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THE BLACK TEMPEST

‹xed point in the timeline. Causality will only bend around it.
Going back before won’t prevent its creation. It’s one way we
protect the kingdom.” She grimaced. “Corday ‹gured out how
to copy it.”
“Then there’s only one option,” Malcolm said, the thought
‹lling him with dread. “We jump directly inside the bubble.”
Asha stared at him. “You’re insane. We have no strategy,
no plan once we’re inside.”
“You still have a Second-sev nexus for each of us, right?”
She nodded, reached into her robe, and handed one to each
of them.
“Corday doesn’t know we have these. She’ll expect to shut
us down like before. So we go straight for her, try to take her
down while she’s surprised.”
“He’s right,” Valentine said heavily. “This may be the one
shot we get.”
A dozen powerful shifts hit Malcolm’s senses. Whipping
around, he saw the High Protectors charging through the trees.
“They’re here.”
Raising his hands, Malcolm channeled a rush of energy and
a dome appeared over the platform—not made of ice or ‹re, but
of Time itself. A layer of slowed Time sandwiched between two
layers of fast Time. Hopefully it would confuse their pursuers
long enough.
Just as Asha entered the jump command, the ‹rst attack
burst against the shield. Malcolm £inched, smiling grimly as
it held ‹rm. Then a £urry of attacks bombarded it all at once.
“The portal needs two minutes!” Asha called. She glanced
up as an explosion rocked the dome. “Which we don’t have.”
Malcolm turned back to her just as the spinning ring became
a red vortex. “Yeah, not two minutes—now!”

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