“Take me to him,” she said, before she started squeezing herself through. The English phrase ‘stick out like a sore thumb’ kind of applied, since she had a knife sticking out of her, and a narrow space to fit through. She did her best, her arm draped across her front, right hand by her left hip, wriggling through, groping for handholds on the far side.

A labyrinth. She felt out with her power. Found the Cretan. The Minotaur that was making this maze. He moved so quickly through it that it seemed impossible, though it was possible he was undoing the effect as necessary. His head turned her way.

The power that let her find people also let them find her. She had to be careful.

Forward, forward—

Into the L-shaped space that Capricorn was in. She dropped down, and her legs were so shaky she landed on her rear end.

“Creating handholds,” Capricorn said.

She nodded, tense.

“You’re hurt.”

“So are you,” she said.

He was in two pieces. The legs were twitching. The upper body, lying on its back, was creating orange lights.

He didn’t respond, didn’t elaborate. Didn’t say he was okay or not okay.

She felt out with her power, establishing a connection. She felt his body, in two pieces. The other side of him was intact, waiting.

“That’ll have to be good enough. I’m not—” he groaned, a strangled sound.

He blurred, trying to change back. It was a torturous thing, the blur reaching out, groping, trying to connect, to meet the two halves.

She reached for him, grabbing the lower half, and dragged it closer by inches.

Unnecessary. It just took time.

Capricorn with the blue armor, now. Intact. With her power, she felt the two separated parts, floating superimposed around him.

“Climb. I’ll follow. I may have to lose my armor so this doesn’t break under my weight.”

She climbed. She could follow orders when important.

“You kids are scary,” he said.

“Yes,” she murmured. “We have to be.”

She climbed, one hand and two feet, the other hand more a guide to remind herself where she was.

On higher ground, she had a vantage point of more of the battlefield, below raised walls, around bends. The tunnels that seemed to magnify and shrink.

The Cretan crashed down near Sveta. She struck at him with a gauntlet.

And Tattletale—

She saw Tattletale backing up until she was out of sight and hurried forward. Aiden was rarely far from Tattletale.

“I’m not a part of this. I’m keeping half of an eye on the kids,” Tattletale was saying. “You don’t want to go this far.”

Though unable to see Tattletale, Darlene could see Cradle, holding a glowing red whip.

“I have to,” was the response.

She heard the impact, a sound like the whole universe was gasping for breath.