Chapter Five: The Temperature of the Beak Needle

White light pierced the creature and melted a vertical shaft through the roof. The first coupling of two authorities made the city tremble. Chen dropped to one knee. The thirteen cold points inside him lit in sequence, and a coordinate appeared in his palm. Reykjavík. "The Returners activated the seventh tail feather. It connects to a volcanic reservoir. If it opens, magma will broadcast the signal across the planet." Swift spoke from every building. "Go, First Observer. Save a city—or remain and save your father." The wing became transparent. Kilometers away, Lin Yue was pinned inside the heart chamber within a single second, his wound forever denied time to bleed. He raised his face. This time Su's vibrometer detected motion in the ice.