“No.” Theo pressed down and smiled grimly. “And don’t make me charm you again.”

Thomas stepped forward and looked down at the warlock. “You’re defeated, Stefan. This time you’re defeated forever.

The Atrika have been sent back to Eudae by the Ytrayi, and the warlocks you brought are either dead or in Gribben. The rest of the Duskoff . . .” Thomas paused and a secret smile passed over his lips. “Well, the Duskoff are soon to be no more.”

“What—” Stefan started.

“Shut up.”

Even Sarafina wondered about that last comment and the secret smile that had accompanied it.

“Your punishment for kidnapping Rue, allying with the Atrika, and attacking the Coven, for using daaeman magick against us is—”

“Let me guess,” Stefan sneered. “Death.”

“No, actually. Your punishment is to be divested of your magick and to live out the rest of your life on Eudae.” Thomas smiled again and this time it wasn’t so secret. “As a slave to the Ytrayi. Somehow I don’t think they’ll treat you as well as they did Claire.”

“You’re being neutered,” Jack interjected.

“And banished,” added Isabelle.

“You can’t.” Stefan began to fight against Theo. “Just kill me. You can’t take away my power. You can’t!”

“And yet you were ready to take away the power of others?” asked Thomas calmly.

Stefan’s countenance darkened. “You killed my father.”

“I killed your father,” said Mira.

“You’re making it hard for the Duskoff to exist,” Stefan said. “You’re always in our way.”

“I’m growing bored,” said Rue. The ball flamed in his palm and Stefan’s eyes widened.

“No!”

The ball left Rue’s hand and shot straight into Stefan’s chest. The warlock’s spine arched and his face twisted in agony. A keening sound erupted from Stefan’s throat. It was one she’d heard often during the last few hours, signaling the loss of something precious and beautiful. Something Stefan had misused, something he’d taken from others.

The world would be a safer place with Stefan magickless. The world would be a safer place without him in it at all.

All the people who looked down at Stefan did so with solemn expressions. This was no celebration.

Wordlessly, Rue scooped the warlock up and turned toward the doorway. Stefan fought and bellowed in outrage, but he had no hope of escaping an Ytrayi. The Cae just gripped him in strong hands, turned around once to meet Claire’s eyes, then stepped through.

The sound of Stefan calling, “No!” still rang through the silent foyer even after the doorway winked out of existence.

No one moved or said anything for several moments. Then the murmuring began, shuffling, talking. Stefan was gone and the Duskoff defeated—maybe permanently.