Ria recoiled and Sersi raised her arms protectively. But Endric raised a hand, calming them.
"This is normal."
Normal for a ritual that might kill lesser beings, maybe.
Gustav's skin glowed as the runes beneath him rotated in a slow circular pattern, turning the entire cosmic floor like a wheel.
And then~
FLASH
His eyes rolled back.
He lost consciousness in an instant.
Ria gasped. "Gustav!"
Endric muttered with a calm look. "It has begun."
...
...
Far from the Loom and its quiet thunder, a lone ship slid through a field of scavenged hulls and hollowed asteroids like a whisper.
Its hull was matte to corrode scanners and curved to confuse silhouettes. Inside, the cabin lights glowed low across faces schooled to alert calm.
Angy was buckled into the pilot's chair with her legs coiled under her as if she were about to run through the stars themselves.
