Alara felt the hand fall away from her head, and the world reshaped itself into the worship hall of the Haven. Luis crumpled to the ground, a hand clutching his throat as blood leaked between his fingers. Khuna stood behind the mage, her dagger dripping red.

She turned to see Suri and Quenti both grappling with the older mage, dodging the club she was wildly throwing around. Without even thinking, she flew at Emaru, the pair of bruyas jumping out of the way as she tackled the mage to the stone floor.

She felt herself clawing at Emaru’s face, beating her fists across her chest.

Emaru didn’t fight back, her eyes searching Alara’s face, as if trying to discern something.

“You!” Alara screeched, unsure of what she even wanted to say. All she could think of was how much she wanted Emaru to hurt.

“Get off me, child!” Emaru said, voice somehow still level even as it was raised.

Alara sneered as she looked down at the woman that had raised her. Her eyes traced the silver scar that stretched thin across Emaru’s left cheek. “I wish I had killed you when I gave you that scar.”

Emaru’s eyes widened at Alara’s exclamation, her lips parting in surprise.

“You killed them.”

“How?” Emaru’s eyes snapped back to the mind-walker, who was now slumped, dead on the ground. She looked back at Alara, jaw set firm. “They were traitors to the Council. If anything, I protected you from the truth of their crimes.”

Alara fell back as the hate and anger emptied her body of all energy. “You lied to me about everything. And worse, you made me think it was my fault.”

“I’ll admit that was a mistake,” Emaru said. “That little memory backfired on us. Pulling a memory from someone is hard enough. Rewriting one is trickier still. Still, it was a mistake we had to push ahead with once created.”

Alara jumped to her feet, feeling the heat of her magia rising within her. “It was a mistake letting me live.”

“You don’t think I realize that by now?” Emaru sneered as she stood up, brushing at her clothes.

The heat rose in Alara’s face and the surrounding air crackled and distorted to meet her anger. Then fire swirled toward the older mage from every direction. Emaru didn’t even blink as she threw her hands up, stopping the flames before they reached her. A gust of wind hit Alara in the chest, knocking her off her feet. She heard her body hit the floor, but didn’t register the pain. Her mind just continued screaming. With a snarl, she jumped up and launched another wave of flames toward the mage.

The fire only grazed Emaru’s shoulder before she turned, eyes narrowed. With a flick of her hand, Emaru turned the flames and shot them back toward Alara. The magite dodged out of the way just in time to feel the strong fiery squall sizzle through the air.

Alara screamed until her throat was raw, sending wave after wave of flames toward the older woman. Much to her annoyance, Emaru dodged each one, the beads of sweat on her forehead the only proof that Alara’s flames were doing anything.

With each dodged flurry, Alara felt the hopelessness of the situation sink into her chest. This exchange was proof of how untrained and unpracticed she truly was. There was no hope of her defeating Emaru. And if they couldn’t defeat Emaru, what hope did they have of escaping?

Around them, the mages still fought one another other. Runeo and Suri continued their assault on the spire, their energy flagging. From what Alara could tell, the cracks weren’t getting any bigger. It was only a matter of time before the Haven’s backup arrived, and this would all have been for nothing.

The mage sidestepped another barrage, sending the swirling fire off to the side as it scorched another mage behind her. An idea started to form in Alara’s head.

She dodged another attack, running a few yards away. Emaru twisted and sent another strong gale toward the magite. Alara ducked and let the wind sail above her head. She peeked behind her, smiling at the sight before she jumped back up, sending another barrage of flames toward Emaru.

The mage smirked as she redirected the flames just a few feet in front of her with a strong wind blast, forming a series of small fire tornadoes.

Again, Alara jumped out of the way, letting the swirl of wind and fire sail past her. There was a crack and a burst of light as the fire tornadoes careened straight into the weakened spire receptive. The quartz shattered and the floor of the hall shook as stone pieces rained down onto everyone below. Alara saw a large piece of the quartz hit Emaru across the face.

The woman crumpled in on herself.

Suddenly, the cries in the hall had shifted as the ceiling rained down. Clashing ceased and mage and magite alike set about dodging the falling debris.

“We need to get out,” Senye Cruz rang out in Alara’s head. “The entire structure of the hall is collapsing!”

“Come on, Alara!” Quenti said behind Alara. She reached a hand out in front of her as stone and rock precipitated around them.

Alara nodded wearily, grabbing the girl’s hand and rising to her feet, but she didn’t follow right away. Wordlessly, and almost instinctively, she detoured toward the body of the fallen mindwalker. Searching through the corpse, she smiled as she found the object of her quarry.

The dagger was still warm as she slipped it into her belt, and though she didn’t have time to test it, she could have sworn it was sharp.

The room shook again and Alara felt Quenti’s hand on her arm.

“We need to go, now!”

Alara paused for a second, looking around the ruined room. She recognized the faces of many of the dead, and her eyes settled on Emaru lying in the rubble. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but she could have sworn her chest was still moving.

Alara felt a tug on her arm again. After tearing her eyes away from her fallen former guardian, she took a deep breath and ran after Quenti.

She passed Khuna, who struggled to pull Runeo. Following his gaze, she saw Micos was running in the opposite direction, trailing another mage. She bit her lip as the boy disappeared into the hallway and placed her hand on Runeo’s shoulder. He was no longer fighting, and after letting out a raw yell, he slumped against Khuna’s shoulder.

“We have to go,” Alara said, feeling heartless as she did. Though, to Runeo’s credit, he didn’t talk back, and fell in step behind them as they made their way through the hall, catching up to Lili, who ran alongside Mitteo and Suri.

Senye Cruz was nearby directing the flow of rebel mages and bruyas out of the hall, the woman’s eyes meeting her own.

