came out of the Aether and onto the hill that overlooked the picturesque town. It was night in the United Kingdom so Painswick was alight with street lamps and the glow from windows. Up where we were, the only light came from the moon but it was more than enough for us.
Mallien stepped toward the plot of land we had warded, one hand lifted to feel for the magic. “The ward is holding well.” He looked back at us. “Are you certain this is the course you wish to take?”
I looked around at the group and then we nodded.
“Do we need to act together to lower the ward?” Lugh asked.
“No, it only takes one of the original casters to break a ward.” Mallien held up his hands, fluttering his fingers as a child does out of a car window, and then brought his arms down sharply. A flash of light, gone in a second, was the only indication that the ward had broken. That and the sudden appearance of fey flora.
Mallien stepped back and waved Torrent forward.
“Torr”—I grabbed his arm—“if it starts to feel wrong, if you get any indication that the magic is attacking you, stop immediately. Don't try to be a hero.”
“I'll be fine, V.” Torrent took my hand and squeezed it.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Torrent stepped up to the edge of the fey land. He didn't hold his hands out or speak; he merely gazed upon it. But as he stared, his vivid green eyes brightened and started to glow. The glow coated the fey plants, giving them a sickly hue—a slimy color I associated with zombies, ghouls, and Halloween in general. The plants gave no indication that they were being attacked; the flowers continued to sleep, their petals closed for the night, and the grass lay dormant. But they began to absorb that disturbing glow and then vibrate. The whole of the infected land shivered very slightly, making it seem as if my vision had gone blurry.
We held our breath, every eye focused on the sight of a god killing faerie magic. I don't know how the others felt, but I was uncomfortable. My stomach clenched and a fluttering tingle of anxiety bloomed in my chest. Every part of me screamed that this was wrong—this was murder. It wasn't the release of energy that happens when a god or faerie dies. The magic wouldn't return to its source. This was an end.
But it was a peaceful end.
The plants separated into tiny pieces, forming a cloud that reminded me of the one in the Imleag. Golden light lifted from the soil and was sucked into the green glow of Torrent's magic. Particles floated in the lime-green cloud. They swirled in calming patterns. A pause came, like a deep inhalation, and then an exhale. Torrent's glowing gaze dulled into its normal color as the green cloud before him diffused. It simply spread out into nothing and left a rough circle of bare earth behind.
A collective, relieved sigh filled the clearing.
Torrent turned around and smiled. “See? Everything was fine.”
“Well done, Torr!” I rushed forward and hugged him. “I knew your magic would save us one day.”
“Save us?” Torrent whispered as I pulled back.
“You're going to save the entire world tonight, Torrent,” I declared.
“I am?”
“Not that you haven't done it before.” I winked at him. “But this time, you're doing it all by yourself.”
Torrent beamed at me and I had to blink rapidly to keep from shedding a tear. Torrent had been like a child when we first met—unsure, innocent, and in desperate need of love. He'd grown up under my care and had become a wonderful man but there was still that innocence in him—that need to do well, especially in the eyes of the people he loved. That was the joy I saw in his face—the pure pleasure of a child who had made his parent proud.
“Where's the next one?” Torrent asked eagerly.
Chapter Eighteen
It was going well. Smoothly. Rapidly. Every site succumbed peacefully to Torrent's magic and simply faded away. I even texted Teharon and told him to let everyone know that things were going great and we were nearly finished. Then, in the middle of the final unmaking, I received a text.
I looked down at my phone and frowned. The text was from Lieutenant Austin Wright of the Lexington Police Department—AKA Cowboy Cop. It read: Is there something I should know?
Azrael raised a dark wing to block us from Torrent and whispered, “What is it?”
“It's Austin.” I stepped away