cascade | kotlc

14. Aftershock

 Grady and Edaline were at Havenfield, looking stiff and unfocused when they arrived, holding an unconscious Wylie. Thankfully he hadn't faded. Linh and June's combined concentration kept him in one piece.

"Get Elwin," Linh said immediately when Grady and Edaline blinked, taking in the carnage. "Wylie's... something's happening to him."

"Aren't you supposed to be at Alluveterre?" Grady asked, confusion painting his face as he pulled out his Imparter. Edaline scrambled over, shaking Wylie, trying to get him awake.

"He's not asleep, but he's not awake either," she told them, her brows furrowing. "It seems like he's stuck in a weird middle state, almost like a sedative. I'm not going to ask what happened" -- her cautious eyes swiveled from June, to Linh, to Wylie -- "but I trust you were acting perfectly logically, and this was an unplanned attack from the Neverseen."

"Elwin will be arriving soon- ah, there he is." He pointed at a figure in the distance, scurrying over. "Now, will someone tell me what happened?"

"Ambush," Linh muttered, gazing at the horizon. The sun had set already, and night was falling. The first twinkles of the twilight stars were emerging, and Elwin rushed over, flashing orbs over Wylie's body, his expression slowly morphing into a frown.

June told her parents the full story. About how June had found Linh in Alluveterre, how she'd stayed with her, how they'd planned to infiltrate Foxfire, and how the Neverseen attacked. She covered their escape, and she wiped her eyes, pulling her gun from her pocket and staring at it sadly.

"Let me get this clear," Elwin interrupted. "You planned to infiltrate Foxfire."

"Yes," Linh whispered. "We wanted to learn more about the Lodestar mirror. Wylie was just about to show it to us when..."

"It'll be okay," June told her, seemingly wanting to believe it herself as she laid back against the grass.

"Thank god you chose today," Grady mumbled, sinking down against Verdi's enclosure, his melder falling out from his waiststrap. "Before you ask, we're okay. Nothing happened. But the Neverseen planned an attack today, just when Keefe informed us we were in danger..." his voice cracked. "Your sister and everyone else is at Rimeshire. I'm sure the Black Swan knows of the attack already, if you really fought at the glass pyramid... head along to the Leapmaster. We'll keep Wylie here for now..."

Elwin sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know what's wrong. His body matches how it would be if he was sedated, but he clearly isn't... he's under the influence of something. Did anything hit him during the battle?"
"I don't think so..." Linh said, her voice trailing away. "I got hit by a melder, but he didn't..."

June's eyes widened. "I swore, as I came down and fought the last dude, their shadow extended and covered Wylies, and he started to shiver. Do you think... the Shade did something to him?"

"That's exceedingly likely," Elwin agreed, flashing his lights. "There are dark spots all over his body, and I don't know what that means, but it appears murky under the light. I'm assuming that's some after-effect of shadows, but I wouldn't know, as a Flasher."

"We could ask my brother," Linh offered. "He's still at Alluveterre."

"Mitya's getting him already," Edaline told them, her voice quavering. "I think you all should head to Rimeshire... let everyone know. Mr. Forkle's probably there already, he left just now..."

"Shouldn't Alden and Della be here?" June asked.

"They went to check on Fitz and Biana. Go ahead... I don't think an attack is coming for us today." She heaved a sigh and buried her head in her hands.