Chapter One: After the Fall

“Look at me,” the Weaver said. “You’re safe.” Lin saw something else. For one blink she lay on the white stone below, blood spreading around her skull. Her left index finger bent backward into her palm. Then the image vanished. The hero lowered her onto an emergency cushion, and cheers struck her like physical blows. “A miracle!” the host screamed. “Linhai’s miracle!” The Weaver passed her to the medics. Lin caught his armored wrist and felt a pulse beneath metal. “That web,” she gasped. “Why did it wrap around me before it connected to the building?” His gaze paused. “You’re in shock.” He pulled free and vanished into the night. Every camera followed him. No one saw the purple-black bruise forming around Lin’s unbroken finger.