Chrysalis

[He's close! We need to get all minds on the job. Try and find his mana signature. It'll be hard, he's good at hiding, so we need to get on this now!]

[Anthony…] Sarah's mind hesitantly reaches out to mine.

[Later,] I tell her brusquely, [I can hear what you have to say later. The Colony won't be dissuaded on this, not after what he did.]

I switch my mind directly to my allies.

[Crinis, reach out through the shadows, cover as much ground as you can.]

I reach back and pat her with one antenna.

[This will be a huge strain on you, so be careful. It's important, but not more important than you are.]

[I understand, master.]

[Al, I need you to help track down this worm.]

[I do not understand. Confusion. What is a worm?]

[It's a type of creature that’s long and burrows through the ground. Just try and find the damn traitor, please?]

[I will try.]

As I've been talking all of my minds have already bent themselves to the task of tracing the mana that Jim wove with such cunning. I refuse to believe he's so good that he can hide all evidence of his weaving.

Wherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewhere?!?!

AHA! A sniff!

[This way!] I roar over the mind bridge to my team and we rush northwards. [Crinis! Let's go!]

as carefully as only a

brushing past numerous demons who we simply knock to the side, unwilling to waste time fighting

he is travelling down a pre-dug tunnel, master. I can sense it

in the first place. Any chance we can use it for

believe it's collapsing behind

[Dammit!]

I sure as hell am not going to let him off that easy. Run! Like the wind, Anthony! A thousand thoughts try to intrude on my mind as we

those impulses away I sink myself deep into meditation, letting my emotions run cold.

Do you have

able to catch up to

too far ahead then we can

able to sense it at my level of mana sight. I have a dozen minds out sweeping ahead, hunting for every little skerrick of energy that leaks beyond the fleeing coward's control and it's barely enough to keep track

that surprising, considering he's a worm,

I screech to a halt as I cast my senses about, trying to determine what has happened. My sense of Jim is

He might be going to breach

surface?] Crinis asks,

be leaving the

far less time for the worm to wriggle his way up than it does for us, as we run and climb our way out of the tunnels our hold on the trail grows

[Thissss way.]

[You're sure?]

[Alwaysssss sure!]

enough for me,

larvae, we continue to run as somewhere ahead of us, just below the

magic which may or may not even

within me but under the effect of meditation I

want to let her know why you betrayed her? Did you know she

at me with her mind and I turn my head a little to stare at

[… sorry,] I mumble.