~ Chapter 11 ~
Staring into the Light
"It's not?" Severa asked blankly.
"What are you talking about, Morgan?" Helios asked.
In answer, Morgan reset her hourglass, then lit the torch again, this time with a lustrous, vermillion flame. "This beacon sends a magical signal towards another beacon just like it," she explained. "Once the signal reaches the other beacon, the other beacon returns the signal. Since it worked, the signal somehow reached the beacon I left in Water's Edge."
"So we haven't left our world," Severa realized. "We've just traveled to another part of it."
"Then what's become of the sun and the stars?" Owain asked, puzzled. "How have we found a place so distant that the light of the heavens cannot find it?"
"That's what the hourglass is for," Morgan said. She sounded surprisingly irritated. "You can measure the distance between two beacons by how long it takes for the signal to return. Once the torch lights up again, we'll know where we are."
"Will we?" Severa asked doubtfully. "Knowing how far we are doesn't tell us which direction we've gone."
"It does if you can measure two such distances," Morgan replied. She unfurled the large scroll, which turned out to be some sort of world map. "This is Archanea, which we know today as Ylisse," she said, indicating one of the three continents on the map. "This continent west of it is Valentia, which we now know as Valm."
"And this?" Severa asked, indicating another continent she did not recognize.
"Jugdral. It's far away enough that no one in Ylisse really knows much about it, save for the old legends," Morgan explained. "And way farther from Water's Edge than we currently are," she added.
Morgan selected one of her implements, and after a few quick adjustments, lined up the device's needlelike point with Water's Edge. The other end of the device held a piece of chalk, which the young tactician used to trace a large, perfect circle.
The torch flared again, and Morgan glanced briefly at the hourglass. After making another quick adjustment, she drew a second circle centered on Ylisstol. "Just as I thought," she proclaimed grimly, gesturing towards the two points at which the circles crossed.
"What does it mean?" Helios asked, feeling thoroughly lost.
"The circles mark the distance between us and the beacons," Morgan explained. "We're at one of the two points where the two circles cross, but one of the points is so far north that if Monolith were there, it would be covered in snow and ice all year round."
"So we're here, then?" Severa guessed, indicating southeast intersection. "Just south of Valm?"
"Yep. I really should've guessed this sooner," Morgan said bitterly. "We're in the Abyssal Sea."
"The Abyssal Sea?" Severa wondered. For some reason, that name sounded vaguely familiar, as if she had only heard it just recently.
"There's a small portion of the ocean south of Chon'sin that supposedly never sees the sky," Morgan said. "Some claim that the Abyssal Sea is always covered in a layer of thick, impenetrable clouds. Others insist that there are no clouds, and that somehow, the shadows were distorted to form some sort of veil. Since there's nothing particularly important in or around the Abyssal Sea, it's become little more than an old sailors' tale. They're always telling stories about lost ships in this region or pirates that make their hideouts here."
"What you're saying is our stories have it all wrong," Trance said, staring thoughtfully at the unseen sky above. "The sun was never extinguished. You showed it to us."
"All this time, we've been trying to follow in the footsteps of Icarus," Ferus said. Like his brother, he couldn't help but stare at the unyielding darkness. "We've been searching for answers and chasing our ambitions, just as we thought he had done… but if the sun is still out there, maybe Icarus never existed."
"It doesn't matter," Helios said bluntly.
"Of course it matters," Trance disagreed quietly. "Icarus is our inspiration and spiritual leader. His story is what drove many of us to follow this course. Now you're telling us that the stories were false, and that he himself might not have been real."
"Which still doesn't matter," Helios said firmly. "Whether or not Icarus existed, we'll never know now. Whether or not the stories were real, the lessons you chose to take from them remain the same. Now that we know the sun is out there, you can keep on believing that there's an answer, that there's some way of dispelling the darkness and making all of Monolith a better place."
"It sounds great when you put it that way, but we're still nowhere closer to a solution," Ferus said. "We don't even have the slightest idea where the Nightmares are coming from, let alone what's causing the darkness… and it sounds like the rest of the world that we didn't know about has already given up on figuring it out."
"I guess they have," Morgan conceded. "But I'm not giving up yet. Come on. Let's head back to Leo's Rest."
"Back to Leo's Rest?" Severa echoed. "What for?"
