17

"You understand it by now, don't you?" There's an instantly familiar voice from behind you, and you turn to see Meredith. No one else is looking at her, so you suspect she's using the same trick she did in Pasema, where no one can see her but you.

She looks utterly exhausted, sallow and worn. At any other time, you might spare a moment to wonder how much of her appearance in her human form she chooses. "You know why this happened," she says.

"What do you mean, why it happened?" you ask. "This was the next omen in the prophecy."

"Exactly," Meredith says. "'Evil fiends,' that's what your prophecy said about the demons in Elith. In Pasema, you didn't specify a…disposition. Here, their path was set—they were coming to Elith, and they meant to do harm." Her eyes fall shut for a moment. "I tried everything I could think of. I made certain I knew when they were coming, I spoke to them, I tried to hold them in place—I have some talent for that—I even tried mental manipulation, and nothing could stop them. There was never anything to be done but this." She gestures at one of the demonic bodies on the street, which is dwindling in size as the smoke rises into the air.