Oh, no, she thought with rising panic. I can’t feel my fingers inside my mittens. This was bad. Surely Max would find them. But until then, Angel had to do what she could to save them herself. What could she do? She was really, really strong. But they were wedged incredibly tightly. She’d already trying pushing with all her might, to unstick her wings, which had now gone numb.

She was really fast, but that didn’t help here. She could read people’s minds, which helped a little because she calmed Akila down. What else could she do? Well, she could change her looks. Maybe if she changed into her bird of paradise she might be smaller or skinnier and could pull herself out.

Angel closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt herself grow warm, and feeling flowed back into her feet and hands and wings with a thousand burning tingles. She felt the whisper of feathers forming on her face and hands, inside her mittens. She loved the way she looked as a blue bird of paradise. It’d be neat to keep it up all the time. But it took a lot of energy, a lot of concentration.

“Whoa,” Total said groggily, watching her. Angel felt Akila’s surprise and sent her calming thoughts. It’s still me. The transformation was complete, and Angel tried once again to pull herself upward. She pushed down hard with her hands, and though her feathery self was a little smaller, it didn’t do anything to help. She was scared to push down with her feet because of the ice maybe breaking away beneath her. Plus she had the weight of Akila on her.

It was no use. Her new skill was worth zilch in this situation. They were going to die here. After everything she had been through, all the times Max had saved her, Max couldn’t help her now. Angel had done this to herself. She had killed herself, in the end. Tears welled up in her eyes but froze around the rims before they fell.

This was it.

This was the end.

Chapter 52

52

IN THE END, I made Gazzy and Iggy stay at the station. They started to give me a hard time about it, but one look at my “Gonna kill you if you argue” face, and they shut up. They would stay with the scientists and search around the station. Michael and Brigid were taking Nudge with them to search the Wendy K., in case Angel and the dogs had gone back there.

“I don’t want you two flying in this storm,” said Paul Carey, looking concerned. “It’s not too bad now, but it’s going to get worse. We don’t want to have to look for you too.”

I pulled on another pair of socks and jammed my feet into my boots. Fang was looping a coil of climber’s rope over his shoulder.