Morgan managed a feeble smile. "You aren't going to like it," she warned.
"Certainly it cannot be worse than venturing out into the great unknown, battling dread creatures at every turn," Owain reasoned, gesturing grandly at their surroundings. "Err… can it?"
Struck by the irony of what she was about to propose, Morgan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Remember how before we left, I told Bayn that this trip was no worse than trying to capture the Sun Spire in Aquila's Ascent?" she asked in a leading tone.
"Sure," Severa nodded. "But what does…" That was as far as she got before she understood Morgan's meaning.
"Yeah, I know," Morgan said, cringing when she saw her sister's horrified expression. "It'll be different this time, though. I know what we're looking for, I think."
"You think?" Severa asked incredulously. "Have you lost your mind, Morgan? Don't you remember how many people died the last time someone tried this?"
Helios finally caught on. "You don't seriously mean to try for the Sun Spire in Leo's Rest, do you?" he asked in a hushed tone.
Morgan nodded uneasily. "We have to. Come on, I'll explain when we're back in the city," she promised.
"Are you sure about this, Morgan?" Helios asked. As he spoke, he moved to stand by a nearby window and opened the shutters; he, Morgan, Severa, and Owain were gathered inside the inn nearest the Sun Spire, and the gleaming crystal was just outside, looming over them from only a few buildings away.
"You don't want to ask her that. It'll only drive you crazy," Severa said, and from her tone, it was clear that she was at least partially serious.
"See? You're getting the hang of it, Sis," Morgan said, grinning.
Helios still seemed quite overwhelmed, and shook his head violently, as if to clear his thoughts. "You really think the Sun Spires are responsible for creating the Nightmares?" he asked. "That would be…"
"Terribly ironic," Severa interjected dryly.
"It's the simplest answer," Morgan reasoned. "We didn't find any signs of life on our way to Monolith's shores. That means whatever magic is behind all the Nightmares has to be coming from around here somewhere, but magic is outlawed. If someone was using magic frequently enough to create this many Nightmares, someone must have noticed by now."
"And for some reason, our ancestors decided to build only six of the Sun Spires. The Nightmares could very well be that reason," Helios finished. "I know it makes sense, but it's… it's hard to believe. The Sun Spires were built to protect us, after all."
"Every choice in the story of our lives has consequences," Owain offered solemnly. "It is fitting – nay, not merely fitting, but poetic – that your greatest salvation may also be the source of your greatest difficulties."
"Well, if it's any comfort to you, I'm not entirely sure that the Sun Spires are our problem," Morgan said.
"How is that supposed to be a comfort?" Severa snipped, rolling her eyes.
"After all, if I was absolutely sure, we wouldn't be planning to break into one, would we?" Morgan went on, ignoring her sister's interruption.
"But you're sure enough that we're trying to get you a closer look at one of them," Helios sighed.
"Cheer up, Hel. This won't be like that night in Aquila's Ascent," Morgan said bracingly. "The six of us will have a far easier time fighting our way up to the top of the Sun Spire, and none of us will be nearly so sloppy as to accidentally destroy it."
"Which is why you sent Trance and Ferus to find the other Seekers here in Leo's Rest, warning them to be ready to evacuate the city tonight," Helios pointed out dryly.
"I'm… uh… just being careful," Morgan said uncomfortably.
"It's alright, Morgan. I'm just messing with you," Helios laughed. "For whatever it's worth, I think it's the right move – both trying for the Sun Spire and having Trance and Ferus alert their friends, just in case."
"I don't know how much good it'll do," Morgan admitted. "There's over a thousand people living in this city, but – according to Trance, anyways – less than two score of the Seekers. If we do somehow slip up and accidentally destroy the Sun Spire, Leo's Rest will likely still suffer the same fate as Aquila's Ascent."
"Don't worry, Morgan. None of us are about to accidentally destroy something so large and valuable," Severa said reassuringly.
"You're telling me not to worry?" Morgan asked, shooting her sister a strange look.
Severa blushed. "W-well, yeah," she stammered. "Worrying about everything is my job, remember? When you start fretting like this, what's left for me to do?"
Morgan giggled reluctantly. "Alright. No more fretting," she promised. Smiling contentedly, she scooted forward a few feet along the room's wooden flooring, then leaned back, lying on the ground parallel to the wall.
