When space was forced open against its will, it often carried ripples along its length—tears that fissured out from the epicenter like post-quake tremors.

A series of those tremors smashed into Marlon’s senses with the subtlety of a brick to the face.

He burst to his feet, cursing vividly as Duke burst from his lap with an indignant howl, knocking his pottery wheel to the floor in an explosion of wet clay.

But he didn’t dwell.

Something was coming through that rent in space. He didn’t know what or who, but it damned sure wasn’t an out-of-season Christmas card.

He reached across space, feeling the familiar twists and turns in the Market’s air. There were two ways to open a portal—well, there were a million, but there were two general ideas that covered most cases.

Slow, methodical; visualize both the journey and the destination. Create the connection, connect the entrance and the exit, then enact the vision with aura.

Or, the quick and dirty way. Skip the song and dance, and rip that sumbitch open at the seams.

The same held true for the inverse. Denying a connection could be slow and pretty or fast and loose. Marlon preferred to do things methodically; measure twice, cut once and all that—pottery not withstanding.

But there was only one man who had both the knowledge and the power to pierce space in the Market and target the Artifact deep in its center, encased below the Pit.

Well, one man besides Marlon.

And last he’d heard, Skipper been sent packing with his tail between his legs.

So Marlon reached out to that spot, found the strand worming its way through the cracks in space, and began cutting it off from its source, pinching the wellspring of power that was necessary to beat the Artifact.

Instantly, new power injected into the tendril, fighting off Marlon’s efforts.

And the sheer volume was staggering.

Any other day, Marlon would have bet the farm on himself against Skipper. At least in this situation. Marlon was less than a mile from the portal exit fighting its way through the lock, while Skipper’s connection was dozens—possibly hundreds—of miles away. And he was fighting against an S-ranked Artifact.

The scales should have swung wildly in Marlon’s favor.

But something was off; the power expenditure was staggering, an order of magnitude greater than Skipper could bring to bear. Finesse and skill could only compensate so much.

There was a high-ranking Amplifier in play—maybe even more than one. Juicing Skipper up like a shot of steroids in the ass.

Their silent tug-of-war ended before it could start. The tidal wave of sheer force eclipsed Marlon, drowned his aura. He was forced to watch as a small object, no larger than his head, was slipped through the net.

He ranged his senses across it, identifying it just as much by feel as by its aura signature.

“Terraform—”

His cry was cut off as the bomb exploded. The shop shook so violently, every single shelf was sent tumbling. A thousand pieces of pottery pulled at his aura at once, but he cut the connections with a thought, focusing his attention on space around the Market.

A moment later, the lock on space dropped. The sensation was like a wet blanket drawn away from his face. His senses exploded with information, space reaching out to him like a long-lost lover.

There was no time to revel in the freedom; destroying the Artifact was only the opening salvo.

More attacks were on the way and it was up to him to intercept them.

----------------------------------------

Terry, Tania, and Madame Juliette stood stock-still in stunned silence. Then, the sounds of screaming and panic filtered in from outside the shop.

Katie raced in a moment later, her hair in disarray, dust coating her cheeks.

“You guys okay!” There was the slightest tremor to her voice, her eyes casting about wildly.

Juliette had recovered first and was helping Tania back to her feet.

“We’re alright, dear,” the woman replied. Her eyes were set, narrowed with determination—the look of a grandmother about to get to the bottom of all the fuss. “We need to hurry—”

A voice sounded from nowhere, echoing inside the tiny room.

“Juliette, you’re needed.”

It was Terraform, Terry realized, his words resonating through the stone.

Katie shrieked in surprise, while Terry flinched. Tania was still in a daze—either from the tumble to the floor or her Awakening.

Juliette, however, seemed unfazed.

“Right away, sir.” She walked Tania over, handing the girl off to Terry. She began to usher them all outside as she spoke to Katie. “You remember the shelter on Atwood?”

Katie nodded quickly. “Yes, but isn’t the Crag Point shelter closer—”

Juliette shook her head. “Too small, it’ll fill up before you get there.” As they left the shop, Alan, Peter, and Tristan raced over. “Get to the shelter, children. I would escort you but my services are needed.”

“We understand, ma’am,” Tristan replied for them all.

