The nursery district stopped falling and began being reeled in.
Its scar chain pulled tight above the roofs. The platform's downward roll became a long sideways swing, turning the saved city into a scatter of lights behind them and the Bellmother into a dark coast ahead.
Beras opened both wings against the air.
His frame screamed at the joints. One sail buckled, caught again, and slowed the district just enough to keep its roofs from becoming the leading edge.
"Neris, cut the east awning!" he shouted.
The bloodied Hook Choir hunter left Aylin's rope, ran along the tilted roof, and slashed through a broad strip of sailcloth. She did not let it fly. Two residents caught the loose corners, and together they opened the awning behind the district as a second drag wing.
The strain bent their roof post farther.
