Bugz had been on the run ever since Feng led Clan:LESS to her, with never more than a few hours’ rest before she had to move again…barely enough time to turn on her bot and sleep, never mind rebuild a supernatural army. Exhaustion settled in. This is what my Ancestors must’ve felt like, Bugz thought to herself. She chuckled and shook her head as she realized she’d compared her pursuit through the Floraverse with the real-life genocide of the Americas. At least she could still laugh. Better than crying.

The rain came down in sheets as Mishi-pizhiw approached a peninsula beyond which lay Castle Rock, a natural stone formation that rose several hundred feet into the sky. It looked almost like a proto-skyscraper shaped from massive columns of rock. Time for one last push forward. They passed the final corner, trees and rocks flying by on the shore.

A massive flotilla of Clan:LESS warships, helicopters, and submarines waited for them in the bay. Scores of mega–Gatling guns lined the decks of aircraft carriers. All the way up Castle Rock stood countless tanks and turrets with guns trained on the water. Ever more helicopters continued to descend on the bay. Whatever firepower Clan:LESS had wielded at the last battle had increased a hundredfold. They’d armed themselves to the teeth.

Mishi-pizhiw roared, partially to warn Bugz of the danger ahead and partially from pure exasperation. How did I miss this? Bugz wondered. The balance really has shifted. Bugz felt a tingling sensation orbit her spine, her paranoia manifest. She turned to look back over her shoulder. Dozens of choppers descended from the sky, boxing Bugz and Mishi-pizhiw in.

“It’s going to take one helluva miracle for us to get out of here alive!” Bugz yelled to Mishi-pizhiw. He grunted in response. “Well, let’s not make it easy on them.” She gripped his head tightly and the giant horned serpent dove beneath the surface of the water. The submarines descended and fired torpedoes in Bugz’s direction.

The battle began.

CHAPTER 51

Bugz steered Mishi-pizhiw away from the submarines and the barrage hit his long torso, inflicting little damage. He dove even deeper, a leviathan lurking beneath the submarine fleet, and began to pick up speed. With a quick turn, he rose and rammed the first sub into the second, into the third, and so on—until he had shattered them all like a tae kwon do master breaking planks of wood. He shook off the effects of the impact and swam toward the surface with Bugz still clinging to his back.