The silence that followed cut like a blade. Tess's lie about sparking invisibility unraveled at the very moment it might have proven useful. The truth hung in the air, heavy and accusing, dredging up memories she had prayed her comrades would forget. A liar—that was all she was.
"…Fine," Lanse said at last. "Szedra, you go."
Szedra regretted opening her mouth.
Zack stepped forward. "I'm going too." His grin betrayed his excitement to see a rift. "No one should go alone."
Lanse bristled. "We need manpower here."
But Zack had already walked off. "Half-leader, remember? Technically, I don't have to listen."
"Everyone is practically gone by now," Szedra added.
Before the argument could deepen, glass shattered. A child's scream echoed from a broken window. A small Chewlete stared down, wide-eyed, trapped.
"Almost," Szedra muttered grimly.
The mission shifted again. The team scattered, Lanse barking orders to clear the last survivors before the real fight began.
