‘What?’ asks Josiah, looking baffled. ‘After all he’s done, you’re going to bestow an honorable—’

‘We know what he’s done for us,’ says Hawk. ‘Whatever else he’s done since then, it looks like he’s paid the price. He’s one of us. We should give him the proper send-off that we couldn’t give our other brothers in the Pit.’

Josiah looks at them, then at Raffe, who nods.

‘What do we have that will burn?’ asks Thermo.

‘We have gas, but he said I couldn’t use any more,’ says my mother, pointing to Josiah.

‘And you can’t,’ says Josiah. ‘But they need some for the ceremony.’ He walks back to the truck and climbs into the bed.

‘You brought gas?’ I ask.

‘To burn down the angels’ nest,’ says Mom. ‘I figured that once I got you out, we might as well burn it all down. But he wouldn’t let me.’

Josiah comes back with a gas can. ‘She did enough damage. She would have been caught if she had tried to burn the whole aerie down.’ He shakes his head as he puts the can down. ‘I still don’t know how she got away with doing as much damage as she did. Or how I convinced her about you being inside Beliel. I’m not even sure I believed it.’

‘Why not?’ asks my mother. ‘Did you think she was hiding inside someone else?’

‘Never mind, Mom.’ I hold her hand and pull her away from the Watchers. ‘Let them do their burial.’

Josiah splashes the gas over Beliel’s body. ‘You’re sure you want to do this?’

‘He’s earned this,’ says Howler.

Josiah nods and steps back.

My mom steps forward with a lighter and lights a strip of cloth on fire.

Thermo takes it and drops the flaming cloth onto Beliel’s soaked body.

Beliel ignites.

His hair fizzles like quick sparklers, lighting up, then disappearing. His shriveled skin and pants light up as the flames spread all over his body. Waves of heat distort the road beyond him and warm my exposed neck and face. The air fills with the smell of burning gasoline mixed with the faint scent of meat beginning to char.

Five of the Watchers step forward and grab his burning arms, legs, and shoulders.

I move to stop them, but Raffe puts out his arm to block me.

‘What are they doing?’ I ask. ‘They’re going to burn themselves.’

‘It’ll be painful. But they’ll heal,’ he says.

All the Watchers take to the air. Their wings spread and beat in unison against the sunrise.