The concussive shockwave tore through the fabric of the villa, turning heavy wooden furniture into lethal shrapnel. Vane hit the floor hard. The agonizing spike of pain in his left radius was blinding. He tasted blood and ash.
He forced his eyes open. The living room of Villa 1 was gone.
The walls had been sheared away completely, exposing the interior to a violently purple sky. The high altitude wind howled through the ruins, carrying the heavy stench of ozone and burning marble.
"Mara," Vane rasped. He pushed himself up with his uninjured right arm.
He looked toward the kitchen island. He dragged himself across the splintered floorboards, ignoring the screaming pain in his ribs. He clawed at the broken wood and shattered stone with his bare hand.
He found her beneath a collapsed support beam. The little girl was entirely still. Her amber eyes were open, staring blankly at the burning sky above them. There was no pulse. The ward of Oakhaven was gone.
