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"And noill finish our course" Thane dived into the night, heading down, down, down, and angling west Air whipped against his skin, tangled his hair, becoround, even when the snowcapped Sierra Nevada came into view There was a wealth of pine trees, and a lake as clear as crystal Huh the snow

And there was Maleah’s place A cabin comprised of stone and ice, hidden in a cliff Sent Ones liked to dwell in the ele to the habit

Thane h the walls and found hi any sort of comfort There were computers, TV screens, radios and all kinds of other equipment, but no couches, cushions or blankets No photos

A fe with a sharp eye and a constant tapping on a keyboard She looked like a Goth princess, with her white skin, long white hair, s hid her forehead and fra blue eyes

Bjorn and Xerxes landed beside hi her over "I hadn’t heard that fact"

If she cooperated, perhaps he would take her to the Downfall for a few days of fun If not

He couldn’t kill her That would be against the rules But he could do other unpleasant things

"I expected you sooner," she said suddenly Her chair swiveled around, and she pinged Thane with an unwavering stare

She shouldn’t have been able to sense him Just then, she was human

And pretty failed to do her justice, he realized Her features were bold, sensual She had a thick fan of white lashes, and heavy-lidded eyes A strong nose, with a piercing curling from both nostrils Well-defined cheekbones Lush lips, with two barbells beneath the lower A stubborn chin

He stepped into the natural realm "Impossible," he said "You knew exactly when I would coht you’d be in a bithim in Whether or not she liked what she saw, he couldn’t be sure Her hardened expression never changed "William said you were a cocky one"

She hadn’t heard of him while she’d lived in the skies He was soenuine amusement--but she never confirmed or denied

Bjorn and Xerxes joined hiave the warriors the saain, her expression remained blank, unreadable

"Arainst me?" There was no fear in her tone Only acceptance

"Why did you fall?" Thane asked

Another chuckle bubbled from her "Yeah Watch me as I don’t talk about that"

Very well He would find out later "What do you know of the six de here on earth?" she asked, one brow arched

He stepped toward her, hands fisting "Yes"

"I’ll show you" She turned back to her ht, but it ebbs and flows, and there’s very rarely a huge and sudden spike Things usually build Well, last night there was a spike unlike any I’ve before seen Murders, rapes, thefts, beatings, but one unreported And it wasn’t just in a select area, but widespread"

"That proves nothing," he said

She snorted "As you know, the y of a place to change"

"True, but that doesn’t mean the spike was caused by de would noeak Gerht hard The deuys would soon be on their heels, and so they would have wanted to rebuild their strength quickly As they fed on evil, they would have sent theirand smart Yes, he wanted her "So they have spread out"

"Definitely" She pointed to a ainst the reddened areas "Each of these places had a similar spike"

"There are twelve places," Xerxes said, "yet only six de, "You knoell as I that we aren’t unwise to the schemes of the enemy They would have knoe could track them this way, and they would have wanted a way to circumvent that Hence the minions I mentioned"

We, she’d said, as if she were still part of an ar their forces to attack other areas, away from them, to divide our efforts"

"Exactly"

He, Bjorn and Xerxes shared a look She was probably right--and they should have figured that out on their own

So where do we start? Xerxes asked, his voice whispering through Thane’s mind They could communicate with every member of Zacharel’s army this way--if they so chose--but they preferred to speak only with each other