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And I curled ers into claws The bins exploded, the refuse contained in each rising into the air and swirling and churning in a circle, a hurricane of debris and foulness that surrounded the five ether in a clap, all of it sucked inward -- plastering the substance mortalkind has ever produced I made sure a bit of my own ordure was in there, too

I could have been truly cruel They’d us log and speared them with spore-covered splinters I could have broken their bodies into pieces and stuffed the wholefun I let theh some of them had the wit to keep their mouths closed for fear of what the scream would let in -- and flailed at theiven what their jobs entailed But I supposed it was one thing to shovel and haul shit; quite another to bathe in it I had madel bt i certain the stuff went into their clothes and various crevices of their bodies A good trick is all about the details

"Re forward Those who could see et the rabbed their still-blind corinned, and ertips A waste offor however long it lasted "Never touch her again, or I will find you Now go!" I sto, but they were horrified and wise enough to screa and slipping in the slion and round -- ere still at the back of the alley, where the ground was relatively clean -- and laughed and laughed, untilher way over the tu to find a way out of the alley that would not require her to walk through a layer of filth

Surprised at being abandoned, I stopped laughing and sat up on one elboatch her "Where are you going?"

"Away from you," she said Only then did I realize she was furious

Blinking, I got toafter that trick, it was nothing to grab her about the waist and leap over the front half of the alley, landing in the brighter-lit, fresher air of the street There were a few people about, standing andin the wake of the asp as I landed on the cobblestones Quickly -- hurriedly, in some cases -- all of the onlookers turned and left, so back as if in fear that I would follow

Puzzled by this, I set Hy away, too "Hey!"

She stopped, and turned back to me with a look of such wariness that I flinched "What?"

I put my hands on my hips "I saved you What, not even a thanks?"

"Thank you," she said tightly, "though I wouldn’t have been in danger if you hadn’t called out to theain," I said "Isn’t that what you wanted?"

"What I wanted," she said, turning red in the face noas to do ured out you were a godling! And you’re worse soht for a moment that you were more" -- she spluttered, too apoplectic to speak for a mo upus a favor" She turned aalking briskly enough that the li; the bad foot didn’t slow her down at all

I stared in the direction she had gone until it becahed and trotted after her

I hadn ahe nearly caught up when Hy onnot to hunchI could just leave "Is there so you want? I can’t fix your foot, but … I don’t know Whatever"

I could alh she did not speak for a e before she started shouting at a god

"I don’t want my foot fixed," she said with re fro to serve, and you won’t leave me alone until you’ve done it, then here’s what I need: money"