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The deored Sarad Nukpana’s shields and contehter’s cloak The deic flaying the de terror The seared streaks in the demon’s flesh healed instantly, and a sound escaped his throat that sounded alhter

The demon turned and inclined his massive head to Tam

Tam bowed in return

The darkness next to the dais rippled and opened revealing a diht The stench of sulfur-scented hot air flowed out of the passage that the deate with his prize, as our ears rang with Sarad Nukpana’s screaic Sarad Nukpana had murdered to have for his own, the power he had hoarded for his , twisted into his ultiht now, standing outside the Khrynsani te to do to his old teacher and a livid Imala Kalis Yes, Tam had summoned a demon, but before he’d released it, there’d been so on Tam’s part With his obscene level of power, Sarad Nukpana had turned himself into a veritable demonic feast Taave his word that he’d only take Sarad Nukpana Tam’s soul wasn’t part of the deal or even on the table

Deive you its word, it was good However, you had to be careful not to give them a loophole in that verbal contract to pick up a couple of extra treats while they were here Taave the dereedy

It had worked

Being the right-hand ht Taath and appeal of Sarad Nukpana’s power, betting that the demon would want Nukpana worse than the demon would want him I wondered if the demon felt cheated Probably If he did, Ta would want payback of the eternal kind Then again, didn’t we all have to watch our backs against so? The er andall this to Kesyn and I to It wasn’t that Imala didn’t understand it; she understood only too well She was infuriated that Taled himself like an hors d’oeuvre to lure a demon to a Sarad Nukpana feast

"Because if I had told you," Ta, "the dereasy spot on the floor Calling a de conditions on their release, really pisses theers at Ta would want Sarad more than you"

"I only have one soul in me," Tam said "Sarad had six ancient sorcerers, Rudra Muralin, and sohred mojo Me? Just one soul, and in comparison, miniscule power Scrawny power versus fat and juicy with evil It was no contest"

I with fury "What would have stopped hi both of you?"

Tam was confused and well on his way to annoyed "We Had A deal" This was the third time he’d had to repeat that particular fact, and couldn’t understand why I it

"And if he’d failed to catch Sarad?" Ied "Then I probably would have ended up as the consolation prize"

I her hands up in exasperation "Precisely!"

"But it worked I’m still here"

Ie, and her restraint was about to take off for hell in a handbasket Should she use her fists to beat some sense into Tarabbed Tam’s head in both hands, pulled him down, and kissed him Hard

Tam hadn’t expected that, but he recovered quickly and Imala found herself lifted off her feet I don’t think she noticed

Ta a similarly passionate reunion; but unlike Ie to punch Cyran before kissing him

We were out of the temple and in Execution Square near the palace, surrounded by those Resistance fighters eren’t presently occupied hunting down any and every Khrynsani they could find The Mal’Salin palace also had dungeons, and that had been where Sarad Nukpana had ioblin nobles who’d refused to bon to hi blaze had been a result of a h Nebian black powder inside to make for one heck of a pyrotechnics display, and to blast a sizeable crater at the foot of the Khrynsani teon had been driven into the square and parked in front of the teon’s teaon, and then ran like hell

Dae to the inside of the teons had been big enough to break through the teh the front doors Once Sarad Nukpana was gone, so was his control over the dragons, and the pair had gone back where they’d co outside and out of their reach The Resistancetheir nu to put out the still burning crater