It really did happen quickly. Harvey trailed his fingers over Rusty’s face before pressing hard against his forehead. In a deeper, rumbling voice, he spoke a phrase as Rusty began to wail again for the final time. “Kravosch enlea. Selah.”

And then Rusty was just…gone. It was strange, because it wasn’t like he vanished, not exactly. It was more like he was sitting in the corner and I just kept forgetting he was there. I looked around, and I thought I saw a faint shadow nearby, but when I tried to focus on it, it went away. Turning back to Harvey as I sat up, I asked if that was it.

He nodded with a sigh. “Yes. Rusty’s part is finished.”

Standing up, I bent down and reached for the hammer. “Then let me finish getting you out.”

It took another twenty minutes to break enough of the barrier to free Harvey, and when I was finished, I set the tools down and asked him if it was time for me to pay my price too. He made a sound that might have been a chuckle as he slowly moved out of the circle.

“Help me outside if you will. We can talk about it there.”

I took his large, slender hands and felt myself wince at how fragile they felt in my grip. Trying to be gentle, I walked with him through the door and into the afternoon sunshine. The moment the light hit him, Harvey began to change. His head filled out and his body thickened from a slight figure to a massive frame that dwarfed my own. All across his body I could see new leaves and branches growing and filling in ragged gaps that had been there moments before, and across his broad, barrel chest I could see flowering moss spreading like deep green fur.

I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Are you feeling better now?”

He returned a toothy smile that was somehow warm instead of terrifying. “Much better, yes.”

“Good.” I almost stopped there, but I felt compelled to go on. “Look, I know I’ve said I’m sorry. Sorry for what we did to you, sorry for everything you went through. But I want you to know that I mean it. Fuck, more than anything in my life, I wish I could take all of that back.”

Harvey nodded. “I believe you. I’m sorry for your regret and pain. But that pain isn’t the price. Part of the price was what you did in there. Helping me balance things with Rusty. The other part…well, it is up to you if you want to pay it.”

I frowned. “I told you I’ll pay whatever price you think is fair. I know I deserve it.”