A few times, I had helped Mr. Wilson bail hay. I’d ride along on the trailer and help lift the bails to the center after he tossed them up. Each time after a couple of hours, I had felt like my arms were going to give out, that I might fall over if I had to lift even one more bail. But then, I’d look and see we only had a few more to go, and I’d find more strength to finish. The sight of the end brought forth the last strength buried deep within me.
Now, as I watched the people around me draw deep from their magic, I could see the end. The Shadow was so thin that I could almost make out the columns of the farmhouse porch. But there was still a gray to the air, like smoke from last night’s fire was lingering around us. All we had to do was dissipate that smoke, and then, then we would be d
