One second they were in the park, the next they were stumbling off the edges of the stone in the Irescan forest. Before Ru’s eyes could adjust, light flashed through the trees, a stream of thin, shimmering rainbow light. As Fuse passed, she yelled, “Skaeya, switch meteor! NOW!”

Something lunged out of the bushes and slammed right into Fuse. She hurtled off-course and straight into a tree trunk with a sickening WHAP. Her light dimmed sharply as she slid to the ground and settled into a limp pile of feathers.