Before he could attack, thelu-ong's neck bent and its mouth opened. Two slimy forms were spit out.
“They’re out. It’s Kira and Devon,” Wren shouted through their connection.
“They’re not safe yet. Secondary attack from our right,” Torvald instructed in a calm voice.
“Scatter bombs,” Amila spat.
“Little Storm, Wren take care of the bombs,” Torvald ordered. “I’ve got the rest.”
Graydon was already acting before the first word was out of Torvald’s mouth, the black spear he’d prepared for thelu-ongarcing toward the two silvery streaks.
It destroyed the first of the scatter bombs, disintegrating it until only microscopic pieces of debris remained. Unobstructed, the spear shot past, grazing the second of the bombs.
It impacted the ground with a dull roar, the shock wave hitting a second later.
If Graydon and the rest hadn’t raised akishield they would have been knocked to the ground.
A nearly transparent wall of gold formed between the prone figures on the ground and the blast seconds before it reached them.
Wren flew past Graydon, hiskibursting out of him to destroy the second of the bombs. His actions weren’t as flashy as Graydon’s, but they were precise.
“Stay focused. There’s no guarantee there won’t be another attack,” Graydon ordered before peeling off and heading for Kira.
*
Kira hit the groundhard, Devon right beside her.
Kira lay still, processing the fact she wasn't dead or being digested in alu-ong's stomach.
Devon groaned.
"You alive?" she asked.
"Somehow."
Kira pushed herself up to sitting, trying to figure out what happened. She remembered kicking away the waveboard in preparation for the crash. Then the gleam of teeth as they were swallowed. Afterward, there was only darkness and the feeling of being dipped in an electric hot bath akin to what she felt from the Mea'Ave.
She had no idea how it was possible, but it was clear thelu-ongand the Mea’Ave were linked in some inextricable way. She simply didn't know how.
By rights, even if thelu-onghad leapt out with the intention of catching them, they should still be dead.
Their bones should have shattered when thelu-ongswallowed them. Kira was very clear on their possibility of surviving, despite what she'd told Devon and Jin.
Honestly, she considered the fact she was still breathing a bit of a miracle.
All she remembered in the seconds thelu-ong's mouth had closed around them waskiwrapping around her like a blanket, somehow cushioning her from damage.
Even her muscles and bones felt better than they had before. An invisible energy filling her up to the brim.
She clenched and unclenched her hands, catching sparkles darting in and out of her vision.
"What happened?" Devon reached up to touch a spot on the side of his neck. His helmet unfolded, revealing his face.
Kira shook her head, still occupied with the waykiseemed to be rising out of her armor in tiny flares before sinking back in.
Devon's gaze fell to her hands as a small exclamation left him. "That's manifestation."
“What is that?” Kira asked.
