Flash.

Her heartbeat thudded like a hammer in her temples. One flash too many. Her vision began to blur. To push any further would be stupid. aI think Iam done,a she said and pulled out the machete Buckwell had given her.

A hound crawled onto the dock, and she hacked at it. Gray goo sprayed the rubber.

aWill they never end?a she whispered. She was so tired.

Declanas hand caught her waist. He pulled her to him and kissed her, his lips warm and dry. aItas over.

There are none left. Theyare pulling the cable out.a aWeare done?a she asked.

aYes.a The surface of the lake was gray with the houndsa blood.

Bodies bobbed in the water. aYou were right,a she said softly. aI never couldave killed them all by myself.a aWhat did you say?a aI said you were right . . .a He gave her a dazzling grin. aOne more time, my lady?a aYou were right,a she told him with a tired smile.

aI donat think Iall ever get tired of hearing that.

Unaccustomed to it as I am.a It took another fifteen minutes before Buckwell rowed up in his boat to take them ash.o.r.e. She watched as several Edgers under Buckwellas direction dumped gasoline into the lake. When the first spark blossomed into orange flame above the water, she felt a great sense of satisfaction.

It lasted until Declan came to stand next to her. Her throat closed in. It was time for him to go after Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Ca.s.shorn, and there was nothing she could do to help him now.

She turned to him. Declanas face was cold like a block of ice.

He had locked himself into a rigid stance.

Behind him, William waited, a dark shadow. Now wasnat the time to break down and start crying. It was all or nothing. Either he came back and they had everything, or he would never return and they had nothing.

She wanted desperately to run and throw her arms around him, but if she did that, letting go would be that much harder for both of them, and she sensed he was fighting for control.

Rose looked into Declanas green eyes. aI love you,a she said.

aCome back to me alive.a He nodded, turned without a word, and walked away, William in tow.

Something broke inside her. It hurt, and she just stood there, trying her best not to crumble.

aHe isnat dead yet,a Tom Buckwellas gruff voice said behind her.

Rose turned.

The big man was looking at her. aWait until heas stopped breathing before you have a funeral.a She simply nodded.

aWell, donat stand there all night. There is cleanup to be done.a Cleanup sounded good. Any work sounded good right about now. Anything but waiting.

She followed him next to the sh.o.r.e. Jennifer Barran handed her a pole with a hook on the end. Rose reached into the water, hooked a charred carca.s.s, and dragged it to sh.o.r.e. She hadnat realized how tired she was. Flashing had worn her out, and the houndas body might as well have been made of cement. She was on Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) her third when Tom Buckwell dropped his hook next to her and swore. aWhat the devil . . . ?a A man was running up the road toward them, his face so pale, it took Rose a moment to recognize him.

Thad, sprinting so fast he had to be running for his life. She dropped her pole and ran toward him, a step behind Buckwell. The others joined.

Thad crashed into Buckwell, gulped air, and bent over gasping. aHounds.a It couldnat be. Theyad killed all the hounds.

aHow many?a Buckwell asked.

aA s.h.i.tload of them.a Thad spat on the ground, blinking.

aTheyave busted our trucks. Weare cut off.a Only one road led out of East Laporte. With the vehicles gone, getting into the Broken would be nearly impossible. They were a full four miles from the boundary.

Rose surveyed the people around her: six in all, including Buckwell and Thad.

aWe go to Wood House,a Buckwell said calmly. aKeep your machetes ready, and stay together.a They followed him, circling the lake to the right.

Two shapes tore out of the woods, running at full power.

Declan and William, heading straight for them.

aChange of plans,a Declan ground out when they neared.

aCa.s.shornas outsmarted us. His reserves are coming up.a aWe canat fight them in the open. Too many.a Williamas eyes glowed amber.

aWe need a defensible position,a Declan said. aDo you have a jail?a Buckwell stared at him like he was crazy.

aA town hall?a Declan asked.

aNo,a she shook her head.

aG.o.ds, what do you have?a William growled.

aA church!a Rose said. aWe have a church!a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) William glanced at Declan, who shrugged. aIave seen it. Itas not much, but it will have to do. Lead the way.a They dashed down the street past the tiny convenience store owned by Thadas uncle, past the meth headsa mansion, down to the hill, and into the church. They rammed the doors open and burst inside. George Farrel appeared from behind the pulpit, his shotgun at the ready. His gaze fixed on Declan. His eyes sparked with crazy light.

aGet ye from the house of G.o.d, defiler!a Farrel jerked his shotgun up.