The woman started toward the Pit, but Terry stopped her with a hand on her arm. She looked down in question, her brow furrowing, the precursor to the annoyance he saw bubbling to the surface.

“I can teleport you to Terraform,” he said, releasing her arm. “It’ll be faster.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Her eyes widened.

“A Traveler? Excellent.” She turned back to Katie. “Make for Crag Point. I need to borrow your friend.”

Katie simply nodded, but Tania stepped forward.

“I’m coming.”

Juliette ignored her words, turning toward Terry.

“With all haste, young man.”

Terry eyed Tania even as he began to connect his aura to Terraform’s office. A second presence brushed against his aura. It moved with a deft touch, engulfing Terry’s aura, threatening to snuff it out. But they recognized each other at the same moment and Marlon retracted from Terry’s power. A moment later, a portal sliced across Terry’s senses, popping into existence in between the group.

Marlon’s surly face peered back at them, his shop’s interior in the background.

“Terry.” Then, his eyes caught on Juliette. “Ah, Romero. Playtime’s over, get to Terraform. I’ll hold the intrusions from here.” Another portal cut through space, effortless to Terry’s senses. “This one leads to a shelter. Send the kids through.” Juliette began ushering them through Marlon’s second portal, though Tania simply crossed her arms and stood her ground. “Terry, school’s out—” His face suddenly constricted and a moment later, Terry felt what Marlon must have sensed.

A half-dozen probes touched all around the Market, light brushes against the fabric of space that Terry might not have felt if his senses weren’t dialed to the max. He felt the tendrils of aura begin to peel back reality, begin to bridge space to some place too far away for Terry to follow.

Then, six matching tendrils snuffed the forming portals out, slamming them shut with a finality he could feel.

On the other end of Marlon’s portal, his face was pulled tight in a grimace.

“No time to chat. Can you get to Terraform?”

Terry blinked, then realized the question was for him.

“Yes,” he replied, nodding hastily.

Marlon’s portal winked out without so much as a flex of aura, leaving them behind.

How had he projected sound through the portal? And light was passing through in both directions.

Terry added two-way portals to his list of things to investigate…when they weren’t dealing with an impending war.

When he shook himself from those thoughts, he saw that Juliette had managed to coax everyone into the portal leading to the shelter.

Everyone, except Tania, that was.

They locked eyes and she crossed her arms, as if daring him to say anything. He simply shrugged, then began to coalesce his aura inside Terraform’s office. He felt Marlon’s presence through the weave of his aura, but otherwise had no issue forming the portal.

Space parted and Juliette stepped through without a hint of trepidation. They followed on her heels.

Terraform’s office was a hive of activity, dozens of people milling about in pockets, quiet chatter combining into a dull buzz that filled the air.

The man himself was conversing with two others—an older woman with piercing eyes that instantly locked onto the three of them, and a younger-looking man who nonetheless had an aura that was palpable even across the room.

The woman who had spotted them called out, her voice cutting across the din like a hot knife through butter.

“Juliette, took you long enough! Get over here. There’s work to do.”

The sharp tone surprised Terry and he waited to see if the woman would fire back. But Juliette seemed instead to shrink in on herself, like a child scolded by their mother.

“Coming, Louisa,” Juliette called back. She flicked a quick glance toward Terry, then gripped Tania’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, my dear. You deserve a better Awakening than this. But duty calls.”

Tania simply nodded and Juliette left in a rush, joining with Terraform and the two others.

“Guess that’s Katie’s grandma,” Tania said idly as she watched Juliette jog away. “Not seeing the family resemblance myself…”

Terry pulled his attention away from Terraform, the bustling room, and the background noise of Marlon and the portals he was constantly snapping shut.

“Hey.”

Tania didn’t look over as she replied. “What?”

He waited a beat, his eyebrows ready and raised for when she finally glanced over.

“What?” she asked again.

“Congratulations,” Terry said. “And welcome to the fight…or whatever.”

She rolled her eyes. “Been fighting.”

He shrugged, feeling a bit of embarrassment. “I know that…it’s just a tradition to say that or something.”

She nodded, glancing off, something clearly on her mind.

He lightly bumped her shoulder.

“Well…?”

She flicked her eyes back, then away.

