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“There’s a border,” Lux said. “And it’s guarded by some of their followers.”

“Michael and Gabriel’s?” Nix asked. Rafael nodded, and Nix said, “But you said Gabriel made a statement, and they backed down.”

“Most have. Some haven’t,” Rafael said. “We could kill them. But what good will that do us if Hana and Venark are birds in a cage, and we don’t have a key?”

“Get Gabriel to do it,” I said.

“We already tried,” Rafael responded. “Checked his mind too. Michael set the spell; only Michael can open it.”

“Mmm, not necessarily.” Stella stood and walked to us. “Do you know what the spell looks like?”

“It’s like walking into an invisible wall,” Lux said.

“Do they have abilities?” Stella asked.

“The new Hana and Venark?” Rafael asked. “Yes, we believe that Venark’s parents are Fae, and Hana’s half Angel, half Elf.”

“It’s likely tethered in place with their blood then,” she said. “I’m certain there’s a way to escape it. If we could lure them out of it—”

“Nothingcan penetrate it.” Lux rolled up his sleeves. “I even tried striking it with lightning. It’s like a wall of stone.”

“Surely water and air flow through it, no?” she asked.

“Of course,” Rafael said. “But how are we supposed to send a message to them with wind or rain?”

Stella gave a half smile.

On the other side of the table, Cere laughed. “I see where you’re going with this, but I don’t think it’s wise.”

“There’s no way to kill the wind,” Stella said. “He’d be fine.”

“What’re you thinking?” I looked between them, tilting my head. “What can we do with the wind?”

“Wecan’t do much,” Cere said.

Nix snorted, shaking his head. “Absolutely not.”

“You don’t get a say in the matter,” Stella said. “He’s a grown man. If he doesn’t want to do it, so be it. But I have the feeling he will.”

* * *

When he was a lad, Heylel wanted to fly. I could. Venark could. Neia, Larson, and Osonia could. Hana and Nix could, by tapping into our abilities. So could all of my cousins’ paired souls.

Heylel wanted to, too.

Cere had attempted explaining to him that it didn’t work that way. We didn’t choose which abilities we got and which we didn’t. That was simply life. One of us who controlled wind could take him on a flight any time he liked.

That wasn’t enough, he’d said. There had to be a way for him to fly, too.

Stella found his determination endearing. We all did. But Stella entertained it. She’d told him they’d figure out a way for him to fly. And they did.

“You can’t be serious.” Heylel huffed a laugh, looking between us all. “You want me to cast a spell I created as a child that turns me into wind.”

“I can go in on my own if you’re nervous, esiasch,” I said.

“To fuck you can,” Nix said. “To fuckeitherof you can, for that matter. This could all be a trap. No—not could be. Thisisa trap. You’re planning, quite literally, to sneakintotheir trap.”

Heylel ignored Nix, shaking his head at me. “It’s not that I’m nervous. The spell is perfect.”