Page 110 of Veil of Night & Flames

“Sorry,” I say. “It’s a you and me convo. The in-person kind.”

“And here I am in the flesh. So talk.”

“It’s just really big, and I’m not even sure where to start.”

“Well, now you’re scaring me, so just pick a place and start there.”

I nod. “Right. Start.” I suck in air, then blurt it out. “He’s not going to help. Adric. The barriers are coming down, and he’s fine with that.”

“With slow, you mean,” Tia says. “Didn’t you tell me once he was okay with slow? Because then everything can learn to live with everything else.”

“Yeah, well, then the Widow Maker decided to get all rumbly and Hellmouthy. And it’s not moving slow at all.”

She leans back, her eyes wide. “You’re saying he’s not going to help figure out how to stop it?”

I shake my head. “Worse. He’s not going to do anything but let it happen, even though he knows that the Real is going to take the brunt of it with millions upon millions of people dying when those creatures in Retribution come looking for snacks.”

“Wait, what? No. You must have misunderstood.”

“Acceptable losses,” I say. “That’s his attitude.”

Tia leans forward. “Hold on. Acceptable losses meaning—what? People?”

“People. The Real. Us.” I realize I’ve been shredding my napkin. “When the barriers go and the monsters in Retribution come through, we’re their Happy Meal. No magic, no clue how to fight. The Real is totally vulnerable and he knows it, but it’s a price he’s willing to pay.”

“He said that?”

“Oh, he said that some would survive, of course, but the ones who fall? Back to those acceptable losses.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

She shakes her head, looking a little ill. “Does he get what that means? How many people? I mean, Retribution will swarm the Real. They’ll wipe out pretty much everybody. Babies and little kids and people who just got married and⁠—”

“I know,” I say. The word is a whisper. “It’s a fucking apocalypse.” I look down, then realize I’m biting my lip.

“What? What else did he do?”

I shake my head. “Nothing—it’s just ... I think I felt it. The keystone shifting. I was with Uncle Finn and it felt like an earthquake. And with all the stuff at the Widow Maker...” I trail off with a shudder.

“Oh.” She takes a deep breath. “I mean, we already knew that, but...”

“Yeah. It’s not just happening here. It’s already spreading.”

She wipes her eyes. “What else can we do?”

I shrug, already feeling defeated. “I honestly don’t know. I’m going back, though. We need Adric on our side, and I’m telling myself he just doesn’t get it. After all, he’s not human—hell, he’s the thing ancient people worshipped. Maybe he just can’t wrap his head around it. But I’m going to make him get it. Because we need his help to stop it. He can’t just do nothing, and he damn sure can’t urge it on.”

“Do you think you can? Convince him, I mean?” She’s hugging herself, and I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Tia truly look scared.

“I’ll make him help,” I say. “I have to.”

She draws a breath, short and quick, then nods. “And you will,” she says.

“Yeah. I will.”

A long beat passes, then she clears her throat. “So, um, how are you going to manage that?”