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All around us were the bodies of her fallen guards There were scores of them, and they looked like they'd been similarly blasted fro and weapons were scattered everywhere Those lethal shadoho'd done this anored us and continued to pitilessly torment Patra

She was contorted in agony, her skin bubbling up each time one of them drove in and out of her I was certain her insides had to be pureed frouards let me know they could have killed her if they'd wanted to The fact that she was still alive said their idea of vengeance was much more sinister than mere death

Bones held his hand out "Everyone stay back," he said, and gripped his knife

I cast a frantic look at the decio near her, those wraiths will rip you to pieces!"

He brushed my face "Not me Don't you see? Mencheres kneould come to this He saw it That's why he chose me to share his poith It still connects us, so I'm the only person they won't harm I can feel themand as they can't hurt him, they can't hurt me"

He dropped his hand and walked toward Patra I don't think she was even aware of hih her eyes were open Blood continued to streak froed by the merciless, tireless reht

One of the grayish figures rose from her and streaked to Bones when he came within a dozen feet I started forward, but the whiplash of his voice stopped me

"Stay back!"

I wasn't the only one who paused So did the thing, who I saith pained recognition was Tick Tock Or it used to be All that was left of hi where he was even though he was quivering hat I guessed to be a conflicting desire to attack

Bones kept coo in frustration-not ainst pissed-off phantolare in Bones's direction He held out a hand to theo to us

"Stay Back"

Bones growled the words, and I felt the power roll off hi with each forward step he took Soon they weren't touching Patra, but were poised in crouching threat on the ground just beyond where she lay

After a few seconds, Patra quit her frenzied thrashing, and the countless welts on her began to heal Her eyes, those big, lovely dark orbs, lost some of their mindless panic-and then widened as she saas now standing over her

"You're dead!" Patra exclaie away fro closer to the silently snarling wraiths with that motion, and then looked around for help

"No, luv," Bones said with quiet grimness "You are"

I saw realization grow on her face as her gaze took in the bodies of her fallen guards, the rest of us standing in the doorith nu an impenetrable barrier behind her If ever a person was trapped, it was her, and she knew it Patra threw her head back and let out a cry of rage

"Damn you, Mencheres! Do you have no mercy?"