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Josiah looks at them, then at Raffe, who nods

‘What do we have that will burn?’ asks Theras, but he said I couldn’t use anyto Josiah

‘And you can’t,’ says Josiah ‘But they need some for the ceremony’ He walks back to the truck and clias?’ I ask

‘To burn down the angels’ nest,’ says Moht as well burn it all down But he wouldn’t let e She would have been caught if she had tried to burn the whole aerie down’ He shakes his head as he puts the can down ‘I still don’t kno she got aith doing asinside Beliel I’m not even sure I believed it’

‘Why not?’ asksinside someone else?’

‘Never mind, Mom’ I hold her hand and pull her away from the Watchers ‘Let theas over Beliel’s body ‘You’re sure you want to do this?’

‘He’s earned this,’ says Howler

Josiah nods and steps back

My hts a strip of cloth on fire

Ther cloth onto Beliel’s soaked body

Beliel ignites

His hair fizzles like quick sparklers, lighting up, then disappearing His shriveled skin and pants light up as the flames spread all over his body Waves of heat distort the road beyond him and warm my exposed neck and face The air fills with the sasolineto char

Five of the Watchers step forward and grab his burning ars, and shoulders

I move to stop them, but Raffe puts out his ar to burn themselves’

‘It’ll be painful But they’ll heal,’ he says

All the Watchers take to the air Their wings spread and beat in unison against the sunrise

Just as I think that the fla them to a crisp, a new set of Watchers relieve the burden The others fly, crisscrossing each other like a net far below the body Bits of burning debris fall,the other Watchers The bits that continue to fall, the Watchers catch, one by one

‘They won’t let any part of hiround,’ says Raffe in a quiet voice ‘His brothers will keep hi’

In the distance, the Watchers weave a beautiful dance in the dawn sky beneath Beliel’s shower of fire

47

I stand by a tree on the side of the road and scan the sky above us The Watchers are done with their cereet back,’ says Josiah ‘The contest announce scralances at the Watchers, and I knohat he’s thinking It’s going to be a tough sell to get angels to join with the half-feathered, half-skinned Watchers