“Well, what?”

He pursed his lips, realizing that her distraction was a defense mechanism to avoid discussing her Awakening.

“Not what you were hoping for?” he asked quietly.

She furled her nose. “I got Seer. I…” She blinked, her eyes going out of focus for a moment.

A notification, he realized. Her System warning her.

She waved her hand dismissively, growling low in her throat.

“I’m fine,” she said, answering his unasked question. His skepticism must have been plain on his face, because she turned to face him. “Really, I’m fine. I can transition after my Midmark and…” Her tone was weak, full of doubt.

Before he could figure out how to console her, Terraform turned and addressed the room, his deep voice carrying clearly across the din.

“Attention everyone. Let’s begin the debrief.”

The crowd instantly settled, all the side conversations cutting off abruptly.

Behind Terraform, Louisa, Juliette, and the unnamed man, the wall shifted, liquefying until a floor-to-ceiling map of the Market was carved directly into the stone. All along the map, flashes appeared and then shortly disappeared after a few seconds. Without realizing how, Terry knew they were portal incursions that were being stifled by Marlon.

There were also a dozen markers that were labeled as shelters, and small numbers next to them that fluctuated by the second. He guessed they were occupancy numbers, as they were tallying up to somewhere around the expected number of Market citizens.

“Some of you are aware of the looming threat, while some of you are hearing this for the first time.”

A hush settled over the room. It wasn’t a hush Terry could hear—everyone was already quiet, their attention fully on Terraform. No, this was a hush Terry felt, a sense that the aura in the room had stilled for the briefest moment, that the very air seemed to hold its breath.

“As you probably all felt, the Market’s primary anti-Traveler Artifact was destroyed a few minutes ago. In the interim, there have been twenty-three additional attempts to penetrate Market space—all intercepted by a certain Traveler you should all be familiar with.”

Hushed chatter began to pick up among the gathered people, but Terraform held up his hands for silence.

“The good news is, our enemy is still many hundreds of miles away, giving us the advantage in maintaining spatial authority. The bad news is, they’re on their way and moving fast.”

A voice cut across the room, a desperate need in their tone.

“Who? Who’s attacking the Market, Terraform?”

Faces turned to look at the speaker, then whipped back forward in anticipation of the answer.

Terraform stared steadily out toward the small crowd, his back firm, his aura a titanic presence in the room. He projected strength and surety—and even though Terry knew who was coming for them, knew why he was coming for them, he still felt buoyed by the man’s presence.

“Our enemy…is Qui Shen, with assistance from Skipper—”

A cacophony of sound erupted from the crowd, shouts of fear, doubt, anger, all mingling into the disturbed aura to create chaos that sent Terry’s teeth grinding.

Terraform stood there impassively, the sound and turbulent aura crashing futilely against him like he was a stone wall. But at his side, Katie’s grandmother—Louisa—was snarling like a feral dog.

Terry hadn’t felt her aura initially, but her bent back straightened and her cane snapped against the ground.

And all the aura in the room rushed toward her like she was a vortex, a cyclone, sucking the energy in with one effortless pull.

Then…

It exploded back out, rippling across the crowd, staggering those in the front, fuzzing Terry’s senses where he stood in the back.

The sensation was like a bucket of cold water in the face, exposing his senses raw, short circuiting the chatter in the room.

“Quiet yourselves.”

Her voice—in contrast to her aura—was soft, tremulous even. But the effect in conjunction with the wave of aura that preceded it was chilling. Her narrowed eyes scanned the crowd for a moment, then turned to Terraform.

“They’re all yours.”

The slightest uptick at the corner of his mouth was the only hint of his amusement, but he quickly schooled his expression and addressed the crowd.

“By all accounts, Qui Shen comes in force. I sense dozens of A-rankers and hundreds of lower-ranks among their army. Amplifiers bolster their Stone Elementalists, hampering my attempts to prevent their passage. And the closer they come, the more likely Skipper will be to overpower Marlon.”

He studied the room, his eyes seeming to pick out everyone and no one at the same time. The energy built, until every person was hanging on his next words.

“Make no mistake. We aren’t here to form a defense…” Terry’s breath caught as he considered the implication. “The purpose of this group…will be to coordinate an evacuation.”