My hands clench at my sides. I narrow all my attention onto the pockets of fuel I can sense in each of the jets.
I will wave after wave of cold into the planes. Sharpen the chill more and more, well past the point where water would be rock solid.
Not quite enough. Again. Again.
An ache forms behind my eyes and across the top of my head. Every inch of my frame has stiffened with the effort I’m exerting. But I’m not finished.
If I can just see this through…
Freeze. Freeze.Freeze.
My head feels as if it’s cracking right open, but I taste the moment when the fuel goes solid. The tanks crack too,unprepared for that kind of pressure at such a low temperature. The massive metal bodies groan.
More shouts are bombarding me from all sides. My head is spinning.
I open my mouth, not even sure what I’d want to say, and all that comes out is a groan.
My legs give. I sag over, anticipating the smack against the ground in a distant sort of way.
It doesn’t come. My body hits two solid arms instead.
Raze grips me, his voice turning growly as he speaks to someone—Peri? “I’ve got him! He’s still alive.”
Yes. The blare of pain in my head can confirm that, but it’s overwhelming me.
As my consciousness fades into blackness, the last thing I hear is Mirage’s wry tone roughened with a note of urgency. “Oh, look. Colonel Hubris has arrived.”
30
Periwinkle
The squeal of the base’s gate opening brings my head snapping around. Four boxy, desert-tan SUVs are pulling into the compound. Colonel Hueber’s dull brown face hovers behind one windshield, his expression hard as steel.
I might not be able to taste his emotions, but I’m pretty sure he’s not happy about recent developments.
He shoves open the passenger door before the vehicle has quite parked and pushes out into the yard at the edge of the chaos. Several soldiers spill out of his SUV and another; a bunch of people in civilian clothes emerge from the other two.
They aren’t just regular civilians. I spot the gleam of metal-woven nets and the handles of hunter whips. A few of the faces I recognize from among the sorcerers who gathered in the city.
This is not good at all.
“Wait!” I cry out, throwing my hands to either side of me.
A blaze of light washes over the entire yard, bright enough to leave spots in my vision but not enough to actually hurt. At least, no one yelps or whimpers, which I’ll take as a good sign.
The clamor of hollering soldiers and warbling powers dies down. Colonel Hueber strides a few steps forward but then stops with his soldiers flanking him.
I think… everyoneisactually waiting to see what I’ll say.
They probably won’t wait for very long.
I stop closer to Hail’s slack body with automatic protectiveness, though I’m not sure what I could do for him that Raze can’t where he’s poised over the winter fae.
My voice reverberates up my throat. “We don’t want to fight. We’re trying to prevent an even bigger disaster. Please, justlisten.Can’t you see how exploding the rift and all the toxic shadows that’ve come out of it could just blast the stuff all over the place?”
Hueber’s lips draw back in a snarl. “I can see that it’s no good listening to what you say about your own mess. Youthingswould do whatever you can to protect yourselves. Is attacking our base supposed to prove your good intentions?”
“We didn’t hurt anyone,” I retort. “We’re only stopping them from flying off with the bombs. They’re a lot more likely to die carrying out your orders than staying here.”
