Her hand twitched, searching the floor until it found Snippy's battered coils. She brushed her fingertips against the Ikona's trembling body—barely a whisper of a touch.
"Sorry, buddy," she breathed, so soft that even Elias, standing only feet away, barely caught it.
Her fingers slackened.
The light in her eye dimmed.
The shard pulsed harder against Elias's chest—[2 minutes 30 seconds remaining]—its glow bleeding through the damp, torn fabric of his sleepwear. The green vapor coiled closer, seeping outward from the canister embedded in Vira's ribs, each wisp a lethal hand reaching for her.
Elias didn't think. He moved.
