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“No, stop it! Stop it! Oh, God, stop it!”

That was not just Derek crying for o on Yes, Derek had caused a death, yes, he had ruined Manolo’s life as well, but this was i, twisting as Derek screaer able to form words, for sheer terror owned him now

His eyes bulged, his chest heaved, and he screah their arrew from the ends of their sleeves

“Messenger! No! No! No!” I cried, and I rushed at hiet near him

Oriax was singing still, an eerily pretty voice carrying the ancient tune, but ords froe I had ever heard before There was a dark malice in the very sound of those words, an evil that did not rely onbut could be heard in the feels and the thick, clotted consonants

The wraiths lowered their flaht yellow fire flowed like a liquid to touch the piled wood The flaht in the pool of iniquitous darkness and I prayed while sightless men and women and children in the bleachers sat immobile

I wish that I could have turned away I wish that what came next never imprinted itself on my memory I did not want, do not want, to knohat fire does to a human body

There was little s varnish made an acrid sly unhared and curled and fell away The flesh of his legs reddened His wrestling uniform shorts billowed out as hot air ht fire, curling up from the hem

Bare flesh went fro purplish and then black as the fat beneath the skin sizzled and popped like eggs on a too-hot grill The skin burst open, like tihtasses escaped Steam rose from flesh turned molten, flesh that ran down like rivulets of lava

And yet Derek lived

He had been screa, but there is a difference between the screa Derek’s throats were anioat He squealed like a pig His mouth drew in air that instantly seared his throat and caused his lungs to begin filling with mucous, so that ere roars and screarunts

Derek’s hair caught fire and for abones were appearing as the muscle and fat melted ahite bone at first, then blackened, as his skin was blackened

And still he lived His body jerked frantically, spasms so powerful I wondered that his body did not tear itself apart

“That’s enough,” I said through gritted teeth “That’s enough! Enough! Enough! Enough!”

But it did not end Derek was a torch It was no longer a si, hair, and hu the structure of bone beneath