“Cover sounds good,” agreed Jasper. He spread his arms, flexed his shoulders, and a nearby wall, a few ships, and Reed’s hoverlift rearranged themselves over and around us. His muscles trembled with the effort of maintaining the structure, and I gave him a worried look. I’d never seen him struggle to control his power before. “I’m anticipating some feedback,” he explained, gritting his teeth. “Shelter won’t do us much good if it collapses as soon as it takes a blow.”

“Exactly how strong are you?” I demanded, casting a worried glance over the assorted debris.

Somehow, Jasper managed a shrug, even as sweat trickled down his brow. “Dunno. I’ve never pushed it. I can manipulate objects telekinetically, as long as they’re inanimate, and it’s never given me much trouble before. But I’ve never tried to hold out against an explosive force before, either.”

“What about Rune and Lex?” Cage demanded.

The pirate sighed. “They’ll cause the blast from above and withdraw. If they’re lucky, they’ll get out of the way. Most of the force should head out, not up. I’m going to cover my ears now. You might want to do the same.”

“Who are you?” Imani demanded, but I grabbed her and pulled her to the ground. Everyone followed, and we clamped our hands over our ears—all but Jasper, standing in our midst braced against nothing, sweat pouring down his face in the dim light oozing through the cracks in his makeshift shelter.

For a second, nothing happened. Had the plan failed? Maybe Alexei hadn’t managed to blow up the ship. Maybe the guards had broken through. Maybe . . .

A faint rumble in the ground was my only warning before the concussive force of the explosion struck. Jasper had no hope of standing against it; in an instant, he’d collapsed, the walls crumbling around us. The explosion rocked the air and set my ears ringing even with my hands clamped over them, and pieces of metal and rubber tumbled around me, bouncing painfully but harmlessly off my shoulders.

I winced in a sudden field of smoke and chaos. “Jasper!” I cried, the intensity of my fear catching me off guard. How had I become so close to these people? I struggled to my feet and made my way to where he’d been standing, only to find Reed crouched at his side, jaw tense, channeling his healing power. As I watched, the wounds on Jasper’s face knitted shut and he opened his eyes, groaning loudly.

My relief burst out of me in a gasp as I took stock. Cage was on his feet, holding Imani’s arm. They both seemed unhurt. Mia and the pirate were already on the move. I followed them, running through the smoke to where the mangled remains of Rune’s hovercraft lay crumpled on the ground. For a heartbeat everything froze, nothing but flames and twisted metal and somewhere in its depths, Alexei and Rune. “Reed!” I shouted, breaking into a sprint. “Reed!”