Lena hauled the other two inside. We positioned the three of them in a loose triangle and herded everyone together where they’d be safe.

I moved out of range. ‹Talulah, how do we reach that subbasement?›

‹Over here.› Charles Brice pushed open the stairwell door from the inside and waved us over.

‹What are you doing here?›

‹You were taking your sweet time, so I decided to get started myself.›

I let that pass and followed him to the bottom of the basement steps, where a four-foot crater in the floor smoked and sizzled. It looked like Charles had used his eye laser to slice through the tile, but I had no idea how he’d blown up the foundation and rebar below.

‹The sirens are almost directly below us.› Charles’ hand folded back on itself to reveal a small blaster cannon. He fired again, widening the hole into the basement.

‹When the hell did you give yourself a hand cannon, and who signed off on it?› I snapped. ‹Wait, don’t answer that. Just put it away. We’re not going to need it.›

‹Oh, really?›

‹How far down to reach the sirens?›

‹About twenty-five feet.› The barrel of his weapon collapsed into his wrist, and his hand clicked back into place.

‹There has to be another way in,› said Lena.

Charles shrugged. ‹Not that we’ve been able to find.›

Lena touched my bookbag. ‹Do you have Wayfinder in there?›

‹Don’t need it. Vince, Bi Wei, can you both hear me?›

‹What’s up, Boss?›

‹I can, yes.›

I smiled. ‹I’m going to need your help with this part.›

A low caw alerted us to Kerling’s arrival. The crow perched on the railing halfway up the stairs.

Vince hadn’t stopped mentally railing at me for keeping Kerling’s abilities secret. I did my best to shut him out, and extended one arm. Kerling hopped from the rail and glided down to land on my forearm. Her claws dug through my sleeve. She had quite the grip.

Charles stared. ‹You uplifted a crow’s intelligence and taught her to teleport?›

‹She taught herself.› I smoothed the feathers by Kerling’s neck. ‹Don’t ask me how.›

‹Welcome to Rise of the Planet of the Corvidae.›

I ignored that, too. My attention was on Bi Wei as she descended the stairs to join us.

‹Who’s that?› demanded Charles.

‹A friend. She’s here to help us save Kiyoko.›

‹To do what?›

I turned my attention to Kerling. “Vince told you where we need to go. Can you get us there?”

‹You’re trusting a bird to teleport us through solid rock?› Charles backed away. ‹You’re out of your mind.›

Kerling spread her wings and shivered. Magic spread like dust from her feathers. I pulled that power around myself, then extended it to Lena, Bi Wei, and Charles. Kerling nipped my hand, as if annoyed by my interference.