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"So, you ju else out on the way to the ground"

"It’s the ground I’m worried about!"

And I didn’t blas that could kill a o any lower The red lightning balls seeh for the forward a little, barely fast enough to ruffle h that would have been an iuards hadn’t just switched to other spells These looked different, with long tails and a wider dispersion; I guess because they were harder to aim at this distance But the result was a sky full of what looked a lot like fireworks, red and pink and yellow and orange, and would have been really beautiful

If we hadn’t been flying through the middle of the yellow sparks that ate tiny holes in his robe before so Caleb muttered put them out I was more worried about the shock waves fro us every which way, like a boat on the high seas

I’d just had the thought when another wave hit us, heavier than the rest, tipping the rug I was clinging to with both hands and a foot by at least thirty percent I slid to the edge, and for a second, I stared straight down at a city full of deep blue shadows and orange lantern-light and exploding spells and streets full of people staring back at us But I didn’t screa, at least, that I wasn’t seeing

"Why aren’t the incubi co wobbled back into place "They can reach us no h we are!"

"Yeah, except that we shot one a fewbolt staining his face gold

"With what?" Pritkin deiven hi

"We didn’t kill anybody," I said "Which isthe lords ould gladly see un back "But they aren’t going to attack ht in front of ive the at them!"

"It was only one," Caleb said diffidently

"You’re as bad as she is!"

"Why do they want you dead?" I demanded "You’re Rosier’s heir--"

"And as such stand between them and power I pushed everyone a step farther away from the throne the day I returned"

"But if they can’t kill you in front of your father--"

"They can’t At least not openly, although half the guards around here are in the pay of one faction or another But they’re not the hhh!" That was Casanova, bloodstained face lit up by a ruddy spell, giving hiht now "Am I the only sane one here? Am I the only one who realizes this is not the time for a chat? I don’t care what you do or how you do it, but flying carpets are supposed to fly!"

"In the movies, maybe," Caleb said "But in case you didn’t notice, this is not in acity, so far below us now--"is not CGI and you are going to get shoved off this rug if you don’t shut up and let us think!"

Only that didn’t see rumbled the air around us like thunder Only this place didn’t look like it got a lot of thunder And I didn’t think thunder would put quite that expression on Pritkin’s face

"What is that?" Casanova asked, voice strained Like he couldn’t take any ht now Which was too bad, since that was the only kind we seeet

"A dehtly, as a hteen