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Meeting his gaze over my shoulder, I arched a brow. “No?”

“I think the way you plan to execute it is trash. But the idea is worth a try.”

Crossing my arms, I leaned against the window, facing him. “Elaborate?”

Whooshing a fistful of copper hair from one side of his head to the other, Alastair said, “Well, we reach out to them with the offer. They get a million souls in exchange for the souls of the par animarum. I’m certain they won’t give them over, and we won’t either. We use the crystal as bait, so to speak.”

“And then what?” Dem asked. “What if they collect the bait and evade the trap?”

“They won’t. We use a glamor of the crystal. Not the real thing. It’ll be nearby, so they’ll think that’s where the power is emitting from, but when they try to collect it, that’s our opportunity to grab them.”

“We’ve tried that,” Heylel said. “They always escape our grasp before we can get them through the egress here.”

“So we meet here.” Alastair raised a shoulder. “That’ll be a part of the conditions. They meet us onourland. Then Nix lapses Michael to the prison. We can attempt to get the others, but Michael is who we need the most. We get him into those walls, we can make him talk. It might take a while. It won’t be pleasant for any of us. But as soon as we capture him, Iknowwe can make that cunt talk.”

“I like it.” I straightened, squaring my shoulders. “Let’s begin.”

“Hold on,” Heylel said. “Nix, if we open an egress, and they come through, we’re opening the Fae to great danger.”

“We close it quickly,” I said. “Just long enough to get them through. It’s like a double door, if you think about it. Once they’re here, they can’t open an egress to leave. Hunting them down here if they evade our capture will be far easier than hunting them through the other worlds.”

Heylel frowned. “If they evade our grasp, they will wreak havoc on the Land of Light.”

“We can handle it,” Queen Iliantha said. “This is for a ‘chraobh, for our creators. If they escape, and we have to fight them, so be it.”

Heylel’s expression remained unchanged. “I don’t think this is wise.”

“I think it’s the only thing we haven’t tried, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep fighting,” I said. “I’m ready to lie down and die, esiasch.” I hated the pain that shined in his eyes when I said that, but I had to. He needed to understand howbadlyI needed them home. “We have to try.”

He slouched low, head hanging. His eyes were full of grief. I could practically hear him saying,I want my mums back too, Nix, but this could make things far worse.

It could. I knew that. With a million souls at their disposal, they’d be unstoppable.

But without the par animarum, we had no chance of defeating them either way.

“I’m with Heylel.” Dem gave his grandson’s shoulder a squeeze. “I don’t think this is wise.”

“All those in favor?” Queen Iliantha asked.

She, Alastair, and I raised our hands.

“Looks like you’re outnumbered,” Queen Iliantha said. “Let’s prepare the message, Nix.”

* * *

I did.

I had it through an egress to Matriax within an hour. We heard back the next morning. They agreed.

I went to Morduaine where I’d stashed the crystals, collected one, and returned to the Land of Light. Once I had the souls in hand, I sent another message, detailing where the egress would open, how long it’d be open for, and what I expected of them when they arrived.

They could bring a small team of guards, just as I would have. The exchange would be by hand. I wouldn’t pass them the crystal with the million souls until I had Véa’s and my children’s. Then they could pass through the same egress they’d come from.

They agreed to the plan and came through as promised.

Michael had a crystal in hand with what looked a fair deal like my wife’s soul inside it. It even felt like her.

But as we approached one another in the clover field to commence the trade, it didn’t feel like she was drawing closer. Souls were like flames of a fire. I could feel their heat burn stronger the closer I got to them.