"You should get some rest while we're waiting, Morgan," Helios advised, sounding concerned. "You seem pretty tired. The Solcryst only just went dim, so we have several hours before they rotate the smaller patrols out."
"I'm fine, Hel. It's just the warp powder," Morgan assured. Then she sat bolt upright, as if suddenly remembering something. "You should each take some with you, too," she suggested, reaching for her pouch.
"What is it?" Helios asked, looking at the pouch and frowning suspiciously.
"Warp powder. It's how I got back here after sending you five back to Water's Edge," Morgan explained. "You think of some place you'd like to be, then throw it down at the ground, and poof! You're right where you want to be!"
"Then why did we spend three days searching for Monolith's shore?" Helios asked.
"It's hard to picture a place you've never seen or heard of before," Morgan said with a shrug. "Also, it's usually not a good idea to warp to some place you haven't been in a while. Using warp powder leaves you weakened for a few hours, so you want to be sure your destination is safe."
"Like this room we're standing in, which you stayed at three days ago and could easily have been rented out to someone else," Severa added slyly.
Morgan blushed. "I didn't think about that," she admitted, glancing at the door. "Anyways, we should each be carrying some warp powder. That way, if something goes wrong, we can retreat straight to Sol Hearth." She began doling out handfuls of the magical powder into several smaller pouches.
"Your mystic stash is nearly depleted," Owain observed.
"I know," Morgan said in a resigned tone. "I've been careful with how I use my supplies, hoping to make them last as long as possible, but I was bound to run out eventually. I was planning to build myself a new workshop in Water's Edge, but I keep putting it off."
"You can always borrow Dad's once we're home," Severa reminded.
Morgan made a face. "Even before Dad and I started arguing, I think I spent more time banned from Dad's workshop than not," she said.
"Really?" Severa asked doubtfully.
"Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit," Morgan admitted. She tossed one pouch of warp powder over to Helios. "But I did get kicked out a lot. Especially when I was really little, or when I accidentally blew something up."
"Blew something up," Helios repeated faintly, staring at the warp powder as if he expected it to explode in his hands.
The door swung open, and Ferus stepped in, followed shortly by Trance. For some reason, the twins looked even more exhausted than Morgan.
"I really hope you weren't talking about the Sun Spire," Ferus grimaced. "The others thought we were mad when we told them we were going to take another shot at one of the Sun Spires, this time without a month's preparations."
"A few of them tried to talk us out of it. Even after we told them we were following Bayn's orders, they didn't seem convinced," Trance added worriedly. When he noticed Morgan's questioning look, he grew defensive. "It's technically true. He sent us to help you, remember?"
"Isn't Bayn the leader of the Seekers?" Severa asked.
"One of several," Ferus corrected. "But after what happened in Aquila, these people are terrified. Even Grandmaster Zen would have a hard time convincing them this is a good idea."
"Who's Grandmaster Zen?" Morgan asked curiously.
"The founder of our order," Trance answered. "He was once a member of the Sun Guard, too. Shortly after he was promoted to First Class, he began to wonder what became of the research left behind by the Deicide. When he challenged how easily we had accepted our many hardships, the Sun Guard cast him out."
"They say Grandmaster Zen used to be quite the warrior, but that was over five decades ago. He doesn't do a whole lot these days, besides reading old stories and sharing his wisdom when asked," Ferus said.
"Interesting," Morgan mused. "Well, never mind that for now. Let's get going."
"Right now? I thought we were going to wait until just before the Solcryst lights up," Helios said.
"We were. That way, even if something were to go terribly wrong again, Leo's Rest wouldn't have to hold out against the darkness for long," Morgan said. "But we just told the Seekers here what we're up to. If they don't trust us, I don't know how much longer we can afford to wait."
"Our friends won't betray us to the Sun Guard," Trance promised.
"I don't know," Ferus said worriedly. "Morgan might be right. The Seekers here have spent most of their lives in Leo's Rest. Their friends and families are all here. Now that they've seen what can happen, they have every reason to be afraid."
"And if even one of them breaks down sometime in the next few hours, we could have half the city's Sun Guard standing between us and the Sun Spire," Morgan warned. "We should go now, before the other Seekers have had time to think and scare themselves into moving against us."
"Too late," Helios announced grimly. He gestured out the window and towards the street below where a lone, hooded figure was slowly skulking towards the base of the Sun Spire.
