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“Of course I know,” Atticul drawls. “Did you think I had not noticed? He is in my head every moment. He wanted to be inside Selim. And he is angry about it. But he made a grave mistake. He wanted my weak uncle. He got me. The demon is not controlling me, brother. I control it. His power grows inside me. Soon I will be unstoppable.” He places the point of his sword against Damon’s neck. “And he has told me how to ignite that power. Slaying you.”

Damon swallows against the blade.

Behind Atticul, Inez says his name. Something flashes in her hand.

Atticul turns to her, smiling. “What is it sweetling? You wish to do it yourself? Take revenge on the one who has shamed you so?” He looks at the small dagger in her hand and takes the Amber Blade from Damon’s neck.

Inez steps forward to stand beside Atticul. “Yes, your Majesty.”

Damon stares at her. He knows he did a terrible thing to Inez. Had he been a fool to think she had forgiven him? He had been wrong about Doroth and now he was wrong about her. And that mistake will be his end. There is no one here to save him now.

Inez steps closer, moves around Atticul, raises her dagger.

And thrusts it hard into Atticul’s neck.

“As if I’d ever choose you over him,” she spits into Atticul's face. Pulling out the blade.

Atticul screams. His hand comes up to the wound on his neck. Blood sprays over Damon. Damon is so shocked, so slow, it takes him a moment to realise what has happened. Atticul crumples onto the bed. The thump of his weight sends a jolt of pain from Damon’s shoulder through his body. Blood flows from Atticul’s neck, staining the sheets.

Inez, also bloody, wipes her face with the back of her hand and drops the soiled dagger on the floor. It lands with a clattering.

“You carry a dagger?” Damon says to her, weakly.

Inez shrugs. “It’s his.”

“He can’t,” Damon says, “he can’t die that way.” Is that correct? He isn’t even sure. But there is a ritual they need to perform to kill Ur-Durik.

Atticul groans. He reaches up and grabs hold of Inez, pulling her down on the bed. She screams. Damon grunts as she hits his legs below the blankets.

Atticul, blood still flowing from his neck, covering his rich clothing, climbs up on top of her. He grins at Damon. His eyes are black.

Atticul’s hands are around Inez's neck. “You think you can kill me? You treacherous bitch,” he spits down at her.

Damon leans back. He swings a punch at Atticul. His shoulder screams. Something crackles in the air. His fist hits Atticul’s cheek, but the blow seems to do nothing at all.

Inez is choking, her face is pale and grey.

“Guards,” Damon cries out. His voice is weak but he forces himself to make the sounds. “Guards.”

The door bangs open. It is not the guards but Kerik and Perl.

Perl shouts, “Now,” and Kerik raises his hands. The golden net appears from nowhere, flying through the air towards Atticul, wrapping around him. He seems to lose his strange power, weakening instantly, and falls down on top of Damon and Inez. Fighting the net for several moments until he stills, eyes closed. He almost looks, then, as if he is sleeping.

“Inez,” Damon croaks. His voice strained from shouting.

“She was meant to call us in as soon as she stabbed him,” Kerik mutters.

Inez, coughing and spluttering, pulls herself out from under Atticul’s body. She takes a breath. “I meant to. For a moment though, I thought I had killed him.”

Damon looks at Kerik and Perl, as Kerik hauls Atticul's body from the bed and Perl helps Inez to her feet. “Couldn’t you just have cast your spell on him as soon as you got him here?” he says to them.

“We needed him sufficiently distracted so he could not counter it,” Perl says in his familiar methodological tone.

“And Inez knew nothing would distract him as much as you,” Kerik adds.

Inez looks at Damon sheepishly. “It was my plan. Damon, I wanted to prove to you that I forgive you.”

Damon sighs. “So we have him,” he says, looking down at Atticul. “We have our demon and we know how to kill him.”