Legacy to Zero

35: Queen of the Hive (Mind)

Harlow

I hadn't meant for chaos to erupt like this. I hadn't yet gotten the opportunity to say what I needed.

Then there was Lars. He wasn't supposed to be here. Nobody was supposed to be here, but especially not Lars. Just seeing his raven form was enough to make me regret all of this.

On either side of me were the younger members of the Rift, their words muffling together. It was what happened sometimes, when too many sources of noise acted in unison, and it became a bustle that finally matched how my thoughts sounded, even if only for a beat or two. I let out a slow breath.

Maybe I had meant for this to happen.

Steeling myself, I said to the sorcerer to my side, "Throw it higher."

The teenager, the one controlling the flames, laughed and threw the flames into the sky. The brisk air sizzled. I was still surprised they were listening to me.

"Wouldn't it be funny if we hit the Dome?" the sorcerer on the other side of me asked.

I opened my mouth but said nothing again. What they were suggesting would have been impossible, even when the Dome existed. It was permeable, letting the weather and animals pass through.

It was no wonder I believed it for so long. I didn't question magic, even when I couldn't see a singular part of it.

"It's pretty high up," the other said.

I needed to do my announcement. But the thought of taking myself up on a podium and telling the crowd at once didn't sit right with me.

Instead, I shifted on my feet. "Have you ever tried to do a ceremony this late in the day?"

Neither of them answered for a pause. Their chatter stopped. Something unreadable flashed across their faces.

I continued, "You should try it later. Maybe even right now."

The fire fizzled high, scattering sparks around us. A few flecked on my shoulders, and I didn't bother brushing them away.

"We don't have candles. And anyway, Revel isn't here, and we don't have anyone returned," the one controlling the fire said.

"Yours will last until the next returned," the other added.

With a shrug, I pointed to the fire. "Candles." Then broke through the crowd, settling in the same direction as the sun. "Anyone can be the stand-in for my mother, who didn't get one of her own."

More protesting. It wasn't any easier this way. With a roll of my eyes, I repeated the suggestion—do another ceremony yourself and you'll see—before breaking away from the crowd.

Silence returned around me as my steps picked up speed. Judging by the fact that Jordan hadn't returned, he was still fighting Felicity, and with any luck, I could still catch up to Mom and Genevieve.

The river lapped. The cerulean waves were as clear as the scattered glass shards of my broken mirror. Halfway across the bridge, my mother came into view, along with two Prismatrix issue-suits.

The squadron after me.

My legs kicked into action to run to Mom's side. She'd grabbed Revel's thread earlier, which was a dark curve between her palms—a nebula of sorts—that kept increasing in strength every time it missed its target.