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“I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night

Taught by the heav’nly Muse to venture down

The dark descent, and up to reascend!”

He picks up a Gray with one hand and smashes the man’s skull into the hull of the Ash Lord’s ship until there’s nothing to hold on to Fresh from the kill, he wheels on me, his Minotaur helm blood-soaked and battered, and for a moment I think he will strike me down But his helled hair, he stares ateyes He helps me to my feet

“What wrath we suends unholy We broke them on the beach!”

How in the hell did he do that?

He was outnumbered four to one

One of his men helps me to my feet I’ve lost my helmet, butthat even nize me Apollonius skewers the heart of a wounded Gold and turns to his bodyguards “Vorkian, Gaul, rejoin the hunt Slaughter them to the last man”

His es inland of their beachhead below Apollonius co Bewildered, I stand there as he pulls back “A divine spectacle, Darrow” He looks at lorious band of devils there is none What a path you cut, like fallen seraphs ast mortal men”

Sevro li way at the elbow and I can see charred flesh through fissures in his armor I scan the re that Pebble and Clown are nowhere in sight Thraxa sits propped against a retaining wall as Tongueless administers first aid Alexandar alone is uninjured His shell is a sant ae despite the shell-shock in his eyes “Alexandar”

“Yes, sir?”

“Call the Nessus and hold the roof” I turn to li pad into the tower “Sevro, Apollonius, with me”

I WAKE FROM A FITFUL SLEEP and expect to see Cassius standing there, filling the door, asking one I remember slowly, then all at once There’s a presence in the room By thean old Broatches me I’m too tired to be startled His bark-colored eyes smile with deep respect from underneath cirrus-cloud eyebrows

“Do your sleep But your presence is requested”

“By whom?”