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In principal, the killer said nothing that I strongly
disagreed with (except wearing my face). His reasoning was
sound enough, save for matters that pertained directly to his
worldview. However, I did take issue with the blade he’d
placed under my chin, as that would certainly need to be
remedied.
I used my free hand to wrench the seat in front of me
sideways, jerking the knife away from both my neck and
the killer’s hand. As his knife fell to the floor, I plunged my
hand through the hole in the intervening seat and grabbed
the killer by the wrist. I pulled his arm through the hole,
twisting it into an unnatural position, disallowing him access
to any more surprises.
“Strength is also an admirable attribute,” I said, revisiting
his earlier comments. “When combined with cleverness and
speed, you have a rather effective trifecta indeed. Also, I’ve
no idea how you assume anything in this world complete,
mask-maker. You don’t strike me as a fool, so you must
realize nothing in this world is as it should be. You don’t
have enough thread to sew up all the holes. Perhaps, should
we live long enough to face one another in the truer spirit of
the game, we can debate the issue more completely. But for
now, tell me, Janus-of-the-Two-Faces, have you dreamt of
him, this Shepherd?”
Janus laughed. “My, you are rather strong at that. My arm
feels like it’s trapped in a vise. But if you don’t intend on
killing me, I’d greatly appreciate it if you would loosen up a
tad bit. Otherwise, you’ll give my next scheduled opponent
an unfair advantage, as I’ll only have the effective use of one
arm.”
When it became clear that I wouldn’t oblige his request,
his mask somehow conveyed a withering look. “Well, I can’t
say for sure that I’ve had a mystical visitation in my sleep,”
he continued. “I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re getting at.
But I have had a few unusual dreams. The first occurred just
before I acquired my most recent appearance. I was looking
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