Legacy to Zero

36: In the Same Lifeboat

Lars

"I have a plan," I said to Royal Wren as soon as I landed next to her on the bridge. Her violin played in a hypnotic voice of its own as she lifted Jordan in the air. Another swipe of the bow, and he reeled backward. Then I thought better of it. "If that's..."

Jordan's hands lowered at the same time as the earth below us shifted. Pillars of dirt rose in sections, breaking out with a smash. Dirt rained on me like the fallout from a volcano as the blocks built into a pathway to catch Jordan before Wren's telekinesis could toss him back. With each pump of his legs, he leapt between the pillars, gaining enough momentum to jump over her.

The song changed pitch while she rose. Dodging under him, she navigated to the nearest column and set the bow to play a note—the sound was a drawn out, singular beat, that looped and looped. I recognized this attack; the cyclical nature of it made her thread come from every direction, essentially creating a wind tunnel that trapped him within it.

The ground shook underneath me, and I sped forward to avoid falling into the layers of exposed soil he'd created. The sustained note continued. He struggled to move as his arms and legs kept reaching forward, only to fall back at his sides.

I inched forward again, this time to join her on the block of soil. Jordan's thread seemed to hone in on me, almost like he was trying to chase me out of the fight. Or maybe just take me out of the equation.

The roll of the colour beneath me told me it was about to move. I kept my feet anchored; Jordan pulled it like an elastic band, bringing me and Wren closer to his range.

Now I could see the humour in his gaze as he tried to force his legs forward. The split beneath us deepened. Wet clay frothed to the surface, among the boulders and the snaking tree roots. He called it higher, until it had closed around the upper half of his body.

And then he dropped into it. Wren jumped to the ground at the same time the pillars were pulled down in a motion, almost like a wave. I shifted to bird form for a moment, waiting until the clay settled into a bubble at Jordan's feet.

He turned the tide around. The earth collected into a massive avalanche of stones; Wren merely tilted sidelong, her wings catching her weight.

"Those are good words to hear. Go ahead." The soft kindness in her voice told me she was smiling. She regained her balance. Her ankle went out to press against mine and blocked my stumble.

Her telekinesis boosted me a little, anticipating Jordan's next play. The fractured ground between us rapidly filled with water while I rushed to get through the specifics of my plan. Every few seconds, she played faster and faster, pushing the seal of the broken ground back into place. She nodded to prompt me to continue.

Jordan's next toss of a spiral of water made a beeline for me. With the grab of a nearby boulder, Wren lifted it in between us. The splash shedded droplets of water streaming across my mask—and the tingle of the freezing cold made me grateful for my helmet.

I hurried to finish my explanation. Wren nodded again. Somehow, it was clear she'd heard me through the whole thing. "Any worries with this plan?" She tossed the boulder back where it belonged. At my silence, she said, an almost quiet quality to her voice, "It was an Astra thing. I'm stealing it now—she asked me the same question every time I came to her with a thought."

I took a moment to consider it, or at least to attempt to have another coherent thought while Jordan was moulding the surroundings. "I mean—what will the council think? Don't they want her in handcuffs?"