The street ended at a reedy lake. Drowned buildings poked out of the foul water for another hundred yards.
“The town is totaled,” Cole said. “How big is this thing? It looks like a giant had a temper tantrum. What can’t Carnag do?”
“Some of this might have been done physically,” Mira said. “But a lot of it had to be shaping—the lumps in the road, the coral, the house neatly sliced in half. Maybe all of it was shaping.”
“So it’s a semblance and a shaper,” Jace said.
“Kind of makes sense,” Mira replied. “It’s made out of shaping power.”
“How powerful are you?” Twitch asked.
Mira laughed softly. “I had some talent. Nothing like this. Don’t forget what Declan told us. This is unrestrained shaping energy, free from my limitations. It’s probably much more powerful than I could ever be.”
Cole ran both hands through his hair. “How do we fight something that can blast the ground out from under us, chop us in half, crush us with a boulder, then grow coral on us?”
“And that’s just for starters,” Twitch added.
“I don’t really know,” Mira said. “We use everything we have. We hope my connection to Carnag can be an advantage somehow. Remember, it can’t kill me without killing itself.”
“I still worry Declan could be using us,” Jace said. “He might just want Carnag gone, whatever the cost. He might have purposefully sent us to our deaths. If you get killed, Carnag gets wiped out too, and Sambria has one less problem.”
“Maybe,” Mira said. “But it’s something I have to do. It’s my power.”
“You’re not to blame,” Jace said. “You didn’t turn your power into Carnag. Whoever took your power is responsible. Blame your dad. Let him figure this out.”
Mira took a deep breath. “This may be hard for you to understand. I’m not doing this just because I feel guilty. That power is part of me. Like a lost limb. Worse, even. Like a lost piece of my actual self. I’ve wondered for years if I could ever get it back. I knew it might never happen. But this is my chance. It matters enough to me that I’m willing to die trying. If you want to watch from a distance, that’s fine. This town shows how scary Carnag can be. If you want to run away at top speed, I’ll understand.”
“Sometimes I feel like you’re trying to get rid of us,” Cole said.
“I kind of am,” Mira admitted. “This is my risk to take. Not yours. I can live with getting myself killed.”
“Technically, you can’t live if you get killed,” Jace pointed out.
“You know what I mean!” Mira snapped. “My life is mine to risk. I can’t stand the thought of bringing you all down with me.”
“We volunteered for this,” Jace said. “You didn’t make us.”
“He’s right,” Cole said.
“I know,” Mira said. “But you don’t have to keep volunteering. Sky Raiders run from danger. It’s what we know. It’s how we’ve gotten this far. But this time we’re heading right at the danger. We’re tracking it down on purpose. And I’m not going to run.”
They all contemplated that in silence.
“You might need us,” Cole said. “You might not survive without us. Jace is pretty good with that rope.”
“I sure am,” Jace said. “Don’t try to get rid of me ever again. I’m done having this conversation. If you’re determined, I am too. I see the town. It’s a mess. We knew this thing was powerful. But I won’t abandon you.”
“If it goes really bad, we can still try to run,” Twitch said. “You know, last minute. I’m not quitting now.”
“What about you, Cole?” Mira asked. “You’re not even from here. You have friends to find. Do you really want to get killed fighting my shaping power?”
“I don’t want to get killed,” Cole said. “I promised my friends that I’d find them, and I’m going to keep that promise. Your father has my friends as slaves. His laws led to us being taken from our world. You want to overthrow him. Doing that would be the surest way to help my friends. It all starts with you getting your powers back. I’m with you, Mira. Not only because I need to help Jenna and Dalton. You’re my friend too.”
Mira wiped at her eyes. “Okay. I’m grateful. It’s not that I want you to leave. I just feel so responsible.”
“We get it,” Jace said.
“Where did you kids come from?” a voice interrupted.
They all jumped and whirled toward the speaker. An older man with a long white beard was coming their way down a side street. He wore dirty work clothes and walked as if he might be a little arthritic.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “I’m wondering what news you’ve had.”
“We came from the northwest,” Cole said. “Things are quiet that way. The towns have evacuated.”
“We were mostly evacuated,” the old man said, drawing closer. “Some of the men stayed to fight.”
“You saw Carnag?” Mira exclaimed.
The man shook his head. “Not me. I weathered the attack down in my root cellar. I’d seen a town the monster had hit. It leaves some of the buildings untouched. I’ve lived here all my life. Decided to take my chances hiding out.”
“What happened to the men?” Cole asked.
“No sign of them,” the old man said, his voice quavering. After a moment, he regained his composure. “You’re the first people to happen by since Carnag visited five days ago.”
“Any idea which way the monster went?” Twitch asked.
“Looked like the fiend doubled back the way it came,” the old man said. “I didn’t see it, mind you, just signs of its passage. That’s been the pattern. Carnag ventures out farther every time, but falls back between forays.”
“Are you all right?” Mira asked. “Do you need anything?”
“I have plenty,” the old man said. “A whole town’s supplies. The worst of it should be behind me. So far there have been no reports of Carnag hitting the same place twice. What brings you this way?”
“Family emergency,” Mira said. “We better get going.”
“Need provisions?” the old man asked.
“We have enough,” Mira said. “Thanks, though. Keep safe.”