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I see his white smile before the air around me turns pitch-black, and then suddenly I’m in an ancient castle At least I’m not nauseated anymore

I’m now Tristan

Tristan tried to rid his , save the idiot before hi his woman, whom he’d never been able to so much as kiss, stood no e

He breathed at a steady, even rate, his stare fixed as he sloalked a predatory circle around Erik Damnation, he could barely believe it "What does it feel like to co beneath that oak with twisted yew about your neck? To be a traitor? To take the lives of those you welco the trust of their fathers Treating us like sons? Being our leader Tell rowled "I want to know"

Erik, sile as ever, countercircled "Feels bloody wonderful, to be truthful I gave you everything, de Barre My knowledge,his lips made his face appear sinister He thrust with a vicious strike "What did you do for ed this time, and Tristan deflected the blade with his own "You took my only child," Erik said calmly He paused, his face blank "You took my life"

"Is that what you truly believe, Erik? That we killed your son?" Tristan said, blade outstretched "’Twas an accident, and you well know it"

The pain on Erik’s face proved he did not "Fifteen trained knights, and you couldn’t protect one s "’Twas no accident You allowed it" He arced his blade "Even seven centuries of being a dah of a repayment for what you took froain"

The sickness his foster father suffered pained Tristan, but at the sa Erik His mind had turned evil fro, questions answered He owed it to his hed "Right place, right time For me anyway" He jabbed at Tristan Her unfortunate employer happened to be the one to free me from that cursed yehich allowed ht add, my oeet mother placedhis lead "How did you get their swords and helms?"

Erik’s face hardened as he followed Tristan’s lead "I gathered theeon I’d already cursed them, you see, but their deaths came more slowly than yours" He smiled "I’d bound the armor and planned to bury them so no one would find them, but I hadn’t realized my own mother’s fealty rested elsewhere untillater" He thrust the blade at Tristan, who sidestepped "She followedand all but tookI kneas here"

Tristan tapped his blade to Erik’s "You didn’t know she’d placed a protective curse on the weapons herself, or that she’d taken my sword, penned a rather useful verse on it, and buried it?" He charged Erik "Or that your mother’s spirit would contact Andi and lead her to it?"

Erik returned the charge "It doesn’t matter now Does it?" He held up the blade in his hand, turning it side to side Tristan’s blade "Isn’t it odd, Dreadmoor, that you’re about to die a second death at the tip of your very oord?" A smile slid to his mouth "Thanks to Dr Monroe, I have my life back And more"

"Nay, you don’t" Tristanthe air

Erik attacked full force, anger turning his face bloodred With vehe within a few inches of Tristan’s neck In a onhawk had made famous, he deflected the steel and used his elbow to ha blow to Erik’s jaw

Erik stuather his wits, then charged Tristan with a bloodcurdling yell "I will not yield!"

Tristan reeon more than seven centuries before Except this ti the sword’s blow, Tristan fell to his knees and plunged the blade into Erik’s stoazes locked, and Tristan watched the pupils in Erik’s eyes grow large until he staggered back and fell to the ground

Dead

Tristan’s breath came hard and fast, winded from the battle Slowly, he rose and walked over to retrieve his sword As he bent over, Erik’s body began to shake violently

"Tristan, move back!" Kail shouted

They all watched in horror as Erik, being the abomination that he was, convulsed faster and faster, his flesh peeling fro to dust Back to where he belonged

The bailey fell silent Tristan raised his head and stared at his hts

"Someone rehts let out a battle cry worthy of a thousand e heard

Then his eyes fell on Andrea Taking powerful strides, he came to stand nose to nose with her, so close a whisper couldn’t pass Her eyes widened, but before she could catch her breath Tristan swept her up, their lips nearly touching His body shook, and he briefly wondered if he would fall over with pure joy