“We’ve been accommodating,” I said, again, reinforcing it. “We’re here, and a big part of the reason we’re here is because you wanted this.”

“I wanted to save good people in a bad situation.”

“Accommodate us,” I said. “Please.”

I saw him make a fist.

“Please,” I said.

It took him a moment, but he relented.

“I’ll talk to Advance Guard,” Narwhal said. By her resigned tone, I could tell she didn’t want to pull out.

I nodded.

“We’re with Prancer, you know,” Foil said, behind us.

“I know,” I said, turning around.

“If you go, we’re staying. We’ll do what we can here.”

“We’ll have to dodge March if she’s still around,” Parian said, quiet.

“Yeah,” Foil said. “This isn’t a good day.”

“Be safe,” I said.

“That’s the plan,” Foil said.

Narwhal called out the order. Rachel called out another. Her dogs were guarding the perimeter, and they drew closer. Some capes took up the job of watching for trouble.

I grabbed Rain by the wrist, as we walked away.

With Mama Mathers infecting us, there was a limit to what I could do. As it was, I dragged my finger along his wrist, and I spelled out words. They weren’t very clear words, only ‘ERIN’ and ‘NO—’. I didn’t get to write the ‘W’, because he pulled his hand away. He stared at me through the lens of his mask.

I heard him sigh.

I made sure the others were secure and Narwhal’s team was ready to go, and then I flew skyward, until I was high enough up to be safe. I made a call.

“Looksee,” I said.

“Oh my gosh, you have to fill me in on everything.”

“Soon,” I said. “Can you do me a favor, though?”

“Yes,” Kenzie said, with no hesitation. No qualifiers, either.

“Tell me how things have gone on your end, first. Distract me.”

Sure enough, I could trust Kenzie to talk nonstop at the slightest provocation, and I could use that in the moment.

I asked because I needed a bit of cover to give me time to type a message that was easily in my top three messages I never thought I’d write, while not looking at the screen.

Shh. Find Tattle. Coordinate with us & undersiders.

I heard Kenzie’s voice pause as the text reached her. She kept talking, but I heard the renewed excitement in her voice. What kid didn’t love a secret mission?

Pitch 6.3

No plan survived contact with the enemy, but I hoped it would at least be recognizable in the aftermath.

Phase two. Contain and besiege.

We staggered our retreat, with Capricorn walling off the path behind us before the group moved again. The Fallen sent some people our way, but I had the impression the people were scouts, figuring out where we were and then getting scared off by the razor-forcefields and antisonic booms.