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There was nothing left of me but the pain pounding through my veins and the pulsing circle of the portal contracting and contracting with each swivel of my wrists.
A mass of rock tumbled from the ceiling. A smaller piece clipped my shoulder. My whole body was already throbbing so much I barely registered the blow.
A demon eye pressed against the shrinking portal; a demon claw jabbed through. I couldn’t back away yet. I had to see this done, all the way, until I knew the greatest mistake witching kind had ever made was finished.
Numbness spread over my skin and into my flesh. I couldn’t feel my hands anymore, even as I wheeled my arms to twist the magic clogging the portal even tighter.
A groan so unearthly it turned my gut to water pierced the air. Then the portal closed completely with a crackle and a smell like hot tar.
The cave crumbled inward at the same moment, rocks showering down over the scorched wall where the portal had vanished. My head spinning, I scrambled backward.
The falling stones battered my legs as I dragged myself through the cave mouth. The sea hissed and foamed below and the wind warbled above, and the darkness closed around me. I groped for the path and nearly tumbled right over the edge of that rocky outcropping to meet the waves below.
Footsteps thumped against the stone. Arms wrapped around me, hefting me up. “We’ve got you,” a voice said. “We’ve got you. You’ll be okay.” And someone else made a sound like a swallowed sob.
Itisokay, I wanted to tell her, if I could have found my mouth, my vocal chords, amid the pain raging through me.They’re gone. They’re done. They can’t hurt anyone here ever again.
I drew in a breath with an even deeper flare of agony, and I wasn’t aware of much of anything for a long time after that.
Chapter Thirty
Rose
Igot the impression it pained Brimsey a little, standing up in the row of officials paying tribute during this ceremony. The Northcotts and Remington and most of the others at least looked honestly happy, but even after everything, the head of Unsparked Relations couldn’t keep that slight curl of distaste from his mouth.
Well, let him find us distasteful. I was standing with my consorts, alive and on legs that would hold me, in front of nearly everyone who was everyone in the witching world, and they were here to recognize us.
The late summer day was crisp and clear, the breeze over the patio on the Assembly building’s rooftop carrying a hint of the coming fall. The officials who’d been most involved in the defense against the demon were arranged in a row behind the stately podium. The other guests were scattered among the small potted hedges.
Lady Northcott was at the podium now, speaking in a voice as crisp and clear as the air, but warmer.
“And it is thanks to all that we are all here to help this city rebuild and to regain the footing of our witching community. We must recognize the risks taken and sacrifices made by Lady Hallowell and her five consorts. As such, on behalf of the Assembly, we hereby certify that this consorting, while unusual, is completely valid in every way, and Lady Hallowell’s consorts must be treated as full members of the witching community. We will be opening inquiry into the historical basis for similar consortings so that all witches may have as much freedom as they deserve. And tonight we will dine in honor of our bravest peers.”
She dipped her head to us, and my throat tightened with joyful emotion. Gabriel squeezed my left hand, Kyler tucking his fingers more closely between mine at my other side. Damon raised his chin with a defiant flash of his eyes as if he thought he still needed to prove something here. Jin beamed at me, and Seth let out a long exhale, as if he’d only just realized it really was all over.
We were safe. We were free.
The people who were gathered around us launched into applause. The Northcotts motioned us up to the small table set next to the podium, where they had an official consorting record ready for us to sign.
We shook everyone’s hands, and then the gathering dispersed to reassemble downstairs in the dining hall. Naomi and then my aunt Ginny grabbed me in a hug, Aunt Irene watching with a hesitant smile. The recovering witches, all of them bright-eyed and steady despite their encounter with the demon just a few days ago, came over with brief touches and words of gratitude. Knowing the demons had no more access to this world had done more for their healing than any spell could have.
We waited until they’d all headed down the stairs before we moved to follow. Gabriel slipped his arms around my waist, holding me for just a second before we went into the stairwell.
“What do you think?” he said, softly but lightly. “Was it worth all the trouble?”
I didn’t think he meant just the outside struggles we’d been through. His embrace brought a quiver into my chest: the flicker of all that remained of my spark. Overcoming the demon and sealing the portal hadn’t taken all of my magic, but it had taken a lot. No one was ever going to look on in awe while I cast a spell again.
But I’d found that realization less painful than I might have expected. If we were safe, I didn’t need to be doing spectacular magic. Enough to heat up a cup of tea or soothe a small burn if that tea spilled should be plenty for the peaceful life I’d like to lead.
If I felt a slight ache, it disappeared as soon as I thought of the consequences we’d have faced if I hadn’t managed to rip myself apart like that. There was nothing in the last few months that I could honestly say I’d change. In every case, the alternative might have been so much worse.
“Absolutely worth it,” I said, hugging Gabriel’s arm against me. “I wouldn’t change a moment of it.”
* * *
One week later
It’d been a long time since Hallowell manor had seen this much activity. My mother’s entire extended family—consorts and cousins and all—had flown in to join our homecoming celebration. Lesley and Imogen had come by, and my consorts had invited their parents. Everyone was grabbing food off the platters on the dining table and sipping wine and gabbing away in what sounded like upbeat tones. Our return to the estate appeared to be getting off on the right foot.