William leaped past them and punched him off his feet.

Farrel hit the floor and didnat rise.

aBolt the door. Stack the pews at the sides!a Declan ordered.

aWe need a narrow path so they can only come to us a few at a time.a Rose grasped the nearest pew. At the other end, Leanne strained, and together they flipped it on to the next pew. In minutes the nine of them piled the benches in two heaps at the sides of the church, leaving a narrow strip of open s.p.a.ce between themselves and the entrance.

A thud shook the door. Rose jerked. Leanne backed away, past her, to the pulpit and Buckwell. Declan and William took a step forward in unison. Declan had his two swords out. William held a knife.

aRose, step back,a Declan said.

She remained where she was, directly behind the two of them.

Another thud crashed against the door.

aYou have no flash left,a Declan said.

aI have more than they do,a she said quietly.

He glanced over her to the six people at the pulpit gathered into a tight clump, and turned away.

The doors flew open with a sound of thunder. Beyond them a gory sunset splashed across the sky, yellow Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) and red, the sun a molten coin of gold on the horizon.

Hounds slunk into the church, moving one by one, hesitantly, slowly. A man in a dark robe followed them, nearly black against the setting sun, as if cut out of darkness. He advanced at an odd gait, bobbing up and down, as if unsure how to walk upright. The hood of his robe hid his face. He stopped in the doorway and spoke, his voice carrying with unnatural clarity through the building.

Ca.s.shorn surveyed the church. aSuch a humble, quaint building, this house of the murdered G.o.d. I find it oddly fitting that our struggle comes to its end here. It is said that G.o.ds inhabit the churches built in their name. So once you have nourished me, I shall raze this structure to the ground, and from the ashes I shall forge the house of a new G.o.d. A house befitting me. For you see, I have come to know what I am. I have become a G.o.d.a He craned his neck. aPerhaps I shall even hear his cries as he flees from the wreck of his house. After all, he is a G.o.d of pity and compa.s.sion. He should know how to mourn.a aYou finally lost what pitiful grip you had on this reality, I see,a Declan said, his voice dripping contempt.

aYouare not a G.o.d. Youare a spoiled child, just as you always have been. You simply stopped all pretenses at adulthood.a aA child that had seen clear through your trap. It was a good plan for a small mind like yours, Declan. It had only one small flaw. For you see, they had sent a man to me, and before I dined on his magic and body, he told me everything I wanted to know and so much more. I knew their capabilities, and I antic.i.p.ated their curse, and I had given them the means to cast it, delivered by you. The Universe is clear to me. It has Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) unfurled like a flower before the brightness of my being.

Youave done well, but you cannot kill a G.o.d, Declan.a aWeall see,a Declan said.

Ca.s.shorn turned to William. aMy son. Have you finally chosen your side, then?a aThere was never any choice about it.a William shook, snarling. Sweat broke out on his forehead. His eyes had gone deranged.

Ca.s.shornas voice gained a kindly tone. aI will grant you this one boon, my son, for you are my only heir. Kill Declan, and I will let you run.a William grinned. His face set into a pale mask, his grin an ugly baring of teeth. He barely looked human. aI served seven years with him in the unit where you lasted a mere fifteen minutes. Had you managed to stay in instead of p.i.s.s ing on yourself and running like a dog with your tail between your legs, youad understand.

If I owe anyone a crumb of loyalty, it would be him. Not you.

Itas good that you decided to be a G.o.d, because Iam about to go to a place that suffers none.a aThen it is decided.a Ca.s.shorn raised his arms. aYou have no priest to give you your last rites, but do not fear. For I give you your absolution and my communion. I forgive you your past sins, and I shall welcome you into my fold by partaking of your body and power.a aGet on with it,a Declan said.

