“Are you flying?” I asked.

“We caught a ride,” Capricorn said. “Traveling Narwhal style. We’ll be coming around your way soon.”

Narwhal style?

“Okay,” I said. “Sveta, Chris?”

“Gone, same as Rain,” Looksee said. “And changing. He thinks Keen Vigilance might be able to hear something.”

“Traveling up the east perimeter,” Capricorn said. “Vista says she would appreciate a lift down to solid ground. She’s not super confident of her ability to land.”

“Land? You’re actually on a Narwhal forcefield?”

“Doing loops. They travel in straight lines, but Vista can bend straight.”

Okay. I wasn’t just catching my two friends, then. I was doing it while they were surfing on a flying, crystalline cleaver.

Fuck me.

“I’ll use my power. Tell me when you start to feel it,” I said, my attention all over the place, as I looked for any sign of Rain, Sveta, Mama, Capricorn, and Vista.

“Feeling it,” Capricorn said.

I spotted them, and flew to match my trajectory to theirs. “Only one working arm.”

Vista’s power warped space around us, slowing their speed. It took me a second to adjust. I let the thing catch up to me, and rested my foot against it, leaning back and moving with it.

“Catch him, catch me after,” Vista said, her voice briefly doubled on both phone and in person, slightly out of sync.

I caught Capricorn’s hand. I couldn’t use the Wretch, and the strain of my arm carrying him reached across my shoulder to my injured other arm.

“I’m okay if it’s rough,” Capricorn said.

It was rough. He landed hard, clipping a branch on the way down. He didn’t react or seem to mind, letting go and pointing.

Vista had jumped, and she was descending slower, the space between her and the ground extending.

I flew to intercept. I caught her hand in mine. Again, my arm complained.

Not as heavy as Capricorn.

“Thank you,” she said.

I lowered her to the ground. Capricorn put his hand out, catching her by the upper arm and helping with the final couple of feet.

“Mama knew where Rain was. If we track her, we might be able to find him.”

“I can’t help,” Looksee said, through the phone. “Both of my active cameras broke. I’ve got another covering myself and Tattletale, I could send that.”

Vista seemed confused. I motioned for her to come closer, fished in between my armor and my top for my other earphone, rubbed it against the edge of my hood, and offered it to her.

“It would take time to get here,” Capricorn said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Shouldn’t I very worry about it?” Looksee asked. “I should send them now in case they’re needed.”

“Cameras broke?” a voice came through the phone, hissing.

“Yes,” Looksee said. “Don’t get on my case about it, vigilant dumbnuts, I’m not in the mood.”

“Wondering… how?”