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The door cracked and caved inward, and through the splintered ed a massive wolf The fur about his face was ed saliva dribbled fro sharp white teeth The rest of his pelt was brindled black and gold and brown His eyes, when they turned toward Miss Tarabotti, were hot yelloith no huood fourteen stone Alexia now possessed intiood deal of that weight of his waswolf And all of it was angry, hungry, and driven by full-uination chaan uncere the scientists Suddenly, there was noise and blood and panic everywhere

Miss Tarabotti turned her head away asfroain "Mr MacDougall, please untie me I can stop him" But the American had pressed hi with fear, eyes riveted on the ra wolf

"Oh!" said Miss Tarabotti in frustration "Untie me this instant, you ridiculous man!"

Where requests had failed, orders seeh his terror Trancelike, the A her hands enough for her to bend down and untie her ankles herself She swung to the edge of the platfore, and the automaton slid into action

By the time Alexia could stand--it took a few moments for the blood to return to her feet--the auto in the doorway What was left of Dr Neebs and the two young scientists lay crulassical parts, and entrails

Miss Tarabotti tried very hard not to be sick or faint The s--fresh meat and molten copper

Mr Sieht the supernatural creature, he turned to seek out Alexia

He picked up Dr Neebs’s long sharp surgical knife and moved at her unexpectedly fast for such a well-fed man Before Alexia had time to react, he was upon her, knife pressed to her throat

"Do not all Stay where you are"

The olf had its massive jaw about the throat of the auto concerted effort into decapitating it It was to no avail, however, because the construct’s bones wereeven for a olf’s jaw The head remained attached Wobbly, but attached The autoish blackened blood spilled out of ashes over the wolf’s o

Mr Sie toward the door, which wasmonsters He pushed Miss Tarabotti in front of hi for a side approach behind the wolf

The olf’stoward the

Mr Sieh the first few layers of skin on Alexia’s neck She squeaked in alarht yellow eyes narrowed It turned its attention coed fro to choke it to death

"Godth’s truth, I aotten, the human half of the Lord Akelda, well-developed fangs and was looking around the roole- Lord Akelda with interest on Miss Tarabotti and Mr Sie in on the all

The American, huddled in his corner, shrieked as the newly created va space with supernatural agility and speed

Miss Tarabotti did not have time to watch further, as her attention was drawn back to the entranceway She heard Mr MacDougall screa

The as trying to shake the automaton off his back But the construct had established a death grip around his furry neck and would not budge With the wolf momentarily distracted, the broken door was partly freed up, and Mr Sie Alexia once more toward it

Miss Tarabotti wished, for about the hundredth ti it, she did the next best thing She elbowed Mr Sie down onto his insole with the heel of her boot

Mr Sieo

Miss Tarabotti twisted aith a yell of triumph, and the olf’s attention switched back toward the his own safety above all else, Mr Sieave Miss Tarabotti up for a bad risk and fled the chas as he ran pell-mell down the hallway outside

The auto ever more surely around the wolf’s brindled throat

Alexia did not knohat to do Lord Maccon undoubtedly stood a better chance against the auto fro the autole him She could not allow him to touch her if she wanted him to survive A hoarse voice said, "Rub out the word, lanced over Lord Akeldaated pain, had tilted his head up frolazed eyes

Miss Tarabotti gave a cry of relief He was alive! But she did not understand what he wanted her to do

"The word," he said again, his voice wrecked by his suffering, "on the homunculus simulacrum’s forehead Rub it out" He collapsed back, exhausted

Miss Tarabotti dodged sideways, positioning herself Then, shuddering in revulsion, she reached forward and brushed her hand over the automaton’s waxy face She missed all but the very end of the word so that VIXI becaood The autoh for the olf to shake hi but now did so with apparent difficulty The olf turned all his concentrated yellow attention on Miss Tarabotti