I leaped forward toward the spray, flight kicking in at half-strength to give me downward velocity. I came down with one foot on her gun-hand, crushing it beneath my heel. I stepped down by her face, and moved my foot off of her hand. I pushed at her shoulder with my foot, flipping her over, then bent down for the gun.

“Good,” Capricorn said, behind me. He was Tristan, but the water was remaining water.

“Careful you don’t drown the people on the ground,” I said. “They’re helpless. People can drown in shallow water.”

He nodded, quick, before turning his attention back to the big thing, which was adjusting its balance. The unexpected weight on one arm had brought it partially down.

I had to do something. I didn’t want to keep my head down.

I ran to the side. Down toward the direction where Sveta was, away from the big thing. Against my instincts, but I had an idea of what I could do.

Mama Mathers had been here. She was close. If I couldn’t see her without problems, I could only make assumptions. Aura out, I ran along the side of the street, keeping one eye on the battle and the people on the ground, in case I was needed. Women. Young men. Someone elderly. Kids.

Shit.

Ahead of me, Sveta was dealing with Amaymon and Valefor. She’d pulled off her wig and stuffed it into Valefor’s mouth, and was now wrestling with Amaymon. The cape broke her grip and pushed her to one side, and she collapsed into a heap, instead of catching her balance.

He created his diagram while she was down. He touched the javelin-dart, and he sent it plunging into Sveta’s chest before she could stand.

I charged at him, running three steps and then flying the remaining twenty feet. My knee connected with his jaw and he dropped. I landed and made sure he wasn’t getting up.

“Sveta,” I said.

“I’m okay,” she said. She sat up. A tendril stuck out of the hole in her chest, feeling around it before withdrawing. “I’m okay.”

“You have a patch?” I asked.

She nodded. “You have your aura going. It’s distracting enough I can’t coordinate.”

I nodded, and I temporarily eased up on it. “Your power is okay?”

“Yes. Why?”

She hadn’t seen, she’d already backed off before Rain’s had been shorted out, so she would have been too far away. Staying out of Valefor’s earshot, possibly.

“He cancels out powers.”

“You can’t really cancel out being Case Fifty-Three,” Sveta said. “You’d better get back while I get patched, if your forcefield is weird.”

I could have clarified, but I just nodded. “Good luck. Be safe.”

“You too.”