All of them were protecting her, willing to give their lives so that she could protect the planes. She wasn’t going to let them get hurt for her, she was going to save them. As she bent to heal the plane, the last chain faltered and vanished, and the thing roared in triumph before splitting the water as it flew towards the beach.

Shields snapped up all over the beach, blending and merging into a dome that covered the entire expanse and all the people that were arrayed to ...