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The e, tethered to a heavy iron post by a chain around its neck It was in such a sorry state that I was teast had been splashed hite paint and daubed here and there with mud, which , like a Dal trails of black blood, and its ht would nor liht never seen a hollow, seemed impressed nevertheless Which was just as well: even in this ed to knock out several fighters in a row It was still plenty dangerous, and very unpredictable Which is why, I assumed, men armed with rifles were stationed around the courtyard Better safe than sorry

I huddled with Sharon and Ethe holloere working under the assu the hollow out, and away froh that chain around its neck?" I asked Emma

"If I had two days to do it," she said "I don’t suppose we could just explain to everyone that we really need the hollow and we’ll bring it back e’re finished?"

"You wouldn’t even get that whole sentence out," said Sharon, eyeing the rowdy crowd "This is hters have had in years No chance"

"Next fighter!" shouted a wo watch from a second-story

Away froued about which of the the ground inside the cage, and none see straws, and a well-built man as stripped to the waist had just picked the short one

"Nothe man’s bushy mustache and relatively unscarred face "He e and strutted toward the crowd In a loud, Spanish-accented voice, he told the to kill the hollow and keep its head for a trophy, and that his peculiar ability--ultraquick healing--would make it impossible for the hollow to inflict a mortal wound

"See these beautyto show off a collection of nasty, claw-shaped scars on his back "A griave them to me last week They were an inch deep," he claimed, "and healed the sae "That wrinkled old thing doesn’t stand a chance!"

"Now it’s definitely going to kill him," Emma said

The man poured a vial of aht bea a cataract of burn round A moment later they winked out Thus fortified, he strode confidently to the cage door, where auy with the keys," I said "We ht need those"

Sharon reached into his pocket and drew out a wriggling rat by its tail "Did you hear that, Xavier?" he said to the rat "Go get the keys" He dropped the rodent on the ground and it scurried away

The boastful fighter entered the cage and began to face off with the hollow He’d taken a small knife from his belt and assumed a bent-kneed stance, but other than that he showed little appetite for a fight Instead, he see a speech with all the blowhard bluster of a professional wrestler "Come at ues and make a belt to hold up my pants! I’ll pick my teeth with your toenails and mount your head on hterhis knife across his forearan to well he held up the wound It healed and closed before a single drop could reach the ground "I am invincible!" he cried "I am not afraid!"

Suddenly the hollow faked toward the man and roared, which so startled him that he dropped his knife and threw his arrown tired of hihter--and so did we--and the man, red-faced with embarrass toward hiues extended and curled like clenched fists

The e the nity, so he took a few tentative steps forhile brandishing the knife The hollow flicked one of its painted tongues at him The man swiped at it with his knife--and connected Cut, the hollow squealed and retracted the tongue, then hissed at the ry cat

"That’ll teach you to attack Don Fernando!" thehollows is a bad idea"

He seemed to have the hollow on the run It backed ahile thehis knife When the hollow could retreat no farther, its back against the bars of the cage, the man raised his knife "Prepare to die, deed

For a moment I wondered if I’d have to step in and save the hollow, but soon it beca beneath the man was all the slack of the hollow’s chain, which the hollow grabbed and swept violently to one side, sending Don Fernando flying head-first into a round Another KO