She had taken only a step. How—
“Shame and hell!” Rosalia cheered. “Incris? This is gonna give us permanent speed?”
Each vial had the same combination of plants, as many as Lu had been able to cook down and blend together. She hadn’t known what the potions would do, whether all the plants within would take permanent root or a few or none. Had only Incris affected her?
Lu looked down at her body, her mind spinning end over end. She didn’t feel any different, aside from a flutter in her chest of anxiety, fear. She took another step, for a moment giving in to that tingle of fear, and watched as the room rushed past.
She came up on Nayeli and grabbed her arms to steady herself.
Nayeli’s eyes were wide and wondering and scared. “Shit, Lu—are you all right?”
Yes. No.She had no idea.
Nate guffawed and snatched a vial too. “Drink up!”
Pierce eyed Lu with sudden concern. “If this kills him, I’ll killyou.”
Nate downed the potion. Rosalia said a phrase in Grozdan before chugging her vial.
Coughing, desperate, gasping breaths, and both Nate and Rosalia giggled maniacally.
“Did it work?” Pierce asked.
Nate took a step forward. He didn’t shoot across the room like Lu had, and her heart squeezed. She wanted it to work? She didn’t? She couldn’t solidify her flipping emotions.
Nate glowered and stomped toward her—hard.His foot cracked the floorboards.
“Powersage,” Lu whispered. She stomped, but nothing broke under her.
Rosalia stomped as well. She took a step, but didn’t rush through the air like Lu—her foot lifted, hovered, and she dropped to the floor on her backside.
“Aerated Blossom. Aerated Blossom!” Rosalia dissolved in giggles, shoving to her feet and hovering a beat, landing, jumping up, hovering, landing again.
Lu, Nate, and Rosalia had each taken the same potion, but the plants seemed to work at random. Were the effects permanent, though? Time would tell. And battle. And winning this war, annihilating Elazar, saving Teo.
Any fear or hesitation went tumbling to the edges of Lu’s mind. This was what she had wanted, to look at her allies and herself and know they were stronger than Elazar. To march into battle and know they would defeat him.
To rescue Teo before Tom could destroy him, too.
“We’re going to Port Fausta,” Rosalia announced, but her eyes glinted with manic intent at Nayeli. “We’re gonna kill Elazar. We’re gonna kill his defensors. We’re gonna end themall.”
Nayeli’s jaw set. How could she still hesitate? How could she not be elated?
Pierce grabbed Jakes’s manacles. “Back to the cell with you.”
Jakes stumbled, crying out that he could help, but Pierce hauled him out of the shack. Lu let him go, too unstoppable, toomuch—
“Lu,” Nayeli said, shaking her to get her attention. “How do you feel?”
“I feel wonderful,” Lu said. A lie—she felt monstrous.
But monsters were fighting this war. She had become what she needed to be to win.
20
THE RAIDERS KEPTJakes away for an hour, maybe less. When they came stumbling back and shoved him into the cell with Vex, they sneered at Ben and swept away without a word.
But behind them, in the space of a breath, Lu and Nayeli followed.
