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She’s right I can feel the energy ebbing away at a frightening rate I look one last time for the body of Beranabus, but the ocean has already clai tears fro that if we don’t clirave

Wedown It’s not just the fact that we’re cli We’re tired and drained We were fine when the air was thick withfast

We’re halfway up the second flight of stairs when I hear the sea gush up the corridors behind us I’ve no idea how long we have I iine it would usually take a ship this size at least a couple of hours sink, but the hole in the hull was extree

The zoic of the Shadohich reani into While we’re rapidly weakening, the zonificantly affected

We don’t use bolts of antly dismiss thehting We can still repel theic hasn’t disappeared entirely—but there are thousands of zoy fades, they’ll swamp us Unless the sea claims us first

Sharic into it to hold the bones and scraps of flesh together

“Don’t bother,” Dervish grunts, lifting her “Save your strength Get on s You keep the zombies off”

“What about your heart?” Sharmila shouts

“It’ll hold for a while”

I can move much quicker than Dervish now that he’s burdened with Sharh the ship, away fro water But they’re my friends and they wouldn’t desert me if I was in their position If it beco as there’s a chance we ht all make it out alive, I’ll stick with them

I take the lead, knocking flailing, snarling zo ahead, the undead hu the staircase behind and in front I should feel fear in the face of such warped, nightmarish foes, but my emotions are focused on Beranabus—there’s only roo

I can’t believe he’s dead It’s hard to iician He’s been er than anyone should have to serve What e do without him? I doubt the Disciples can repel the waves of Demonata attacks by themselves Beranabus believed our universe created heroes in times of need If that’s true, perhaps someone will replace hiician’s place He was one of a kind

We hit another level I’m about to lurch up the next set of stairs when I spot Kirilli Kovacs tussling with a gaggle of zombies He’s in bad shape, bitten and scratched all over A dozen of the living dead surround him

I should leave him He doesn’t really deserve to be rescued and I can’t afford to waste any ofpower But I can’t turn my back on a man just because he’s a coward Kirilli didn’t betray or underave in to fear, as many people would have

Drawing on esture at the zombies packed around Kirilli They fly apart and a path opens “Run!” I yell Kirilli doesn’t need to be told twice He stumbles clear of the zombies and is by my side moments later Blood cakes his face, but his eyes are alert behind the red veil He starts to say so