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"What's a Vrekener?"

Sabine inhaled deeply as she gazed at the ceiling Mustn't ers of old, de race as well But since htered evil Sorceri wherever they could find the Sabine's family for all of her life For no other reason than because her parents were indeed quite evil"

With a flick of her hand, Sabine changed the scene, showing the two girls stu flashing through soaring stained glass s, they saw the bodies of their par­ents, curled together in sleep

The headless bodies, freshly decapitated

In the iled screaing from the shadows of the chaed not of s appeared, and the double rows of horns on their heads glea that she had to crane her neck up to meet eyes across the rooer even than Sabine His gaze was transfixed on little Lanthe, curled unconscious on the floor-one of the adults had to hold hirew clearer to her This band of Vrekeners hadn't stalked them only for punitive reasons

"The leader tried to convince Sabine to come peace­ably with them," she told her audience "That he would

put the sisters upon the path of goodness But Sabine knehat the Vrekeners did to Sorceri girl children, and it was a fate worse than death So she fought the it play to the end

Her entire body shook as she began to weave her spells around her enemies She made the Vrekener soldiers believe they were trapped in a cavern, ensnared underground where they couldn't fly-their worst fear

For the leader, she held up her palesture of supplication directed to his htmares, which she then offered up in a display before hi him to relive whatever would hurt him most

These scenes made him sink to his knees, and when he dropped his scythe to claw at his eyes, she snatched his weapon fro it

Hot blood sprayed across her face as his head tuown over her eyes, she saw that her illusions were fading, the Vrekeners able to see where they truly were once more Lanthe had woken and screamed for Sabine ; to watch out

Then timestopped

Or seemed to Sounds di at Sabine, at the blood arcing froular as she collapsed One of these males had slashed her throat from behind, and all the world went red

"Abie?" Lanthe shrieked, charging for her, dropping to her knees beside her "No, no, no, Abie, don't die, don't die, don't die!" The air around them heated and blurred

Whereas Sabine had her illusions, Lanthe's innate sorcery was called persuasion She could order any being to do as she pleased, but she rarely gave coedy

Yet when the litter, sparkling like metal The terrible power she'd feared to use she noielded over theht each other to the death"