Rising Shards

As we descended, our drivers took us onto a labyrinth of roads crossing each other, a mix of what looked like highway on ramps, bridges, roller coasters, water slides, and those squiggly toy deals they have at medical offices, but we were the wooden bits that zip around. The roads were wide enough for a bunch of the cars to be comfortably side by side, splitting into four groups each with a bundle of the vehicles. We somehow were stable as we drove across rushing water on the paths. We drove around the statue the Sharai had put the daggers into that rested on a center platform.

I wasn’t entirely freaking out about the present situation. Sure, we were captured, and sure, there didn’t seem to be an easy way out with us all bound by energy blocking tethers. I was stuck in a freaky Sharai soldier car as they tried to power up the things that my parents used to try and turn me into a monster. Things were dire, but they paled in comparison to Jeans. Hearing her use her tactics on anyone else hurt the same way as when she used them on me. Even if it was Ovie, and Ovie kidnapped Kalei to get here, and captured all of us after, it still hurt, and I felt a deep pity for her. Even from my mostly blocked view as they spoke above, I could read the look as Ovie turned back towards us for a second, putting together a lot of the pieces that led us all here. She had only planned to get back to Jeans, and now that she was here, she had no plan past that, and that included all of us that had been roped into it.

Even if I hadn’t heard what Jeans just said, I would feel in my gut all the same that this reunion absolutely wasn’t going to go the way Ovie wanted.

Speaking of not remotely having a plan, I definitely didn't for the pain I felt from Jeans even secondhand, nor was I emotionally ready to suddenly be in the same place as her again. If I dwelled on all this any deeper, I’d probably shut down. So I just looked at Oka seated across from me. Just seeing her perfect eyes helped keep me stable, as if it was a secret Cani power of hers to keep my mind in tune even when she was completely silent. At the very least, I could take great comfort in that I had moved on from Jeans and was with someone better to a ludicrous degree.

Once I had recharged by staring at my girlfriend (who I hoped was also regaining her composure as we locked eyes), I scanned around the vehicle for any kind of way out of this. Dr. Diast was doing the same, but her wince said she hadn’t found the solution yet. Lillia too had her most analytical brow furrowing going on. And Marmalade…squinted strangely. This felt like a moment for our unspoken trans link to come in handy, but I really couldn’t read her sour look.

Then Marmalade slowly lifted her hands up, looking up to the front seats every few seconds. It took me a second to realize she was showing me that she was not tied up at all in the energy binding the rest of us had gotten.

I had to try very hard not to yelp and immediately alert the two Sharai retention sprites up front about this sudden chance. Instead I made my own strange squints as I tried to find some way for a freed Marmalade to save us here. Her powers were earthquakes, so could she shake everything and stop the cars? But that also could just knock us all into the abyss below. Maybe use the quakes to emit some kind of signal to send for help? That didn’t really make sense. As my ideas got worse and worse, Marmalade quickly and stealthily untied Dr. Diast. The instant Diast’s hands were free, she shot them forward, conjuring three metal plates. The first two bashed the Sharai with enough force to knock each of them out of the vehicle, with the third slamming on the brakes. I didn’t yell until we careened to a stop, rushing towards the edge of the road. Just as it looked like we were about to go over, we stopped completely.

“Sorry I didn’t give you a heads up to hold on there,” Diast said. “Everyone good?”

“I think so.” I said, feeling the same post panic mode I did the time Stella convinced me to go on one water slide at a theme park. “All things considered.”

Marmalade and Diast got us all untied. I felt a bit reenergized right away. The tiny threads stopping my powers completely made me feel incomplete, and now I felt like I had just woken up from a good nap.

“Great work, Marmalade.” Diast said, patting her back. “Saved our asses there.”

“Yeah, seriously!” Oka said. “How’d you untie yourself so fast?”

“Maybe I used secret mental powers to convince them not to tie me up,” Marmalade said. “Or they just forgot to get me.”

“They genuinely just forgot to tie you up?” Lillia asked.

“I guess so,” Marmalade said. “I can be pretty nondescript when I want to. I think I'm like that Kanibari girl at the casino.”

"You stand out a lot more than Z.O.K. does, don't worry," I said. “But like, in a good way. Like, not like—"

"I get it, I get it." Marmalade said.

"Now what?” I said, glad Marmalade cut me off before I rambled forever there.

Dr. Diast climbed up to the front seat and started driving. “We gotta get to that middle platform.” She gestured to her right. “It’s risky because we’re still going to be charging the daggers, but it’s not like we can climb down there and walking on these roads isn’t an option either.”

“Would it be doable to ride the horses down?” Oka asked sweetly. “Surely those wouldn’t charge the daggers.”

“First up, that’d be insanely dangerous, I don’t know if they could even walk on the rushing conduit liquid…” Diast started.

“Conduit liquid sounds gross.” I said.

“Second,” Diast said, ignoring me. “Are you just looking for an excuse to get your horses out again?”

“Maybe.” Oka said.