I tumbled to the ground, my legs col apsing under me. My whole body shook, a darkening light-headedness threatening behind my eyes. Stil I pushed with my power.
Layers of reality peeled away from Edana, leaving an area like a giant bubble around her clear of everything but mortal reality.
The spel draining Death fizzled out of existence. He slumped forward, and I released the power channeling through me. I tried to climb to my feet, but al my limbs were numb, too heavy, too slow. A scream interrupted the sound of my teeth chattering.
Edana backed through the gap she’d opened, and the bubble I’d created moved with her. Layers of reality pushed aside, bunching around the tear. As they fel back into place, the already tenuous gap snapped closed, reality righting itself everywhere except the bubble I’d created around her.
Edana screamed again, stil backing away. “No! What have you done? What have you done?”
The reaper dropped the whip, letting it fal to the grass as he ran toward her. “Love, what is it?” he asked and then stopped short three feet away. Right on the edge of the bubble.
He couldn’t pass. His reality didn’t exist around her.
He pounded on the empty air. “No! What’s happening?”
As Edana lifted hands suddenly withered and liverspotted to her rapidly wrinkling face, I wondered the same thing. Before my eyes, she aged until her back bent and her skin turned paper thin around a skeletal frame.
Then she crumbled, turning to dust.
I swal owed. I’d cut her off from al realities, al magics.
Even Faerie. And changelings relied on Faerie’s magic to keep their years from catching up with them. Soon al that was left of Edana was a dim, sickly yel ow ghost standing in was left of Edana was a dim, sickly yel ow ghost standing in the middle of a dead spot. But the land of the dead didn’t exist in the bubble, and her energy dissipated as she tried to retain a sense of herself.
Then she faded from sight.
“No!” the reaper yel ed, stil pushing on the bubble of reality. Then he spun around to face me. “You.” His eyes were hard, fierce, and if I could have backed away, I would have. But my body stil wasn’t working.
The reaper stormed toward me, the air crackling around him. “You did this. You took her away from me.” He lunged for me, his fist slamming into—and through—my chest wal .
“Alex!” Death jumped to his unsteady feet.
He wouldn’t be fast enough. We both knew it. The other two col ectors had finished off the dragon, but they were stil too far away to get to me in time.
I stared at where the reaper’s wrists disappeared into my sternum, knowing what would come next. He would pul my soul free and it would be over.
Then something flickered in the moonlight as it soared over my head. A fae-wrought blade buried itself in the reaper’s chest. He blinked at it, as if he couldn’t believe it, and his hand fel from me. Falin’s dagger fel free as soon as the reaper released me and I stopped acting as a bridge between him and reality. But the damage was already done. Dark blood seeped from the chest wound, and the raver grabbed him from behind.
She wrapped her long fingers around his upper arms.
“End of the line,” she said, and they vanished.
Falin pul ed me to my feet, and held me there when I would have fal en. “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Are you okay? Is he gone?”
I nodded, leaning into Falin. My soul might be a bit jarred, but I would make it. Death final y reached me, but the gray man grabbed his arm, pul ing him back.
“She’s fine,” the gray man said. “I’l make certain of that, but in the meantime, you need to go.” When Death would but in the meantime, you need to go.” When Death would have protested, he shook his head. “Go.”
Death frowned, his gaze moving to me again. Then he vanished.
The gray man strol ed across the grass, col ecting the half-dissolved souls of the late dancers. His roundabout route brought him directly in front of me, and he stared at me, whether studying or assessing, I wasn’t sure.
“Remember this day. Remember this place,” he said, sweeping a hand out to encompass the remains of the ritual. “This is why the two of you can never be.” He stared at me for another long moment. Then he vanished.
The two of us? Death and me.
I frowned at the empty space where he’d been for a long time until a rustling in the trees behind us caused Falin to turn, taking me with him. Kyran walked into the clearing, stil carrying his hourglass, al the sand now in the bottom half.
“Brava, brava,” he said, leaning the staff in the crook of his arm so he could offer an exaggerated clap. “I must say, I was a bit worried about the dragons at one point, but splendid job.”
“You were watching the whole time?” I asked around my chattering teeth.
“But of course. I said I wouldn’t miss it. Wel , my dear, I believe we are about to get more company.” He gave me a smal bow. “Until you dream again.”