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I , transfor them into a makeshift blade, a trick I learnt from Beranabus Now I duck and swipe at the lizard’s stomach But it realises my intention and sucks in I open a shallow cut, but it’s only a flesh wound

The anteater is on me before I can react It wraps two snouts around my chest, one around my neck, and lashes at my face with the others The one around en

I drop toI ha chunks out of it and shaking up the anteater Its snouts loosen and e hit the floor again I jerk free and leap to my feet

I create a small ball of fire and blow it up one of the anteater’s snouts When it hits the demon’s head, an eye bursts The anteater squeals and stumbles away Before I can pursue it and finish it off, the lizard bites down on ue deep into my flesh

I shake the lizard off, but I feel poison in the wound Deadly, fast-acting If I don’t deal with it immediately, I’ll be dead within seconds

I usefro There’s not ht left in me The demons sense my weakness and move apart—the anteater’s recovered froainst a wall I summon what’s left of ainst them…

Aof orange light opens a few awp at it I prepare for the worst, expecting Lord Loss or Juni to e to die here, surrounded by demons and newborn babies My only hope is that so survive If they do, I won’t have entirely wasted my life

A h theand my heart leaps

“Bran!” I shout

A grave-faced Beranabus winks at ht you’d rowls “You e yourselves, aye?”

An anxious Grubbs steps through the , followed by Kernel, who looks different somehow, and a cautious Shark and Meera

“What do the pickings look like now?” Beranabus asks

The demons turn and flee Kernel, Shark and Meera set off after them

“Dervish?” Grubbs snaps

“Back there,” I pant “Hurry He was fighting a demon I don’t know—”