The dawn came slowly, like an unwanted guest. Light spread across the sea, turning it a cold, gray color. It lit up the three of us stuck on the cliff of the Iron Fortress. The wind was sharp, tasted like salt, and carried the steady banging of the alarm.
I lay flat behind the short wall, my whole body stiff from the cold and being tired. My eyes stayed on Commander Silas and the Iron Sentinels. Silas had his people in order—a tight group moving forward slowly and carefully, using the rocks for cover.
Garth had turned the wall into a mess of sharp rock and metal. He pressed his face against the cold stone, looking out at the sea.
Cap, Garth whispered, his voice strained. The sun's up. The Sea Serpent should be here soon. But Silas is pushing for the end. He knows the sun is our ticket out.
Elara was lying still next to me. I held the Manifest tightly. The blue light under her skin blinked weakly. The Anti-Abacus was saving power for one last thing.
We were trapped. We couldn't go back, and the Sentinels were moving in. Silas had high ground and more people. We had the wall and a trick up our sleeve.
Silas stopped his men fifty yards away, behind a broken piece of the cannon. He wasn't rushing. He wanted to trap us, not just kill us.
Syndicate Captain! Silas yelled across the open space, sounding sure of himself. The Daemon won't ruin our world! Give us the Filth, and you'll just work for us, not die! Your deal is off!
My deal is to survive, Silas! I yelled back, my voice rough. You're wrong! The Guild is coming for you! Chaos is all that can save you!
I knew I couldn't talk him out of it. I had to buy time somehow.
I reached behind me, feeling the rough cliff. I found a big, round rock.
Garth, I whispered. Pass the grease. What's left of it.
Garth quietly handed me the can, which had a layer of thick grease mixed with dirt.
I smeared a lot of grease on the rock. I aimed, not at Silas, but at the ground in front of him.
I threw the rock. It skipped across the stone, leaving a wide, black trail, then disappeared over the edge.
The Sentinels stopped, confused by what I did.
Cap... what are you doing? Garth asked, confused.
Making things tricky, I said, watching the black streak. The Purists are predictable. They like solid ground. That grease tells them things aren't safe. It'll make them slow down and be careful, buying us time.
Silas saw what I was doing. He pointed to the grease. Ignore it! Go around on the left! Trap them!
The Sentinels moved, trying to get around my little trap. They were slow, but they kept coming.
I watched the sun. It was just starting to peek over the horizon.
The Sentinels were coming in from both sides, getting closer. They'd be at the wall in three minutes.
I turned to Elara. She barely had her eyes open, and her blue light was fading. The Anti-Abacus was getting ready for its last job.
I put the Manifest on Elara's forehead. The cold shape was the only thing she could feel.
Elara! The ship is coming! I need one thing! Where is the best spot for the Sea Serpent to get close?
Elara twitched. The Anti-Abacus was fighting the drain and the Manifest. Her voice was barely a whisper:
CALCULATING... WATER PRESSURE. UNDERSEA CURRENTS. BEST SPOT: 45 METERS WEST. ONE MINUTE WINDOW.
I got it. Garth! Forty-five meters west! The Sea Serpent has one minute! We have to get there!
Garth looked. The way west was clear, but wide open to the Sentinels. We'd have to run across fifty yards with no cover.
We can't make it, Cap! They'll shoot us down!
Then we make them think twice, I said, getting to my knees. I grabbed some sharp metal. Garth, you run straight! I need you to get their attention! Elara and I will make them confused!
I turned to Elara, my voice firm. Anti-Abacus! Last one! Make them unsure!
Elara's eyes flew open, the blue light shining bright. She spoke her last command:
TARGET: MAIN MAST OF THE PURIST NAVAL BARRICADE. NEEDED: MANIFEST IN THE AIR. RESULT: COMPLETE DOUBT.
I understood. I wasn't going to fight them; I was going to mess with their heads.
The Sentinels were twenty yards away. Silas yelled: GET THEM!
I didn't wait. I shoved Garth. GO! STRAIGHT! GET THEIR ATTENTION!
Garth ran, a dark shape against the rising sun.
As the Sentinels raised their weapons, I lifted Elara and held her on my shoulder.
Then, I did something impossible. I didn't run west. I ran three steps east, toward the broken cannon.
I jumped onto the cannon, feeling Elara's weight. I grabbed the Manifest and looked out at the sea, past the cliff, to the Purist Naval Barricade.
I put everything I had into my arm. I didn't use magic. I used physics and chaos.
NOW! I yelled, throwing the Manifest as hard as I could, aiming for the main mast of the closest ship.
The Manifest, filled with Elara's energy, flew.
It flew far and straight. The Sentinels watched, stunned, as the dark shape went over the cliff.
CRACK!
The sound was sharp, then a loud crash.
The Manifest had hit its target. It struck the mast with the force of a small bomb, breaking the wood and bringing the sail down.
The Sentinels—men who believed in order—froze. They had just seen a small thing destroy a ship's mast from a mile away. It was impossible.
A DEAMON'S POWER! RUN! Silas yelled, his beliefs shattered. He threw down his weapon and ran.
I had done it: doubt and chaos in the minds of the enemy.
I didn't wait for the Purists to get it together. I jumped down and ran west, using Elara's data.
Garth, who had stopped when the cannon fired, ran to catch up.
We got to the spot on the cliff. I looked down. The water was calm and deep.
And then, I saw it.
Coming up from the depths was the Sea Serpent—the Syndicate's submarine, waiting in the only safe spot.
A hatch opened, and Lys, from the Sea Moth, held a rope.
Cap! We're here! One minute! Get down now!
I nodded, relieved. I handed Elara to Garth.
Garth! Take her! Go first! Get her safe!
Garth looked at the Manifest in my hand. Cap... you broke the rules. You brought her back. Now what?
Now, I said, putting the Manifest in my pocket. We use the chaos to win.
I watched Garth take Elara and start down.
I was last. I looked at the Sentinels.
As I stepped off the edge, the sun came up, lighting the Iron Fortress, the broken cannon, and us dangling over the sea.
We were out of the prison, but now we were going to war.