“I was infected long ago,” he said, without even bothering with any pleasantries this time. “You have no idea what it feels like, when the change really starts to kick in. It’s like being part of something bigger, something far more important and significant. I felt a real sense of purpose, of destiny, for the first time in my life. Being human is such a limited thing. Why should I regret leaving it behind, when I will become so much more? When the Hungry Gods come through, I shall be part of them, and glory in your destruction.”

“But you’re losing yourself,” I said. “Giving up everything you’ve made of yourself. That used to mean so much to you, Sebastian.”

“I never knew how small I was, until I was touched by the gods,” said Sebastian. “Why stay a caterpillar, when you can become a butterfly?”

“Butterflies don’t normally kill everything else in the field,” said Molly.

Sebastian smiled at her. “They would if they could. And so will you, Molly dear.”

“You said you had something important you wanted to tell us,” I said. “Spill it, or we’re leaving.”

“Oh yes . . . You’ve been very clever, Eddie, discovering and rounding up all the drones we infected during the battle on the Nazca Plain . . . But from now on, every time you come into contact with us, you’ll lose more people. No matter how many battles you win, we’ll take more of you, until there’s no one left. You don’t dare fight us, because if you do we’ll make you just like us.”

I smiled right back at him. “Well, you would say that, wouldn’t you?”

I took Molly back to our room. We both needed some down time. Time to think. I stretched out on the bed but, instead of joining me, Molly stood by the window, looking out over the grounds. The silence in the room seemed to grow stronger and heavier the longer it went on, but neither of us knew how to break it. I’d said I’d help her, said I’d save her, but I didn’t know what to do. I’d said I’d protect her from my own family if necessary, but we both knew the fate of all humanity had to come first. We both knew a lot of things, but neither of us wanted to be the first to say them.

“How do you feel?” I said at last, just to be saying something in that awful silence.

“I can feel the first changes,” she said, still looking out of the window. “Physical changes. My body feels . . . different. Uncertain. And there are strange thoughts in my head, that seem to come out of nowhere . . . My magics are keeping things under control, for now. I know so many spells, so many forbidden magics and secrets, but I never thought I’d need a weapon I could use against myself.”