"Cowards," Ferus cursed under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Morgan," Trance apologized. "I never thought they would…"
"It's okay, it's my fault," Morgan interrupted quickly. "I'm the one who didn't think this through. I should've known the other Seekers would be leery of moving against the Sun Guard again so soon after the disaster in Aquila's Ascent."
"But what do we do now? The Sun Guard will be ready for us," Trance said, glancing nervously towards the Sun Spire.
"Maybe, maybe not," Morgan said thoughtfully. "There might still be a way for us to turn the tables on them. Let's go."
Fifteen minutes later, Helios casually strolled up to the Sun Spire alone. The six guards stationed at the tower looked up at him in surprise, but they calmed slightly when they recognized Helios's white and gold robes.
"Good evening," one of the guards greeted.
"Evening," Helios replied with a curt nod, immediately noticing that all six of the guards seemed tense despite their pleasant expressions. There was no sign of the hooded man from before, either, or anyone asides from the posted patrol.
"What brings you here at such a late hour, my friend?" another of the guards asked.
"Couldn't sleep," Helios replied with a shrug. "Thought I'd take a look around the city instead, since I might end up staying here for a while."
Taken aback, the guards exchanged confused looks. "You're not from around here?" one of them finally asked. "But you're not a patrol leader."
"Nope. Helios, Fourth Class, out of Aquila's Ascent," Helios replied.
"Aquila's Ascent!?" several of the guards exclaimed together.
"Yeah," Helios said, grimacing. "I was lucky enough to be at the wall when the city went dark. After I made it back to Sol Hearth, I signed up for an escort job. Leo's Rest is nice enough – reminds me a bit of home, honestly – but I haven't gotten my reassignment yet."
"You might get a transfer to Sol Hearth, then," one of the guards said comfortingly. "But if not, this city's as good a place as any to end up. I should know; I've been here all my life."
"Yeah, all eighteen years of it," one of the guards chuckled. Several of the other guards, including the younger guard who had spoken before, began laughing.
The oldest of the six remained grim, however. "Helios, there's something I'd like to hear your opinion on, if you don't mind."
"Go for it, but if you're going to ask me about Aquila, I'm not entirely sure what happened that night, either," Helios warned.
"A civilian stopped by a short while ago," the old guard explained. "He claimed to have spotted several suspicious strangers wandering around nearby, and that at least one of them mentioned the Sun Spire."
"I'm telling you, Daryl, the poor guy probably just ran into a bunch of drunks," one of the other guards insisted. "Heck, they were probably the same merchants that came in with the caravan Helios here was assigned to."
"He seemed sure these were Nihilists, though," the older guard protested.
"Nihilists? Are you sure?" Helios interrupted sharply.
"Not really. We haven't seen any sign of them ourselves," the old guard admitted. "But that man seemed so certain. I think we should tell someone at Headquarters, at least, but…"
"You know how much the captain hates to be bothered," the youngest guard interrupted nervously.
"Daryl, was it?" Helios asked, turning to the older guard, who nodded. "I think you're right; if there's even a chance that the Sun Spire is in danger, you need to tell someone. Just before Aquila's Sun Spire went dark, one of ours ran by, shouting something about there being Nihilists in the city, but the warning came too late."
"Better safe than sorry," Daryl agreed.
"And it's safer not bothering the captain over the words of some paranoid fool," one of the guards said, rolling his eyes. "Unless… Helios, would you mind dropping by Headquarters and finding our captain for us?" he asked hopefully.
"I don't really know my way around your city yet," Helios apologized. "Why don't two or three of you go together? That's what my patrol and I used to do with bad news. That way, your captain will be less inclined to single one of you out. He may just take your news more seriously, too."
"Sounds like you've had some experience with this," Daryl remarked dryly.
"Of course I have. Is there such a thing as a reasonable patrol leader?" Helios asked with a conspiratorial grin. "Would you like me to stick around for a bit? I don't have much else to do, so I could cover a bit for everyone leaving."
Daryl mulled the suggestion over for a few moments longer, then nodded. "Thanks, Helios," he said, before turning to the other guards. "Quin, Earl, would you two mind coming along with me?"
One of the guards almost certainly did mind, judging from his expression, but neither of them argued, leaving Helios and the remaining three guards alone.
