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If Duffy could hoist his axe at all Lach worried for the little gnoht Duffy would flee in a real battle, but rather because he kneouldn’t “Let father handle the sluagh”

Three faces turned, shock alighting on theasped

“Please, Your Highness,” one of theh the very fact that Lach had said the naht conjure them up

Lach shook his head “I can’t bring the their name They’re already here, so why don’t we act like we’re not scared of the buggers” He leaned over to one of the e outside the palace Madden was the king’s liaison to the villagers “Do you know if they came from the caves?”

There had been a nest of sluagh living in the caves by the beach for as long as anyone could re with the Planeswalker deh none had figured out how It was a deeply held secret To discover it, one had to becolanced down at the box at his feet It was filled with crap Trinkets from his travels A cheap broach he’d picked up, several combs, a set of cards from the Vampire plane It was a load of junk he’d picked up and didn’t need, but it would be enticing to the sluagh, who lived for such oddities He’d meant to offer it to his father, but he’d been told to take his seat

He supposed no one had need for his negotiation skills

“I hear they’re froers together, glancing back at the door “They have news”

Shih don’t take sides”

No Sluagh took people They took lives and slaves They took rotted corpses when they wanted a meal They did not take sides

A sudden chill fell across the roo on the shore

The Host was close Lach could feel it A spark of power shi It was an odd thing, but he felt h he’d finally found his place He leaned back, his eyes focused on the door

Madden shivered “I don’t like this Perhaps the king should bar the door”

Lach felt a sry “It wouldn’t work They have no need of doors”

They entered froh rock and wood as though neither existed A hundred sluagh it seeness Pale and wraithlike, their bodies showed the way each had died Wounds on a sluagh were like jewels to a high-born lady, an expression of beauty Even to the Unseelie, who understood the horrors of the planes, sluagh were monstrous

And yet, Lach saw an odd beauty to them