Ca.s.shorn tore off his cloak. His body was no longer human.

His limbs were long and tightly muscled, his digits grotesquely large and clawed. His skin had become purple and yellow hide. Spikes thrust through his spine, rising in a crest above his hunched shoulders. His face had lost all humanity. His eyes glowed gray. A second pair of eye slits, narrow and shunted, shone on his cheeks. He opened his mouth and showed them a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) forest of bloodred fangs.

Behind Rose, someone retched.

Declan spun his sword in his hand.

Ca.s.shorn reared back and emitted a sharp hoa.r.s.e screech.

Hounds streamed from behind him in twin currents.

With an inhuman snarl, William ripped into them. His face turned demonic. Bodies flew, and silver sprayed. They piled on him, and he cut them down faster than she could see. A psychotic high-strung sound full of mad joy rang through the carnage, and Rose realized William was laughing.

Tendrils of dark magic rose from Ca.s.shorn: black veined with polluting streaks of purple and yellow. He clawed at the air. The dark magic streamed to Declan.

Declanas eyes turned white. A wave of flash erupted from him. The two crashed together: the brilliant white against the diseased purplish glow. Immense pressure slapped Rose, nearly taking her off her feet.

The church shuddered.

A support beam split behind Ca.s.shorn.

Cuts on Declanas face bled. She saw a line of red swell across his back.

Ca.s.shornas face shook with strain. His magic gained a foot.

And another. They were too evenly matched, and Declan was tired. If only shead kept him from that dock .

Streaks of silver poured from Ca.s.shornas eyes. He snarled.

His magic gained another foot. If Declanas flash collapsed, all of them would be wiped out.

Rose stood, untouched, unhurt, in the middle of chaos, listening to the sounds of the church breaking around them and hounds dying under Williamas knife, and realized that she would have to watch Declan die. His death would begin the chain reaction. One by one everyone she knew would die as well, and the Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Edge itself would follow. She couldnat let it happen.

Rose gathered her power. She had to reach deep, very deep, and drag it out, as if pulling her heart out of her chest. She focused it all into a single point, condensing her magic so tight, she shook with the strain of trying to contain it.

The dark magic advanced. Blood dripped from Declanas leather.

She wished she could have said good-bye to the boys. She wished she had told them how much she loved them and not to worry and to listen to Grandma. She wished she and Declan had just a little more time.

Rose took a deep breath. It hurt so much she shut her eyes.

Then she opened them and let her magic go.

She held nothing back. Everything that she was, everything that made her alive, she gave all of it, so Declan and the boys would live. She would have given more, if she could have.

It tore from her in a blinding beam of light, straight as a needle. The beam pierced Declanas flash and the darkness beyond it. She saw Ca.s.shornas face, a horrified mask, eyes wide open, mouth dropping downward in slack bewilderment and terror. She heard Declan scream.

The white beam sliced through Ca.s.shorn. The two halves of his horrible body stood still for a moment and then fell apart.

Blackness pounced on her and swallowed her whole.

DARKNESS.

Darkness all around, empty, blocking the world like a wall. If only she could break through it . . .

She didnat want to die. She flailed, willing her hands to rise and tear up the darkness, but her arms were missing and she could do nothing as the blackness dragged her off, deeper and deeper into its depths.

Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) A bolt of lightning tore through the dark wall. For a moment she felt Declanas arms cradling her, she saw his eyes, heard his lips whispering over and over, aDonat leave me!a The darkness pounced, and he vanished.

A dozen narrow streaks shattered the darkness, and she screamed, because she was clenched in his arms, and he was flashing again and again, siphoning his life into her, his magic a dozen white currents binding their bodies into one.

TWENTY-SIX.

ROSE opened her eyes. Daylight.

A ceiling stretched above her with an all-too-familiar yellow stain. It had appeared two years ago, right after Jack in his lynx shape chased a feral tomcat up into the attic.

She had long suspected it was cat pee.

aHere you are,a Grandmaas voice said softly.