Green vapor crawled along the drainage road and found every low place.
It ate the mud first, turning each puddle sour.
The top layer bubbled where Vaela's breath touched it. Old rail plates showed through in patches, then dulled under a pale coat that smoked without flame. Ty watched one of Ronnick's broken spiders curl in on itself as the vapor reached the brass joints.
JJ kept her shoulder in front of him.
That helped less than she wanted. The vapor stayed low, and Ty's injured foot stayed low with it.
The bandage around his boot darkened. Heat climbed through the cloth, thin at first, then sharp enough to make his toes lock. He put weight on his other leg and felt the road answer through every cut.
Blue pressed both hands against his collarbone from inside his shirt.
"That smoke is eating the wet places before the dry ones," she said. "Your bandage is becoming dinner from the bottom."
"Useful observation delivered with horrible bedside manner, Blue," Ty said.
