Mingyue followed him out after drawing her second sword clear of the ice. The restraint kept its shape beneath the runes. Thepes watched the altered join as they left.
Blood stained Mingyue's left sleeve. She had closed the surface of the cut, but her forearm still shook when she changed her grip.
His own right side hurt with every deeper breath. The puncture had stopped bleeding freely, and he could move his left arm, but neither wound had finished healing.
A pale strand stretched across the street beyond the broken tower. Behind it, the green smoke over the service yard thickened around the red glow at its center.
The light woman was still there.
Alex looked toward the wounded behind the low buildings. Some were sitting up now, but they could not leave while the surrounding roads kept changing beneath Arachne's web.
"We need the thing she came for," he said.
Mingyue followed his gaze toward the yard.
"You want to take it from her?"
