‘No … no.’ As Lily drifted, barely conscious, Uncle Alf’s name echoed around her mind. What did Alf have to do with any of this? Just as she felt herself being drawn irretrievably into a hole of darkness, she was jolted by the sound of those huge doors being thrown open. The room was filled with shouts, threats, and growls. Chaos broke loose, but Lily couldn’t see the source of the commotion through her barely-open eyes.

The pain from the flames was excruciating. It felt like they were slowly melting the skin from her bones and the more smoke she inhaled, the less she could fight it. The pressure in her body was building. It felt like something was desperately trying to claw its way out of her, like it had always been there, looking for a way out.

Lily felt her consciousness slip away, and as it did so, the overwhelming urge to surrender came over her. She fell forwards, into the flames, ready to be engulfed. But she felt nothing. As she hit the ground, the room exploded around her. Power flowed from every inch of her, enveloping the room.

Everything was silent. Her chains disappeared in the blast and the whole room turned to stare at her. She felt like she was a lightning bolt. She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew that it had come from her and she didn’t know how to stop it happening again. She felt powerful for the first time in her life, as she looked around the room and saw fear and confusion painted on every single face.

Before she had time to think what to do next, Hecate ran at her, screaming. Lily stretched out to defend herself and experienced the rush of power again. It felt like warm glistening honey running through her veins and out of her fingers. The golden light ploughed towards the woman, but just before it hit, Hecate spun on her heels, making strange shapes with her hands.

And then she vanished.

The beam of golden light hit the wall at the back of the cavernous room and shattered it. There were a few short seconds of terrifying silence before the roof started to grumble and dust fell ominously from the ceiling. The room was going to collapse in on all of them.

The fighting stumbled to a stop when Hecate vanished; the other women were cast adrift without their leader. Witches and Protectors alike scattered, and a panicked mass of bodies exited the great hall, leaving only the weak and suffering behind.

As she looked around her, Lily realised Alice was manacled to the wall, barely conscious. Beneath her tragic frame was Grace, crumpled at her feet, sobbing. No, she thought, no, she can’t be. She tried to move towards Alice, but her legs gave way beneath her and she crashed to the floor, her energy levels dangerously low. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and lift her to her feet. She leaned against the solid unwavering form that kept her upright and helped her to stumble across to Alice. Her vision was blurred and patchy, but she recognised the faint smell of seawater, pine, and oil. Jem was here. Jem was holding her up and helping her save Alice, like he’d promised.