But they weren't alone for long. Less than five minutes after the first three guards left, Morgan appeared from around the corner, playfully skipping past the Sun Spire. Even Helios was taken aback, for the girl had somehow changed her hair color back to its normal vibrant red.
Morgan stopped midstride, as if noticing the guards for the first time. Then she made an exaggerated show of looking up at the Sun Spire's summit before walking straight up to the guards. "Hello!" she greeted cheerfully, managing to sound even younger than she really was.
At first, the guards could only look to one another silently. Despite their nervous state, none of them seemed alarmed by their surprising visitor.
"Hey, kid," one of them finally said, kneeling down so that he didn't tower over the little girl quite as much. "Where are your parents? Are you lost?"
"My uncle's busy," Morgan said, shuffling her feet timidly. "He said I could go exploring, as long as I stay near the tavern. I can still see it from here, though." She looked up and down the street behind her, feigning a puzzled look.
"Do you remember what the tavern's called?" the guard asked. "I can show you the way back."
"I can find it myself," Morgan insisted petulantly. Without warning, she darted past the guard and right up to the Sun Spire. She didn't reach for the door, though, and instead looked straight up. "Wow! It's so tall!" she exclaimed.
A couple of the guards laughed, amused by Morgan's childish antics. "It sure is," one agreed. "Is this your first time seeing the Sun Spire up close?"
Morgan nodded enthusiastically. "Can we go up there?" she asked, pointing up at the top of the tower.
The guards' smiles vanished. "Of course not. Don't be silly," another of the guards said firmly.
"Aww, why not?" Morgan pleaded.
"Because the tower's off-limits," another guard reminded impatiently. "Now get away from there." He reached out as if to seize Morgan by the hand and drag her away from the tower.
Distracted by the young tactician, even Helios had missed Severa's approach, at least until a glaive suddenly appeared in their midst. The guard trying to seize Morgan felt a forceful blow to the back of his head, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"What?" one of the two remaining tower guards gasped. He spun, as did the only other remaining member of his patrol, but Helios struck first. The rogue Sun Guard swiftly drew both of his swords, kicking out at the same time and tripping the nearest guard. Helios then punched out with one of his sword hilts, striking the prone man squarely on the temple and knocking him out cold.
The last guard backed away from Severa and Helios, stammering incomprehensible protests as he spotted three others – Owain, Trance, and Ferus – closing in.
Recognizing that the last tower guard had forgotten all about her, Morgan seized the opportunity to strike. One clean blow with her sap, and the third guard slumped down to join his comatose comrades.
"I thought you were going to give me a signal of some sort," Helios reminded Morgan, for their original plan was for him to start off the fighting, buying time for Severa to close in.
"I did!" Morgan protested. "I asked you to take me to the top of the Sun Spire, remember?"
"What kind of signal is that?" Helios grumbled.
"A signal you two can argue about later," Severa interceded. "We don't have long before those other guards come back with reinforcements, remember?"
"Right," Morgan agreed hastily. She turned and grabbed for the door handle, only to find the only entrance to the Sun Spire locked.
"I told you it'd be locked," Helios reminded.
"I can get it open," Trance offered, stepping forward. He stepped straight back a moment later when he saw Morgan brandishing her tome at the door.
"So can I," Morgan said, before reducing the thick wooden door to cinders. "Come on," she urged, before racing through the entryway and up the spiral staircase inside.
By the time the six invaders reached the top of the Sun Spire, they were all out of breath.
"Oh fearless leader," Owain wheezed. "Bequeath upon me the sigil of light's…"
"Catch," Morgan interrupted, flipping a glass disc wrapped in a thin lattice of gold leaf to Owain.
"Hurry! Someone's coming!" Severa pressed. Owain was already in the middle of invoking the light rune, though, and a few seconds after she finished speaking, an opaque barrier of pure light formed across the doorway.
"How long will it hold?" Ferus asked nervously. He and his brother remained near the barrier, eyeing it nervously as if expecting it to disappear as suddenly as it had appeared.
"A few minutes, at least," Morgan said absentmindedly. Without even bothering to look at the barrier Owain had summoned, she stepped up to the scintillating crystal that formed the Sun Spire's peak.
