Drowned water slapped Brinn's face through the new street crack.
Tir struck somewhere below it. Elen answered farther away, and loose stone swallowed half her glass note.
Brinn wanted both sounds on the same side of the floor. Jiang wanted to reach them before Gredudande learned how badly she wanted it.
The human-width rupture could not give them either thing yet.
Its upper mouth opened beside Varn, but the break twisted away under the street. Roots bridged the gap without bearing weight. When Hest lowered one boot onto the nearest, the whole shaft narrowed around his ankle.
"It closes on a load from above," Varn said.
"Then we pull from below," Brinn answered.
"First we put a line below."
Everyone looked toward the surviving spill groove.
