“What do you want?” Mallian asked. His tone gave the question added weight. He wasn’t asking why Vince had returned to him now, as dusk fell and a Kin lay dead against a tree. This was something deeper.

“I want to see Angela again,” he said. “I don’t want to carry on living without her.”

“I can take care of that.”

“What, so you’ll kill me too?”

“No. I can ensure you’ll see her again.”

“By taking control of Grace.” The words hung heavy in the air. Mallian did not respond, and Vince went a little closer so that he could see him in the failing light. Night always fell quickly here, as if Grace made the decision to welcome in darkness for a spell, and the land obeyed her will. Vince wondered where she was, who she was hunting, what she would be eating that night.

Mallian was staring up at the sky. A spread of new stars was reflected in his eyes, and Vince wished he knew the stars and constellations better, so that he could tell whether these were familiar or unknown. Mallian probably knew. He seemed to know everything.

“I can’t allow that,” Vince said. “Angela and me, that’s nothing compared to Ascent.”

“You really think I can still do that?” Mallian asked.

Yes, Vince thought, but he said nothing.

“Look at me. I’m weak. I’m dying, Vince. If you can’t see that, then you’re a fool.”

I’m no fool and I don’t see that at all. Still he said nothing. Vince knew that sometimes silence was the greatest weapon.

“I’ll die here soon. Or I’ll die elsewhere if I manage to escape. And that’s all I want. To die on my own terms, not hers. If I use the spell and have Grace open a way back into the world, that’s good enough. I’ll go through, find somewhere quiet that means something to me, and live out my days.”

“Where?” Vince asked.

Mallian managed the semblance of a shrug. “Perhaps Istanbul. I met a succubus there once, and she fell in love with me. For a while she was happy. Maybe I’ll walk the night-time streets until I feel some echo of her. Or the Scottish Highlands. The witch Jilaria Bran and I fought there together for a while. We won great victories. Maybe I’ll find the cave where we went to lick our wounds, bury myself deep.”

“She sacrificed herself for you,” Vince said.

“She loved me.”

“She loved your cause. Would you betray her sacrifice now and give up Ascent?”