The Hub went out.
It did not fade or flicker. One moment the three lines hung in front of every eye, and the next they were gone, like a candle pinched between two fingers.
"Marcus," Almond said. "Do you still have yours?"
"No." Marcus was turning in a slow circle. "It's gone. All of it. The board, the map, the link. I can't feel any of it."
Rudra had gone pale. He held out his right hand, the way he had held it out ten thousand times before.
"Deadwater Dominion," he said.
Nothing came.
"Thunderwake Salvo."
There was only wind in the grass.
Rudra lowered his hand slowly. He looked at it as if it belonged to a stranger.
"They're gone," he said. "My decks are gone."
It went through the kingdom like cold water.
People called for cards that did not answer. Kayla pressed her hands to the ground, and no roots came. Kael took three quick steps and stopped dead, because he had moved no faster than any other man.
"I can't feel the wind," he said. His voice was very quiet.