“We all need to leave, now,” she said.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” Quenti said, somehow unable to hide her snark, even in their dire circumstances.

“Not just leave the building. Leave the Haven. All of us. The entire network. The Council and all of Cielo will know what has happened, and that will put targets on our backs.”

Alara tried not to think about the bodies they’d left behind in the hall, but she couldn’t help but remember the empty eyes of Zinita. Ardo, her head whispered against her will and she bit the inside of her cheek, pushing away the thought. She hadn’t seen his body among the rest.

“Where are we going, then?” Alara asked, voice distant. She had been acting on instinct up to this point, and the reality was just hitting her that she’d no longer be able to call the Haven home.

“I don’t know,” Senye Cruz said, looking tired and older than Alara had ever seen her before. “This was never a part of our plan. But we need to get out. We can meet in the Outlands, where the River Mied meets the River Muerta.” She sent the envia out to the rebels gathered and still running. “Separate into small groups and don’t travel a direct route. Meet in two moons’ time. I will bring other bruyas. Others who can help our cause. We can’t just hide in the trees and outskirts any longer. The Council won’t let us.”

Alara nodded at this, trying to picture a map of Sombria in her mind. They were to head southeast.

“We need to get back to Arbol and warn them what’s happened.” Runeo’s voice was hoarse and dry. It was as if he hadn’t spoken in years. “Quil’la needs to know.”

Senye Cruz looked at him, studying him before nodding. “Go then. Meet us at the fork after. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes,” Mitteo said firmly behind Alara.

She turned to see Lili, Mitteo, and Suri still standing together. “I can help them find it.”

Senye Cruz looked at the seven of them. “All of you, then?”

Suri gave a nod.

“Stay safe, and we’ll meet again soon.”

Alara jumped in surprise as Senye Cruz set a hand on her head and pulled her to her shoulder for an unexpectedly warm hug.

“Now go!”

With that, Quenti pulled Alara down the hall toward a split to the left. It took a few turns to realize where they were headed. Alara smiled. Quenti knew where she was going based on the tour Alara had given her when they had first arrived at the Haven together. She didn’t realize the mischievous bruya was even paying attention.

They made it to the large cavern at the mage’s main doorway to the Haven. The l’lamaga and l’lama pens were empty and Alara could see that others had already stolen the carts and tacking.

Suri pushed open the large doors and the light of the new day burst through, blinding Alara. As her eyes adjusted, she could see that the sun had just breeched the tree line on the east, sending long shadows along the ground and lighting the city in high contrast.

It was then that Alara heard the cacophony breaking through the cool morning air. Cielo was in chaos.

Blameless, magites, and even mages, scampered through the city, making for the exits in waves as councilguards struggled to keep them calm, all the while scanning the crowds for wayward rogues. Did they know the enemy was no longer restricted to bruyas now? That their own fellow mages and magites could have turned on them?

“How are we going to get out of here?” Quenti’s eyes were wide as she took in the chaos.

“Can we just join the exodus?” Lili asked, eyeing the fleeing masses.

“With these crowds, who knows how long that’ll take,” Alara said. “And every second we spend here is a second more they have to find us.”

Suri smirked and grabbed Lili’s hand. The others followed without question as the young mage darted out of the gates to their left.

“Where are we going?” Alara asked. And then she saw where Suri was looking. The River Sura cut in front of them, flowing under a large stone bridge between them and the Via Sura, the main road out of Cielo. Beside the river were a few reed boats, tipped on their sides and forgotten. Runeo and Suri used their wind powers to lift the boats up and into the water, holding them there as the others piled in. Lili helped Alara in and was about the step in herself when there was a shout.

A sole councilguard noticed them nearby and ran toward them as Alara stood up, unsteady in the boat, but ready to attack.

Lili was faster. She darted forward toward the man without hesitation, her movements nimble. She ducked under the spear he swung at her and jumped up, gripping her hand on his head.

The man fell with a muffled thud into the grass and Lili bounded back toward the boats without looking back.

Suri looked between the councilguard’s prone body and Lili with wide eyes. “El’dyo, remind me to ask you how you did that!” Suri said as she and Lili hopped into the boat. Runeo joined Mitteo and Khuna in the other craft, and then with a flick of Quenti and Khuna’s wrists, the party was off, bolting through the water, the wind whipping in their faces.

They passed others who paddled madly to escape. And as they approached the gated arch that served as their exit, Alara sighed in relief as she saw an opening. Others had already made their escape, somehow blowing a hole in the grating.

“One last thing,” Alara said over the sound of splashing. “There’s a short waterfall on the other side of that grating.”

“A what?” Runeo said.

“Don’t worry,” Alara said. “Between the airens and aguens in these boats, you all can slow the fall and help lessen the impact on the water, right?”

The others looked at each other as the grating drew closer.

“Right?” Alara repeated.

“Stop it right there!” a councilguard cried from the top of the wall. He didn’t wait for their response, instead launching a barrage of flames at the group.

Alara stood up, meeting the soldier’s fire with her own, which dissipated on impact.

“Looks like we don’t have a choice,” Suri cried out, palms facing the outer side of the boat.

The others followed the mage’s lead as Alara continued warding off attacks from the overzealous fire mage standing guard on top of the wall.

She had at least expected Quenti and Khuna to slow somewhat as they approached the grate, but in true Quenti style, they only increased their speed with each second, as though doing something quickly would somehow make it easier.

To their credit, it only further sharpened Alara’s instincts, and didn’t give her much chance to panic as they passed under the wall, through the grate, and off the top of the waterfall.

It gave her even less time to panic as the group plummeted fifty feet onto the river down below.