“No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “Definitely not.”

Gideon harrumphed, then looked me over. “Have you experienced any consequences?”

“You mean other than nearly burning Evenfall to the ground?”

He nodded.

“No. I think I’m fine.”

“Hopefully the powers that be are satisfied with the chaos you’ve put us through.” My uncle suddenly frowned at me. “What could you possibly be smiling about?”

I let out a bewildered laugh. “I know. I know. I shouldn’t be smiling. Things are bad. So bad. Izzy and Nora are at the police station. Constance’s murderer is still roaming free. I created a sentient fire.” That one was particularly bad. “But, Gideon,” I said, blinking at my uncle, “you’re outside.”

He shot me a sideways look and made a hmm sound. “I didn’t have much choice, did I?”

“And I am so, so sorry for that.”

He frowned again. “Do I even want to know what you were thinking?”

I sighed and let my shoulders drop. “I’d tell you, but I don’t quite understand it myself. Actually, I don’t understand any decisions I’ve been making lately. None of it makes sense.” I looked away, brushing the raindrops from my cheeks.

My uncle’s voice softened as he said, “Brynn, it’s okay. It’s okay to feel confused. It’s okay to feel lost. It’s okay to feel.”

I shook my head.

“You know if anyone can appreciate your pain, it’s me.”

I knew that was true. Gideon had seen the accident that killed my parents and his fiancée. They were on their way to a friend’s wedding, and he was supposed to meet them there. The groom had forgotten the rings at his house, and Gideon had gone to pick them up. Once he had retrieved them, he had the vision. My mother’s VW Beetle colliding with a truck.

He tried to make it to them in time, to stop any of it from happening, but it was too late.

Izzy once told me Lydia was still alive when he got there, and that he was able to hold her as she passed. She believed that was why he had been granted the vision, but for Gideon, that wasn’t enough.

“Giving up magic was never the answer, you know,” my uncle said gently. “In fact, I don’t think there is just one answer. It’s a process, and you’re not meant to do it alone.”

I raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled. “You look just like your aunt Nora, you know that?” His smile faded a moment later. “You know what got me through losing your parents and Lydia?”

I waited.

“It was your aunts. They stood by me. I was miserable, much worse than I am now, for a very long time, and they were grieving too, and taking care of you, but they still had the strength to support me. They are incredibly strong women. If you don’t think they can handle what you’re feeling, you’re wrong.”

“It’s not that I don’t think they can handle what I’m feeling.” I looked up at the sky. The cloud Gideon created blocked the stars. “It’s me. I’m the one who can’t handle it.”