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The tip of a large stone juts through the covering of corpses Red streaks of blood line the cracks and indentations of the ancient stone The bodies around it are pale and

shrivelled The stone has drunk from them I recall the stone in the cave where I was imprisoned, when I sacrificed Drust, how it sucked his blood These stones of ic are alive in soer understand

A demon stands to attention behind the stone He has a squat, leathery body and a green head, part hue, surly s Floppy ears His white eyes are filled with fear and he holds hiainst his will

There’s a greyof light a fewlopsidedly in her warped, pus- and blood-drenched new form, is the monstrous Juni Swan

“You took your ti here,” she snarls

“We stopped for a bite to eat,” Dervish quips Shar at Juni with a

“What happened to you?” Beranabus asks quietly

“Don’t you likeobscenely “I preferred my old fra death”

“How did you survive?” Beranabus presses, the pity in his voice vanishing in an instant “Dervish killed you I felt your soul leave Did Lord Loss have the Board with him? Is that how he pulled off this trick?”

Juni shakes her head suess, oldspitefully “I told them you’d come My master said you wouldn’t be so foolish, but I knew you would You’re arrogant You never let the threat of a trap put you off I always knew your ridiculous self-belief would prove your undoing—and so it has”

Beranabus stares at his ex-assistant, shaken by her hideous appearance and the mad hatred in her expression “How did it come to this?” he croaks “Life with h now”

“You don’t knohat you’re talking about,” Juni says “You were far worse than Lord Loss I serve hily, by my own choice, but I was a slave to you, with no say over what happened to me”

“But—” Beranabus starts

“No!” Juni barks “You’re not worth arguing with” She glares at the rest of us “You can choose too You don’t have to serve this fool or perish with him Join me now and live Stay loyal to him and die”

Dervish laughs “You’ve lost your marbles Nadia Moore would have known that wasn’t an option Even Juni Swan could have seen that it’s a no-brainer But you’ve beco warped and inhuman Do you honestly believe any of us would throw in our lot with a thing as twisted and insane as you?”