After a few moments, Severa and Helios approached the crystal, too, standing on either side of Morgan. "So, what do you think?" Severa asked, staring into the glowing, many-faceted stone. The light was uncomfortably bright and stung her eyes slightly, but it wasn't quite as unbearable as she had been expecting.
"Hmm… I'm not sure yet," Morgan said slowly.
A few angry cries sounded through the light barrier behind them, which was apparently not as soundproof as it was impenetrable.
"Well, what are you looking for?" Helios prompted impatiently.
"I thought the Sun Spire would be using a stronger variation of the spell my lantern rings use," Morgan explained. "Both this crystal and my rings are designed to constantly give off light without relying on someone providing them with magical energy. At least, that's what I thought."
"And now?" Severa asked.
"Now I'm not so sure," Morgan admitted. "Self-sustaining enchantments normally radiate a lot of magical energy. This crystal's magic is surprisingly faint."
"You can feel magic?" Helios asked skeptically. "I don't feel anything."
"Some people are naturally more sensitive to magic than others," Morgan said with a shrug. "It helps if you've used magic before yourself, too. Owain, you can sense the magic coming from the lantern rings, can't you?"
At the sound of his name, Owain finally looked away from the barrier he had created. "Of course. Such a distinct mark cannot escape Owain Dark unnoticed," he boasted. However, as his gaze fell upon the crystal, he grew puzzled. "This cannot be. This ancient relic veils my third eye; where there should be a coursing river of mystical energies, I see only an endless, gaping void," he muttered.
"See? It's faint enough that Owain doesn't sense it at all," Morgan said. "It's different, too, as if the crystal's magic isn't just creating light," she thought aloud. As her mind wandered, she glanced back towards the light barrier, and her expression hardened.
"Is something wrong, Morgan?" Severa asked worriedly, gripping her glaive more tightly and staring at the barrier.
"Very," Morgan said softly. "Could I borrow your glaive for a moment, Sis?"
"Sure," Severa agreed, handing the weapon over. "But why…" That was as far as she got before Morgan spun, thrusting the glaive directly at the crystal with as much force as she could muster.
"What are you doing!?" Helios shrieked. He grabbed for Morgan, but was too slow. The young tactician backed out of his reach, then stabbed again, before reversing her grip and bashing at the crystal with the glaive's heavy shaft.
Light continued swirling beneath the many unmarred surfaces of the crystal; none of Morgan's attacks had managed to leave even a scratch on the mysterious relic.
"It's shielded," Morgan explained, sounding disgusted as she passed the glaive back to her stunned sister. "The crystal is protecting itself with magic similar to my light rune."
"Shielded," Helios echoed hollowly.
"Which means the Seekers didn't destroy the Sun Spire in Aquila's Ascent. They couldn't have destroyed it, accidentally or otherwise," Morgan concluded grimly.
"Who destroyed it, then? And how?" Ferus asked.
Morgan barely heard the Sun Guard's question. She was staring deep into the depths of crystal, and seemed fully captivated by the faint shadow forming within it.
Unnoticed by the others, the shadow shaped itself into the likeness of a hooded, winged man.
"I can see you," Morgan whispered determinedly. "You can't hide from me anymore. We're coming for you."
Severa and Helios, who were standing close enough to overhear, peered into the crystal just as the shadow faded. The light was already shifting again, flowing inwards towards the center of the crystal and concentrating into a single, blinding mote of light.
Even as Severa looked away from the light, she felt the soft tingle of magical energy surging through the air around her. She looked nervously to her husband, and upon seeing Owain's confused expression, she knew she was not the only one who had sensed the change.
"Get down!" Morgan suddenly cried out. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Helios diving aside, and knew that he, at least, must have sensed what was to come. She moved to do the same herself, but saw, to her horror, that Severa was staring at her in confusion.
With only a split second to decide, the young tactician changed her course at the last possible second, throwing herself against her older sister. Severa tumbled to the ground with a yelp, but her cry was drowned out by the sound of breaking glass.
An intense, pure light erupted from the Sun Spire's peak, blinding everyone standing nearby. Morgan gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the worst, but could not keep herself from crying out in agony when thousands of razor-sharp fragments from the shattered crystal tore into her from behind. Amidst the pain, she barely noticed herself flying through the air, propelled by the explosion.
A second later, Morgan struck her head against the sturdy stone rail and sank mercifully into unconsciousness.