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with a demon wearing horns and a pointed tail and carrying a pitchfork. |
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"Halloween!" he whispered. |
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"What is that you're mumbling?" |
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"Nothing. Master, you have recovered the talisman. Why not let them go?" |
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As he often had during this quest for the talisman, the Dark Man wondered why he had ever selected the goateed man for his apprentice. The man had the backbone of a jellyfish. |
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"You mean overlook the woman's involvement in Tomas's death?" |
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"You are right. Tomas's death has little to do with it. At the best of times he was an irritant and a disappointment. His powers bordered on the nonexistentelse, why would I have selected you?" |
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Thanks a lot, the goateed man thought. |
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"No, what you must always remember is that the Guédé are like a pack of ravenous beasts. And if we do not feed them, they just might turn on us." |
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"Like the spirits of the dead we have sacrificed?" |
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Silent, as he watched the flashlight beams dance over the dripping walls, the Dark Man felt the creep of cold flesh up the back of his neck. At last he replied, "Yes . . . I admit to some small measure of concern. But that was before I recovered the talisman. And that is why we must prevent these two from escaping. I had to promise their souls to our dark lords for their assistanceand to the Guédé, a promise is a promise." |
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The tunnel twisted like a snake. The sorcerers bypassed several blind offshoots and ignored storerooms full of moldy corn. After what felt like hours, the Dark Man suddenly hissed, "Stop!" |
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The goateed man paused and looked back over his shoulder. |
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In the midst of all that blackness, the Dark Man closed his eyes. Reaching out with his mind, he touched a concentration |
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