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Root was yet to blink. It was a white deer, crowned with a regal twist of ivory antlers. Its breathing, sure and strong, billowed beneath an infinite spread of iridescent wings. The silver of its eyes cast a fury of power that sent shivers along Root’s skin.

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“Yes, a beauty beyond fathoming,” Milwart Ibbbs said with the self same awe. “Sadly, the HaloEm are now extinct, the last having been exterminated by the Murk Lord.”

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Root’s heart caught fire at his words. Kakos slaughtered these? She could hardly breathe for the dizziness of incomprehension. How? How could anyone do such a thing? She gazed at the beast. Its wings shimmered harmlessly, glinting pinks and blues and yellows. 

“The HaloEm, as you can imagine, were highly revered. Their intelligence was sought among sages. Monarchs endlessly raked the land for their power. But only a most fortunate and select few had the honour of their friendship."

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Quill (Book Two of The Bone Grit Historeum)