“Nan says Tony needs you,” I said. “You need to get going. Through the forest, people are waiting. Don’t take any guns, or you might get yourself or your kid shot.”

He asked something, his voice a mumble, as if his lack of self-care extended to not even bothering to form coherent words.

“What?”

“Tony went?” the kid interpreted.

“Yeah,” I said.

That was reason enough for them to go. They took nothing except themselves, and they stuck close together.

The fact that people were streaming from houses to the woods seemed to be cause for others to take the same route. Three teenagers were running for it, now. A girl with brown-blonde hair ran, guitar bouncing at her back. There were two teenage boys, younger, with dark hair. They ran to intercept Tony’s cousin and the boy, maybe to get answers.

These were people Rain had lived with, seen every day. This place, down to the guy who silenced his wife with a touch, the old woman, the people who didn’t take care of themselves, it had been his existence and the building blocks of experience he’d had to use to pull himself together.

No sign of Erin. I did want to help her.

There were gunshots, close. The people at Enoch’s house were shooting. I could see the orange motes around the building, still weaving their way around and up.

I flew in that direction, going higher to stay away from any likely stray bullets. Over the ‘Sims’ house, over the empty house, then to the roof, where the peak would provide some cover. Sveta and Capricorn were staying close together on the ground by the barricade. Sveta peered over it. Capricorn sat with his back to it, facing the house.

More gunshots from within.

Tristan had his hand clenched into a fist. He opened it, and the points of light and traceries took form. The building was wreathed in stone, blocking the windows and doors and shielding it from gunfire.

The job was done, and Sveta and Capricorn both moved away from house and barricade, getting closer to the fighting, dropping down from the path to the field. The dirt for the dirt road to this row of houses had been piled up, so the water would run off the sides, with stones rolled over to separate the looser dirt from the fields. The two of them stayed closer to the stone divider, hunkering down so the hump of road provided some protection.

The people in the house weren’t happy.

We’d have to protect it. We’d assumed that responsibility.

I peered around the peak of the building as the people drew near enough I could see their costumes in detail.

Beast of Burden was constantly backing up as others advanced.