shelby's offered hand He rubbed his forehead and glanced behind hiray trunk of an olive tree

What do you think we're doing here? We're looking for Luce Shelby gaped down at Daniel and wrinkled her nose What's wrong with you?

"Nothing" Daniel tried to stand up, but he was so dizzy he quickly lay down again Cleaving-- especially dragging his past body into another life--had ainst the edges, bruising his soul on bones and skin He knew the Nephili unmentionable had happened to hiet here? Do you kno et yourselves in?

All of a sudden, soleamed under his nose

Take us to Luce Miles was pointing a starshot at Daniel's neck The brim of his baseball cap hid his eyes, but his rimace

Daniel was dumbstruck You--you have a starshot

Miles! Shelby whispered fiercely "What are you doing with that thing?"

The dull tip of the arrow quaked Miles was clearly nervous You left it in the yard after the Outcasts left, he said to Daniel Carabbed one, and in the chaos, no one noticed when I picked up this one You took off after Luce And we took off after you He turned to Shelby I thought we ht need it Self-defense

Don't you dare kill him, Shelby said to Miles You're an idiot

No, Daniel said, very slowly sitting up It's okay

HisWhat were the odds? He had only seen this done once before Daniel was no expert at cleaving But his past writhed inside hio on like this There was only one solution Miles was holding it in his hands

But how could he get the boy to attack hi? And could he trust the Nephilied backward until his shoulders were against the tree trunk He slid up it, holding both e to be afraid of You took fencing?

What? Miles looked bewildered

At Shoreline Did you take a fencing class or not?

We all did It was kind of pointless and I wasn't all that good, but--

That was all Daniel needed to hear "En garde!" he shouted, drawing out his concealed starshot like a sword

Miles's eyes greide In an instant he'd raised his arroell

Oh, crap, Shelby said, scurrying out of the way You guys, seriously Stop!

The starshots were shorter than fencing foils but a few inches longer than norht but as hard as diamonds, and if Daniel and Miles were very, very careful, the two of theht make it out of this alive Soht cleave free of his past

He sliced through the air with his starshot, advancing a few steps toward the Nephili off Daniel's blow, his arrow glancing hard toward the right When the starshots clashed, they did notfoilswhoooround under their feet

Your fencing lesson wasn't pointless, Daniel said as his arrow crisscrossed with Miles's in the air It was to prepare for a runted as he lunged forward, sweeping his starshot up until it slid against Daniel's in the air--like what?

Their arms strained The starshots made a frozen X in the air

I need you to release me from an earlier incarnation that I've cloven to my soul, Daniel said simply

What the, Shelby murmured from the sidelines

Confusion flashed across Miles's face, and his arm faltered His blade fell away, and his starshot clattered to the ground He gasped and fu back at Daniel, terrified

I' after you, Daniel said I need you to coed a competitive smirk Co ti the starshot like an arrow instead of a sword Daniel was ready for hi around to clash his starshot against Miles's

They were locked in each other's grip: Daniel with his starshot pointing past Miles's shoulder, using his strength to hold the Nephilim boy back, and Miles with his starshot inches away fro to help me? Daniel demanded

What's in it for us? Miles asked

Daniel had to think about this for a moment Luce's happiness, he said at last

Miles didn't say yes But he didn't say no

Now--Daniel's voice faltered as he gave the instructions--very carefully, drag your blade in a straight line down the center of my chest Do not pierce the skin or you will kill lanced over at Shelby

Do it, Miles, she whispered

The starshot tre was in this boy's hands The blunt end of the starshot touched Daniel's skin and traveled down

O Daniel could feel it, like a layer of skin was lifting off his bones His past self's body was slowly cleaving froh his The pain was so raas nauseating, roiling deep inside hi filled his ears The starshot in his hand tureat shove and a sharp, cold breath of air There was a long grunt and two thuds, and then--

His vision cleared The ringing ceased He felt lightness, siround below hi The starshot in Daniel's hand had disappeared Daniel spun around to find a specter of his past self standing behind hiray and his body wraithlike, his eyes and teeth coal-black, the starshot grasped in his hand His profile wobbled in the hot wind, like the picture on a shorted-out television

I' his past self at the base of his wings When Daniel lifted the shadow of hiround, his body felt scant and insufficient His fingers found the graying portal of the Announcer through which both Daniels had traveled just before it fell apart Your day will come, he said