The main force broke in less than a minute.
The wreckage kept moving.
A pocket of Imperial soldiers had been cut off from the retreat, stranded on the wrong side of Orin's advance with nowhere clean to fall back to. Instead of surrendering, they turned toward the settlement's edge.
Toward the boundary households.
Toward people who had no idea the worst of the night was supposed to be over.
Ashe saw them and moved.
Valerica turned with her.
Both were exhausted. Ashe's breathing had gone rough hours ago. Valerica's control over Event Horizon was fraying badly enough that the air around her hands trembled whenever she tried to gather it.
They were too far away.
The soldiers were already closing on the first house.
Kest saw it first.
She moved before Vane had fully understood what was happening.
Her limp had become impossible to hide. Every stride landed unevenly, the bad leg taking weight it had been protesting for hours.
She ran anyway.
Vane felt his stomach drop.
