etal.
"You will not keep me from my destiny. No one in this world or any other can lock me in this dying body any longer," Madame Cinders said. "The Dominions and I will rule forever. Im not greedy. Let them have the universe. Ill be happy with this one small world. "
Cinders reached under the folds of her hajib and pulled, breaking a thin gold chain that held a small vial around her neck. Pushing a button on her gurney, she rolled forward, positioning herself next to the great book.
"Ive guarded this vial for a hundred years," she said. "Its the last of my blood. I had it extracted and preserved when my body succumbed to the curse, after returning from Hell. Ive been a slave to these machines ever since. No more. With this blood sacrifice, Im reborn into a new body. " Madame Cinders inclined her head toward Shrike. "Perhaps Ill take hers. If I havent already broken it. "
She raised her shriveled hand and threw the vial, shattering it on the Dominions book. The thick red fluid spread across the metal like a living thing. It smoked where it touched the runes. The blood bubbled, and the book began to drink it down. Struggling, Madam Cinders turned on to her side, and reached out with her right hand to touch the book and her boiling offering.
Still clinging to Shrikes legs, Spyder shoved his hand into his pocket. Madame Cinders head lolled back. Spyder couldnt tell if she was in pain or ecstasy. Pulling out the kerchief Lucifer had given him, Spyder took the black, leathery strip that lay inside-a thin slice of John the Baptists heart-and dropped it into the little pool of Madame Cinders blood on the book.
Madame Cinders drew in a long, harsh breath. The sound seemed to stretch out for an i
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