13. Caitlin Wheatbeer (She Who Walks Alone)

14. Menthe Wintergreen

15. Mahe’alani Rainwater

16. Ariel Silverstone

* Apostates

*******************

“Now show me what we know about the Death Dealers,” Chris Alan ordered.

Rafael complied with this summary:

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Fact File 7451-Alpha: Death Dealers, The

Albionic/Ersatz Name: The Death Dealers

Adamic Name: *Rakhley ha-Mawet* (“The Traveling Merchants of Death”)

Samuel Silverskin: Elemental (Archon class). Leader of the Death Dealers. Considered the fourth most powerful Elemental ever created. As a fighter among Elementals, he is behind only Nicholas Blackthorn and Slate Rockmire, and is at rough parity with Hilo the Shapeshifter. Samuel’s skin seems invulnerable to all tech- and hyper-tech weapons, including *n*-crystal lasers. Effects of most meta-tech weapons on him are unknown; it is suspected that only a durin or lit durin blade could destroy him. Samuel has durin chains protruding from his back which are made of durin. Samuel also has the ability to create and control gravitational forces spanning the width of a whole star system.

Ant: Elemental (Protean class). Considered the sixth most powerful Elemental ever created. His true adopted archetype is rather hideous, so he normally uses the form of a large male Black Tribesman. When at normal Adami scale, his strength is 3,000 times Adami normal for his mass. Ant can change his height and mass in three dimensions; his strength remains proportional to his mass. Ant can move at hypersonic speed, but this speed drops as he increases in mass.

Celeste Blueface: Elemental (Protean class). Considered the tenth most powerful Elemental ever created. Celeste has the ability to synchronize her energy field with that of other energy fields, creating a feedback loop able either to boost that field or dampen it. She also can draw life sustaining energy from the quantum vacuum out of proportion to her overall power level.

Agatha: Species Evelight. Member of a race of telepathic women obsessed with immortality and wisdom. That is all that is revealed of them thus far.

Horus: Species, unknown; abilities, mostly unrevealed. However, records from the fight with Susan Starrider show the ability to fly. At one point in their fight, his life signature vanished and became synchronized with hers.

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“Well, there we have it,” Chris Alan said aloud. “Three of our enemies are in the top ten of all Elementals – and one’s right behind *you*, Slate.”