They ran to the door, slipped in and closed it after them. The Repository was massive. Books and magical items lined the shelves, some open to display, some held behind unbreakable glass. The sword was in a case at the back of the room, and Tanith led the others straight to it and a voice said—

“I wouldn’t take one more step if I were you.”

Tanith turned slowly, smiling at Vex and the others as they stood there looking all cool. She waited for the Cleavers to pounce, and when they didn’t, her smile widened.

“They don’t know you’re here, do they?” she said. “No one knows. Look at us. Peas in a pod, aren’t we? We break in here, you break in here. We want to steal the sword, you want to steal the sword. A merry old time had by all.”

“There is a difference, though,” said Vex. “There are six of us, and only three of you.”

“Yeah,” Tanith said, “but somewhere in this Sanctuary, we have a vampire.”

“Which would slaughter you as soon as it would slaughter us,” said Saracen. “Hello, Tanith. You’re looking well.”

“Saracen Rue and Frightening Jones,” said Tanith. “Two ex-boyfriends. And Aurora. Hi, Aurora. And all of you wanting to kill me. This isn’t good for my self-esteem, you know.”

“We’re not here to kill you,” said Frightening. “We’re here to stop you. To bring you in, if we can.”

“So they can cure me? I don’t need to be cured. Look at me. Do I not look happy? I think everyone just needs to take a step back, relax, and accept that this is the new me. I’m just like the old me, but better.”

“You’re not getting the sword,” said Vex. “We’d destroy it before we let you get your hands on it.”

Her laugh was so sudden and so genuine that it actually made Vex frown, and she said, “Well, if I had known that earlier, I could have just stayed at home!”

“Wait,” he said, “so you’re destroying the weapons, that’s what you’re doing?”

Tanith grinned. “Of course. You want to use them to kill Darquesse, and I want to melt them down to slag before she even turns up. I’ve seen the future. I’ve seen what she becomes. People like you, you’re going to need God-Killer weapons just to get her to notice you.”

“And the rest of your little gang?” Saracen said, looking at Annis and Wilhelm. “I can understand why Tanith wants the world to end – she’s got a Remnant living inside her – but what about you, Annis?”