A human shape appeared between me and the light, stepping into it and disappearing. I followed, noting that the collapse behind me was definitely getting closer. It was maybe 50 feet behind me now.

  I gave the rockets full power, feeling the speed increase and like I’d left my stomach behind. The collapse followed, growing wider, if that were possible. At first, it had only seemed like a tunnel was caving in, but after I accelerated, I saw chunks of something falling, hitting the ground(?), shattering, or bounding forward in my direction.

  I couldn’t guess what substance it was. Time? Bits of pocket dimensions? Stars?

  I only knew that I didn’t want it to catch me—though if there were a safe way to get a sample, I might have considered it.

  On the bright side, no one could say that I was slow. The Rocket suit registered my speed as 300 mph and increasing.

  I shot out of the other side of the portal. I’d like to say that I shot out like a bullet from a gun, but that’s a cliche. Instead, imagine that I shot forward like a potato from a trebuchet. It’s similar, but it isn’t a cliche.

  Anyway, when I saw where I was, I felt like a potato—lumpy and like I’d landed in the wrong place—a neighbor’s living room, for example.

  Mr. Robertson had shouted a lot. I was only ten.

  If I had to describe where I was in as few words as possible, I’d have said, “M.C. Escher’s imagination.”

  According to my grandfather, we were distantly related to Escher, but maybe he also inherited a connection to Artificers and drew inspiration from a vision of this place.

  It was a labyrinth of bridges and hallways, all of them endlessly twisting over and under each other, many disappearing from view under other bridges and buildings.

  Prentkos stood off to the side of the portal, which like the one on the other end, appeared to be a ring of glowing white fire. Almost in the moment that I noticed it, it felt apart, throwing bits of itself everywhere, all of them burning.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  I landed near Prentkos, who’d dodged bits of exploding portal, but still ended up close by.

  He looked up from staring at the bits of white fire on the ground to ask me, “Does this happen often around you?”

  “Explosions?” I asked. “I can’t imagine I see more of them than your average superhero.”

  Prentkos grunted and stepped over a piece of burning ring. “Where do you think we are?”

  “The Singularity,” I said. “Probably. That’s where we were supposed to go, but all I can think is that we’re supposed to find it or something.”

  Prentkos glanced over at me. “Or perhaps you can will it into existence. It’s part of your gifts, maybe.”

  “Your gifts, too,” I said, looking around.

  Everything around us appeared to be white marble, all of it intricately carved. We seemed to be on the roof of a house, but if it were a house, it would have been a mansion. The walkway on the roof extended ahead of us, but then turned to the right of us, and turned again to go under us. Or did it go over? I wasn’t sure.

  Prentkos shook his head. “She said I was weak. She didn’t even suggest I try opening a portal to this place. Perhaps someday what I can do with this power will matter, but not today.”

  I didn’t argue with him. I scanned the skyline around us for clues, noticing only that the sky was blue and filled with curving walkways like the one we were on.

  “All I know,” I said, “is that we’ve got to come up with something better than walking forever. I’ve got a gut feeling that we need to be going down and not up.”

  I walked over to the railing and looked down, seeing the side of the house and more walkways, some traveling alongside, others turning away from the house, and the rest passing through or into the house.

  Prentkos stood next to me, pointing out into the endless branching walkways. “That one seems to be going down. Perhaps if you carried me over there, we could… On the other hand, it may be going up.”

  He stared for a time and shook his head. “Perhaps it’s time to start talking to yourself again. It did help with the portal.”

  “I wasn’t talking to myself,” I said. “I was talking to my fighting instructor.”

  He tilted his head, watching me. “I didn’t see anyone except for the faun. Where is she, do you suppose?”

  “I don’t know, but my fighting instructor is imprisoned here. The device has a message system. I’ll try to contact him again.”

  Seemingly paying no attention to me, Prentkos started pointing at the sky. “Someone is coming. Who is that?”

  A man flew through the sky, dipping down toward us, dodging the twisting walkways as he lost attitude. He wore a black suit. Simple and elegant, I didn’t doubt that it cost thousands as opposed to hundreds of dollars.

  As the man landed, I noted the Rolex watch on his wrist, but I didn’t need it to identify Ray, the leader of the Executioners.