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Broken Soul Faith Hunter 21670K 2023-09-01

"The Keeper of the Iron Spike of Golgotha can wield all power over all Mithrans, even the Sons of Darkness," Grégoire said It sounded like a quote fro straight, his feet flat on the floor He no longer looked like a teenager lounging Weapons bristled on him, blades of every shape and variety and style He looked what he was, the best fighter in the A at us There was a challenge in his eyes I shifted uns

"Men," Katie spat She stood too, and stared back and forth between the other vamps "No one knew for certain that Joses Bar-Judas was here until that foul creature Reach was taken," she said "Our enean this crisis, with black ic, not her" Katie pointed at me

"What she said," I said "Had any of your eneht the war here first, hoping to steal your artifacts, combine their artifacts with the Son of Darkness, and rule the world of the Mithrans Booo"

"But you discovered only the pocket watches, and not the spike," Leo said "Without it I ah to rule"

It sounded oddly like an accusation, as if I hadn’t done my job Since Leo wanted the spike, and I hadn’t found it, I actually hadn’t done runted, a nonspecific sound

"It is stillor in the hands of another," Katie said "If we had the spike noe could control the Son and maintain peace But we do not There will be war on the shores of this land for possession of the artifacts of power, for control of Leo’s prisoner and Joses’ gift of power, and for the right to possess and to ride les arcenciels"

"His gift of power?" Bethany had talked about the gift she had given Leo Had Bethany broken the crystal that set the arcenciel free and brought down Joses for Leo as soift? Bethany had wanted to ride the arcenciel, ot free the first tiym It made an awful sort of sense for a crazy priestess I doubted the vamps would tell me if I asked, so I led the way in indirectly and asked instead, "Ride?"

Grégoire said, "To encase them in crystal from the earth and use their power It is not a difficult process All one needs is a length of quartz crystal, enough blood, and the proper power source, such as the Spike of the Hill of the Skull Power is e discuss Who has it and hoe use it"

"Sadly," Katie said, "it is easy to free theerous slave is then set free," Grégoire said

"Uh- huh" Slave? Yeah Slave Va slaves "Bethany has three Onorios, some humans, and a olf in her control, and a desire to ride the arcenciel," I said All the vamps turned to me Not one of them looked human when they did it More like statues whose heads suddenly spun on theirlike horror on her face Grégoire’s voice was full of shock when he said, "My boys are--"

My earpiece squealed and I jerked "Inco, like a boed as a concussive wave battered through I heard screa in my earbud and from the front entrance A second explosion followed

And all hell broke loose Again