"They're dying," Ellison said shrilly. Her wide panicked gaze pinned to mine, she searched underneath the seat and between the cushions. "I don't see a black bag!"

The sky sagged down toward us with the weight of the ghosts clinging to it. There were too many, and we needed to escape before the Saelis or humans killed us. There wasn't time to cross them all over, but they drifted toward me anyway. Without iron, they would find me. And massacre me.

More bullets whizzed ...