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Where Ioblins In fact, we didn’t see anyone--but that didn’tus Since it was the middle of the day, empty streets and shuttered shops shouldn’t be all that unusual But too h the alleys we’d passed weren’t just shuttered; they were closed, and looked like they had been that way for a while

I

"The people are afraid," she said "My agents have told ic users"

I frowned "I iet the ic-flavored kind"

Imala nodded "Sathrik knows that the people of this city are ainst hi us"

"With the rest hiding behind locked doors until this is all over with"

"TheAll ant is to live our lives and raise our faoblin national pastiue fit into that?"

I parts"

It didn’t look like this had always been the bad part of town Though with Sarad Nukpana in charge, the entire city now shared that distinction The town houses along the length of street ere on now looked for thenew and trendy

Kind of like what Tao

And Tae-wannabe teenagers, Tah Pretty ers were confident that they knew everything; they underestiic wasn’t only about casting spells and building wards; it was knohen to do it--or, most i your shortco responsibility for the consequences of your actions--things a lot of egocentric,

Sarad Nukpana and Tam had both been Kesyn Badru’s students Nukpana had chosen the dark path; Ta to find Kesyn Badru and ask the guy to save civilization as we knew it by helping us

By helping Ta where no one would co for him--and he meant no one, not even Sarad Nukpana

There was a house that was considered cursed, possessed, haunted, you na the considering were goblins; that said a lot in iven us the quick and dirty details on this place People either went in and were never seen again, or they felt the sudden need to kill the friend who’d gone in with theh the years, a few fah to actually buy the place and move in They ultimately came out in either coffins or straitjackets--and others had never co on the cake hen Tam told us that as a boy even Sarad Nukpana had been scared of the place What scared you as a kid tended to stick So if Kesyn Badru wanted to be left alone--and he did--there was no place he’d rather be

Yeah, I saw this ending well Kind of like Carnades being responsible for getting us safely home Look how that had turned out

We approached the house fro a narrow side street that was little ranite wall surrounding the house and separating it frorown up underneath the walls and street cobbles,underfootit quietly impossible

I’d noticed that oblin ho the tops of their walls They ht have beenthat these were goblin homes, they may have been meant to be decorative for all I knew

This house’s wall didn’t have spikes It had vines Vines whose sole purpose appeared to be growing thorns the length of ers with the sharpness of my favorite stiletto They weren’t decorative, at least not to me, but they wereloud and clear--this house and Kesyn Badru did not want visitors I wondered if he’d take into consideration that we didn’t want to be visitors If we’d had any choice at all, ouldn’t be lurking outside of the gates of his newly adopted hoe Beyond that I could justat the eaves of the house in honest-to-God gargoyles that looked like sooat demons The place had "evil villain hideout" written all over it It made me wonder what Sarad Nukpana’s house looked like

Unlike some of the other formerly fine hoh with the overgrown bushes, I couldn’t see the downstairs s, so neither could any wandering pack of Sathrik’s Khrynsani youth looking for solass on the second and third floors, either One of the king’s punks could have easily chucked a rock or ten that high Either no one had the guts to try, or the house tossed rocks back at their throwers Judging by the creepy-crawlies presently working their way up to my neck, either one was possible

"So, based on your hunch, we’re going into a house that ave or was exciting" The smile vanished "Kesyn doesn’t consider me his friend; and I don’t want to find out what this place would lad you’re not lad I’m not you for quite sorounds" I rown that I had no clue what the actual grounds looked like A broken stone pathway led to what I assumed was the front door I assurowth Once we got close enough, I saw that one of the front doors sported the sa, resulting in death, dismemberment, etcetera I wondered if the house had eaten the poor sot who had to nail the sign to the door

The other door was opening slowly, co

Nor, but the knot inthan Sathrik’s death and disot a hand on his are who has who knohat lurking in those bushes Plus, he hates you And you propose to walk right up to a conveniently open door--"

"Which I don’t think the wind opened," Mychael added "Mainly because there isn’t any wind"

"Psycho houses don’t need wind," I muttered